Effective date: August 22, 2026. This version supersedes all earlier Terms of Service. We'll post the updated date here if that changes.
Welcome to Artisan Hosting. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of services provided by Artisan Hosting, LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company ("Artisan Hosting," "Company," "we," "us," or "our"), including website design and development ("Build"), managed hosting and infrastructure operations ("Run"), and fractional engineering ("Embed") (collectively, the "Services"). By engaging Artisan Hosting, creating an account, or using the Services, you ("Client," "you") agree to these Terms.
Our Domain & Email Hosting service and our Build/creative work are each governed by their own product-specific terms, the Domain & Email Hosting Terms of Service and the Creative Services Terms, respectively, which sit alongside and supplement these Terms. Our Acceptable Use Policy and Privacy Policy are incorporated into these Terms by reference.
1. Definitions
"Services" means the Build, Run, and Embed offerings described on our website, plus any other service Artisan Hosting agrees to provide under an order, statement of work, or subscription (an "Engagement").
"Client Content" means the domains, websites, code, data, and other materials you own or provide, or that we build for you under an Engagement.
"Our Platform" means the internal tools, infrastructure, monitoring systems, and software Artisan Hosting uses to deliver the Services, as distinct from Client Content.
"Beta Services" means any offering we explicitly label as beta, preview, or experimental.
2. The Services
Artisan Hosting offers three related service lines:
- Build: web design and development.
- Run: managed hosting, monitoring, security, and infrastructure maintenance.
- Embed: fractional engineering capacity for teams that need extended support.
The specific scope, deliverables, timeline, fees, response times, and responsibility boundaries for any Engagement are documented individually, typically in a proposal, statement of work, or order confirmation, before work begins. That document governs the specifics of the Engagement; these Terms govern the relationship generally.
3. Engagement Formation; Right to Accept or Decline
Nothing on our website or in a conversation with us is an offer to contract. An Engagement is formed only when Artisan Hosting confirms it in writing (a signed proposal, statement of work, order confirmation, or subscription confirmation).
Artisan Hosting may accept or decline to enter into any Engagement, and may decline to renew or extend an existing one, at our sole discretion. We are not obligated to explain our reasons, and declining or discontinuing an Engagement under this section is not itself a breach of these Terms.
This discretion is exercised consistent with applicable law; nothing in this section authorizes a decision that unlawful discrimination would prohibit.
4. Client Ownership; No Lock-In
Your domain, your content, your data, and the code we write for you are yours. We deliberately avoid proprietary page builders or formats that would trap you with us.
You own the Client Content we create for you under an Engagement, subject to any third-party or open-source components identified in that Engagement.
If you decide to go elsewhere, we will hand over what we hold: code, content, data exports, DNS records, and environment documentation, in standard (non-proprietary) formats.
We do not charge an offboarding fee for handing over Client Content.
Build engagements (website design/development and related creative deliverables) are additionally governed by the Creative Services Terms, which may condition final transfer of ownership on completion of payment. See that document for the specifics.
5. Our Platform
Artisan Hosting retains ownership of Our Platform, the internal tools and infrastructure we use to deliver the Services. Where your use of the Services depends on Our Platform, we grant you the usage rights needed to run and access what we've built for you, without creating a dependency that would prevent you from migrating away.
6. Fees & Payment
Fees, billing frequency, and payment terms for a given Engagement are set out in that Engagement's order/SOW.
Where not otherwise specified, invoices are due on receipt, and payment more than 7 days late may result in suspension of the affected Service until the account is brought current.
You are responsible for any taxes associated with the Services, added to invoices as required by law.
7. Beta / Experimental Services
From time to time we offer explicitly experimental Beta Services. Beta Services come with no SLA, no uptime guarantee, and no promise that the program continues. We'll tell you clearly when something is a Beta Service.
8. Acceptable Use
Use of the Services is governed by our Acceptable Use Policy, incorporated into these Terms by reference. A violation of the AUP is a violation of these Terms.
9. Intellectual Property
Client Content ownership is addressed in Section 4.
Our Platform, and any pre-existing Artisan Hosting tools, templates, or methodologies used to deliver the Services, remain Artisan Hosting's property.
Where open-source or other third-party components are incorporated into a deliverable, your use of those components is governed by their own licenses, which control over these Terms to the extent of any conflict.
10. Confidentiality
Each party may share confidential information with the other in connection with an Engagement. Each party agrees to protect the other's confidential information with reasonable care and use it only to perform under these Terms and the applicable Engagement, except as required by law.
11. Warranties & Disclaimers
We perform the Services in a professional and workmanlike manner. Except as expressly stated in these Terms or an Engagement, the Services are provided "as is," and we disclaim all other warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, to the maximum extent permitted by law.
12. Limitation of Liability
Artisan Hosting is not liable for outages or failures of third-party infrastructure providers (e.g., cloud, DNS, domain registries, or upstream carriers) to the extent outside our reasonable control.
Except for a party's indemnification obligations or a breach of confidentiality, each party's total liability arising out of an Engagement will not exceed the fees paid or payable under that Engagement in the three (3) months preceding the claim.
Neither party is liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including lost profits or lost data, even if advised of the possibility.
Nothing in this section limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
13. Indemnification
Each party will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the other from third-party claims arising out of (a) the indemnifying party's gross negligence or willful misconduct, or (b) for Client, Client Content that infringes a third party's rights or violates the AUP.
14. Term & Termination
These Terms remain in effect for as long as you have an active Engagement with Artisan Hosting.
Either party may terminate an Engagement per the terms of that Engagement, or, where none are specified, on 30 days' written notice.
We may suspend or terminate the Services for non-payment or a violation of the AUP, following notice where practical.
Sections that by their nature should survive termination (ownership, confidentiality, limitation of liability, indemnification) survive.
15. Privacy
Our handling of your information is described in our Privacy Policy, incorporated into these Terms by reference.
16. Governing Law & Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Wisconsin, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of these Terms or an Engagement will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Wisconsin, and each party consents to jurisdiction there.
17. General Provisions
Entire agreement. These Terms, the AUP, the Privacy Policy, and any applicable Engagement documents constitute the entire agreement between the parties.
Amendments. We may update these Terms from time to time; material changes will be communicated by email at least 14 days before taking effect. Engagement-specific terms may only be amended in writing signed by both parties.
Assignment. Neither party may assign these Terms without the other's consent, except in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of substantially all assets.
Force majeure. Neither party is liable for delay or failure to perform caused by events outside its reasonable control.
Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.