Texas gives gym owners more freedom, and more risk, than any other state. Here's what's actually required, what it costs, and how to handle both.
Every Texas gym needs the same core protection: general liability for member injuries and accidents, and professional liability for claims that your coaching or programming caused an injury. Most gyms bundle those with property coverage into a single policy.
We're PushPress, 20+ years in fitness, and we built Gym Insurance by PushPress around how gyms actually operate. We cover Texas gyms from $24/mo, with most owners paying $1,100 to $1,900 a year (median $1,600), versus $2,000 to $3,000 through a broker. Where Texas differs from every other state: workers' comp is optional here, the one coverage decision that deserves real thought.
General liability covers member injuries, slip-and-falls, and property damage claims, with standard $1M / $2M limits for most Texas gyms. Harris County (Houston) is known for plaintiff-friendly verdicts, so don't skimp on limits there.
Learn more →Professional liability protects you when a member claims your training, programming, or instruction caused their injury. It's separate from general liability and often excluded from generic policies, so confirm it's explicitly included.
Learn more →Workers' comp covers employee injuries and is technically optional in Texas. For gyms with trainers and coaches who demonstrate exercises and spot clients, the math favors carrying it: moderate premiums now versus unlimited lawsuit exposure later.
Learn more →Business personal property coverage protects your gym equipment. In Texas, wind and hail carry a separate percentage deductible, a percent of your insured value rather than a flat dollar amount, so a hail claim leaves more on you before coverage kicks in. Worth knowing your wind and hail deductible before storm season.
Learn more →A business owners policy bundles general liability and property coverage into one package, usually at a lower combined premium. It's the most common starting point for an independent Texas gym.
Learn more →Texas is the only state where you can skip workers' comp. But if you do and an employee gets hurt, they can sue you directly for the full amount, and Texas takes away your usual defenses: you can't argue they were careless, knew the risk, or that a coworker caused it. Carrying comp blocks that lawsuit; skipping it (becoming a "nonsubscriber") leaves you exposed.
The Texas Health Spa Act (Occupations Code Chapter 702) requires gyms that sell memberships to register with the Secretary of State and post a bond of $20,000 to $50,000 to protect members' prepaid fees.
Texas landlords typically require $1M per-occurrence and $2M aggregate general liability with the landlord named as an additional insured on your certificate of insurance. Coastal landlords may also ask for windstorm coverage.
Texas is the only state in the US where private employers can legally opt out of workers' compensation insurance. No other state gives you this choice.
If you carry workers' comp: You get the "exclusive remedy" protection. An injured employee can file a workers' comp claim, but they generally can't sue you directly for damages. The system handles medical bills, lost wages, and disability, and your personal assets are protected.
If you don't carry workers' comp: You become a nonsubscriber and lose that protection entirely. An injured employee can sue you directly in civil court for the full amount, and Texas strips you of three common legal defenses: you can't argue the employee was partly at fault (contributory negligence), you can't argue they knew the risks (assumption of risk), and you can't argue a coworker caused the injury (the fellow-employee doctrine).
In plain English: if a trainer blows out their knee spotting a client and you don't have workers' comp, they can sue you for everything, and you can't even argue they should have been more careful.
Our take: Most Texas gym owners should carry workers' comp even though it's not required. The cost is moderate, Texas has competitive rates because the opt-out system keeps the market honest, and the alternative is gambling your entire business on nobody ever getting hurt at work.
Generally, no. Workers' comp covers employees, so if your coaches are genuinely independent contractors you usually aren't required to carry it for them, and your policy wouldn't cover them either. But a 1099 label isn't a guarantee, so two cautions before you assume it doesn't apply to you:
Classification isn't your call to make. Texas and the IRS look at how someone actually works, not the label you give them. The Texas Workforce Commission applies a 20-factor common-law test, and as it puts it, you can't turn an employee into a contractor just by agreeing to. A coach who works set hours, uses your equipment, and follows your programming usually reads as an employee. Get it wrong and a single injury can land you the nonsubscriber exposure above, plus back taxes and penalties.
You can still protect real contractors. True 1099 coaches aren't covered by workers' comp, but you can extend your professional liability to cover them as additional insureds with a signed contract worker agreement, or require them to carry their own.
Texas doesn't have a statewide business license. Licenses are handled at the city level, and most cities don't specifically require proof of liability insurance for the permit itself.
However, the Texas Health Spa Act (Occupations Code Chapter 702) requires health clubs that sell memberships to register with the Secretary of State and post security to protect prepaid membership fees. The required amount is set by the Secretary of State based on your total membership and runs from $20,000 to $50,000, satisfied with either a surety bond or a certificate of deposit. If you sell annual memberships or multi-month contracts, this applies to you.
