Does My Home Insurance Policy Cover Fences and Outdoor Walls?

Fences, outdoor walls and similar structures are generally covered by the other structures coverage portion of a standard homeowners insurance policy, also known as Coverage B. For most policies, this coverage type insures your fences against any peril that isn’t expressly excluded by the policy.

Keep reading to learn more about how home insurance covers fences including how much coverage is typically available and what situations aren’t covered.

On This Page

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  Does Homeowners Insurance Always Cover Fences and Walls?

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  How Does Home Insurance Cover Fences That Have Been Damaged?

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  When Won’t Homeowners Insurance Cover Damaged Fences?

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  How Much Fence Damage Does Home Insurance Cover?

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  Will Homeowners Insurance Replace My Damaged Fence?

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  How To File a Home Insurance Claim for a Damaged Fence

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  FAQs

Does Homeowners Insurance Always Cover Fences and Walls?

Home insurance policies don’t cover every conceivable source of damage, so there will be some situations where your fences and walls are covered and others where they aren’t. In general, homeowners insurance covers fences through a coverage type known as other structures insurance, which is automatically included in a standard homeowners insurance policy. Other structures insurance can also cover outdoor structures like sheds, garages, gazebos and sometimes swimming pools.

How Does Home Insurance Cover Fences That Have Been Damaged?

Your other structures coverage will generally cover the same perils as your dwelling insurance, which is a coverage type that protects your home and any structures attached to it.^[1] As a result, if you have a standard HO-3 insurance policy, then your fences should be insured on an open peril basis. This means your insurer will cover damage to your fences from any cause except those that are named in the policy as exclusions.

Fences Damaged by Cars

If someone drives into your fence, the damage should be covered by the property damage liability coverage portion of their car insurance policy. However, if the driver is uninsured or doesn’t have enough insurance to pay to fix your fence, then you can instead file a claim on your own home insurance since damage from vehicles is one of the perils covered by most homeowners insurance policies.

Keep in mind that you will have to pay a deductible when you file a claim on your own insurance policy, which won’t be the case if you are reimbursed by the at-fault driver’s insurance company. For this reason, you should prioritize going through their insurance company rather than your own if possible.

Fences Damaged by Trees

Home insurance typically covers falling objects, meaning your insurance carrier should provide coverage if a tree falls on your fence due to high winds or some other external peril that isn’t excluded from coverage by your policy. However, a tree on your property will need to be well-maintained and not decayed for you to qualify for coverage if it falls on your fence.

Tree damage may also be covered by someone else’s personal liability insurance if that person is held liable for the damage. For example, if your neighbor’s tree falls on and crushes your fence after your neighbor intentionally cuts the tree down, you may be able to file a claim on their homeowners insurance.^[2]

Fences Damaged by Storms

Your other structures insurance may cover multiple types of storm-related damage to your fence including damage caused by wind, hail, lightning and snow. However, your policy will most likely exclude coverage for floods and earthquakes unless you buy separate flood insurance and earthquake insurance.

When Won’t Homeowners Insurance Cover Damaged Fences?

Since insurance is primarily designed to cover sudden losses, your fences won’t be insured against wear and tear or any other gradual or predictable perils such as wood rot, termite damage and rust.^[2] Other common exclusions include nuclear hazards, war and government actions such as confiscation of property or enforcement of local building codes.

How Much Fence Damage Does Home Insurance Cover?

Your homeowners insurance company should pay for fence repairs up to your other structures coverage limit, which is usually around 10% of your dwelling coverage limit.^[3] For example, if you have $300,000 worth of coverage for your home, you may automatically have $30,000 worth of coverage for the structures on your property that aren’t attached to your home.

The average cost to repair a fence is about $600, which should fall well below your other structures coverage limit.^[4]

As a result, your home insurance policy may fully cover the costs of fixing your fence unless you have to file a claim for several other damaged structures at the same time.

Remember that you will still have to contribute money out of pocket toward every claim in the form of a deductible, so you shouldn’t file a claim for $600 worth of damage unless your deductible is far lower than $600.

Will Homeowners Insurance Replace My Damaged Fence?

Most homeowners insurance companies insure fences and other structures at their actual cash value (ACV), which means your insurance payout may not be enough to fully cover the costs of replacing a damaged fence.^[2] Your fence’s ACV is how much it is worth after subtracting value based on depreciation factors such as age or wear and tear.

However, if your policy insures your fences at their replacement cost value (RCV), then your insurer may cover the full cost of a fence replacement minus your deductible. Installing a new fence will cost you $3,152 on average, which still shouldn’t be enough to exhaust your other structures coverage limit.^[5]

How To File a Home Insurance Claim for a Damaged Fence

Anytime your fence has incurred damage that you believe is covered by your home insurance policy, you can take these steps to file a homeowners insurance claim:

1. Dial 911 if the damage stems from a crime such as vandalism and have the responding officers fill out a police report.
2. Contact your homeowners insurance provider to start the claims process and select a time for an insurance adjuster to come to your home and inspect the damage.
3. Collect evidence to support your claim such as pictures and videos of the damaged fence and repair estimates from independent contractors.
4. Make minor repairs if needed to keep your fence from being damaged further.
5. Tell your mortgage lender that you are in the process of filing a claim.
6. Present police reports, pictures, videos, repair estimates and any other evidence you have collected to the insurance adjuster.
7. Keep track of invoices and receipts that are relevant to your claim so you can be reimbursed.
8. Pay attention to the status of your claim so you can sign papers and deal with any issues that come up as soon as possible.
9. Use your insurance payout to finish repairing your fence or contact a public adjuster or lawyer to help you dispute the payout if you believe your insurance company owes you more.