Texas landlords follow the standard playbook: $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate general liability, with the landlord named as an additional insured on your certificate of insurance. Nothing unusual compared to other states.
The one exception: if your gym is in a coastal area like Houston, Galveston, or Corpus Christi, landlords may specifically require windstorm coverage documentation.
Texas gym insurance is generally near or slightly below the national average, with one big exception.
The short version: Most Texas gym owners pay $1,100 to $1,900 a year with Gym Insurance by PushPress, with a median of $1,600. Through a broker, expect $2,000 to $3,000 or more.
Why Texas is generally affordable:
In Texas, property pricing turns on wind and hail. The state has some of the country's highest hail and severe-storm exposure, so most property policies here apply a separate deductible for wind and hail, set as a percentage of your insured value rather than a flat dollar amount, and that holds well inland, not just on the coast. On the Gulf Coast, hurricane and windstorm exposure pushes property coverage costs higher still and means coastal property gets underwritten case by case. A gym in Houston or Galveston has a very different property profile than one in Austin or San Antonio, so the honest answer for a coastal gym is to get a quote and we'll tell you what we can cover for your specific location.
For a full breakdown of what affects your rate, see our gym insurance cost guide.
*Pricing accurate as of June 2026. Coverage and pricing can change.
A few things fall outside a standard Texas gym policy:
We're gym people first. For years we watched gyms get priced like generic small businesses, so we built coverage that prices a gym like a gym, with no broker fees stacked on top.
Technically, no, Texas is the only state where private employers can opt out of workers' comp entirely. But if you skip it, you lose the exclusive remedy protection and injured employees can sue you directly for full damages. Most gym owners carry it because the cost is moderate and the alternative is unlimited liability exposure.
A nonsubscriber is a Texas employer that chooses not to carry workers' compensation insurance, which Texas uniquely allows. Nonsubscribers lose the exclusive-remedy protection, so an injured employee can sue them directly in civil court, and they give up three standard legal defenses: contributory negligence, assumption of risk, and the fellow-employee doctrine.
Only if they're really employees. Workers' comp covers W-2 employees, so if your coaches are genuine independent contractors you generally aren't required to carry it for them, and your policy wouldn't cover them either. The catch is that Texas and the IRS decide who counts as an employee based on how the person actually works, not the label you use. A coach who works set hours, uses your equipment, and follows your programming usually counts as an employee, and misclassifying them can expose you to the nonsubscriber lawsuit risk plus back taxes and penalties. For true contractors, you can extend your professional liability to them as additional insureds with a signed contract worker agreement, or require them to carry their own coverage.
Most Texas gym owners pay $1,100 to $1,900/year with Gym Insurance by PushPress, with a median of $1,600. Wind and hail carry a separate percentage deductible statewide, and on the Gulf Coast hurricane exposure pushes property coverage higher still. Brokers typically charge $2,000 to $3,000+ for comparable coverage.
Gulf Coast counties carry hurricane and windstorm exposure that inland Texas doesn't, so carriers price coastal property coverage higher and underwrite it case by case. Texas property policies also apply a separate wind and hail deductible, set as a percentage of your insured value rather than a flat dollar amount, statewide. For a coastal gym the honest answer is to get a quote so we can tell you what we can cover for your location.
Yes, Texas is one of the more favorable states for waiver enforcement. Courts generally uphold well-drafted pre-injury release agreements. However, waivers can't release you from gross negligence or intentional acts, and poorly written waivers get thrown out. Insurance is your safety net when the waiver doesn't apply.
Most Texas commercial landlords require $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate general liability with the landlord named as an additional insured. Coastal landlords may also require windstorm coverage documentation. These are standard requirements, nothing unusual compared to other states.
If you sell memberships or multi-month contracts, yes. The Health Spa Act requires gyms to register with the Secretary of State and maintain a surety bond to protect prepaid membership fees. This is separate from liability insurance and applies to most gyms that sell recurring memberships.
The Texas Secretary of State sets the security amount based on your total membership, and it cannot be less than $20,000 or more than $50,000. You can satisfy the requirement with either a surety bond or a certificate of deposit filed in favor of the Secretary of State, which protects members' prepaid fees if the gym closes.
Texas gives gym owners more freedom than any other state when it comes to insurance decisions. That freedom is valuable, but it also means the consequences of getting it wrong fall entirely on you.
Gym Insurance by PushPress covers Texas gyms from $24/mo: general liability, professional liability, property, and optional workers' comp. No broker fees. No generic policies. Built for how your gym actually operates.
Don't let high costs or inadequate coverage hold your gym back. Protect your business and your students with insurance built for you.