Does Home Insurance Cover Drones?

A homeowners insurance policy might already cover your recreational drone for liability and if it’s damaged by a covered peril or stolen. However, if your drone is used for commercial purposes, you’ll likely have to look into commercial insurance or specialized drone insurance since an insurance claim for a business-related loss will likely get denied.

According to The Federal Aviation Administration, more 871,000 drones were registered in the U.S. in 2023, which suggests that people are buying more intricate drones for work and for pleasure. Nearly 500,000 of the registered drones are used recreationally.^[1] While you generally don’t have to register a drone that weighs 0.55 lbs, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it properly insured.^[2]

Keep reading to learn how to get adequate coverage for your drone.

On This Page

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  Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Drones?

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  Is Damage to My Drone Covered by Home Insurance?

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  Does Home Insurance Cover Me if My Drone Causes Damages?

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  When Won’t Home Insurance Cover a Drone?

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  Are There Privacy Laws To Follow When Flying Drones?

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  What Is Drone Insurance?

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  How Does Drone Insurance Work?

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  Am I Covered if Someone Else’s Drone Damages My Home?

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  How To File an Insurance Claim if a Drone Damages Your Home

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  FAQs

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Drones?

Whether your homeowners insurance company will cover your drone will largely depend on whether it’s used for recreational or commercial purposes.

Recreational Drones

Some homeowners insurance companies will insure your drone for physical damages and liability but only if it’s a recreational drone. A recreational drone is one that is used 90% of the time for recreational use.^[3] So, if you’re drone hobbyist and do not make money from your drone footage, then your drone is more likely to be covered by your home insurance policy.

Commercial Drones

Meanwhile, homeowners insurance will not cover a drone that is used for commercial use, which is one used for business purposes for at least 11% of the time.^[3] For example, if you’re a wedding videographer and use your drone for client work, then your drone will likely be excluded from coverage.

To get proper coverage for physical damages and liability, you will need to look into commercial property insurance and a drone liability policy. However, be sure to confirm with the carrier that drones are covered for the former.

Is Damage to My Drone Covered by Home Insurance?

If covered, the personal property coverage in your home insurance policy will cover drone damages caused by a covered peril, which commonly include losses caused by fire, lightning, windstorm, hail, explosion, vandalism, theft and more.

Keep in mind that you will have to pay a deductible for personal property damage claims.

Your personal property coverage is generally 50% to 70% of your dwelling coverage.^[4] With mid-level consumer drones ranging in cost from $600 to $1,000, getting reimbursed for your drone in the event of a total loss should fall comfortably within your personal property coverage limits.^[5] For higher-value drones, you may want to look into buying a rider to insure it for its full value in case your carrier applies a sublimit on it.

Drone insurance for homeowners will reimburse you for your drone’s actual cash value, which deducts for depreciation. However, you can pay extra if you want enough coverage to replace your drone at today’s market value.

Does Home Insurance Cover Me if My Drone Causes Damages?

Your homeowners insurance policy will also insure you for liability expenses incurred as a result of your drone use. For example, if you accidentally drive your drone through your neighbor’s window and injure somebody, your personal liability coverage would pay to repair the broken window and for your neighbor’s medical bills. In addition, your legal expenses would be covered if this incident escalates to a lawsuit.

When Won’t Home Insurance Cover a Drone?

As mentioned earlier, if you use the drone for commercial use for more than 10% of the time, then home insurance will likely not cover it for damages or for liability.

In addition, your drone will not be covered for damage caused by excluded perils, which commonly include earthquakes and floods. Drone use that is involved in illegal activity or is in violation with privacy laws will likely be excluded from coverage as well.

Some insurers may also exclude for aviation-type losses and that may include unmanned aircrafts so you should double-check with your agent.^[6]

Are There Privacy Laws To Follow When Flying Drones?

Some states have enforced laws surrounding drone use to protect individuals against video voyeurism. For example, in California, you can face fines ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 if you’re convicted of capturing drone video footage of another person without their consent.^[7]

See below to see if your state prohibits certain acts when operating a drone.^[8]

What Is Drone Insurance?

If your homeowners insurance doesn’t cover your drones because you use it for commercial use or they just do not cover unmanned aircraft in general, you’ll want to look into drone insurance. Generally, there are two types of insurance for drones: liability and drone hull coverage.

• Liability drone insurance: Liability coverage covers the drone owner for property damage, bodily injuries or personal injury caused by their drone.^[9] Say you fly a drone and it damages a neighbor’s roof or it hurts someone’s dog, you’ll be covered with drone liability insurance.
• Drone hull insurance: Drone hull coverage would cover physical damage to the drone, as well as related equipment like remote controls. If your drone is injured because a storm hits suddenly while you're operating it, drone hull insurance will cover the repair.

Standalone drone insurance can be purchased from various drone insurance companies and other insurance carriers. These are some of the top drone insurance providers:

• SkyWatch.AI ($466/year)^[10]
• Thimble (recreational drones)
• BWI Fly (international coverage)
• Avion Drone Insurance (for events)
• United States Aircraft Insurance Group (for business)
• Global Aerospace
• State Farm
• Liberty Mutual
• GEICO
• Chubb Insurance

How Does Drone Insurance Work?

Depending on the type of drone and the coverage you have, drone insurance works much like any other kind of coverage. If there is a loss, either by the owner or third parties who experience a loss because of the drone, the owner would file an insurance claim, which would be evaluated and paid out according to the specific terms, exclusions and limits of the policy.

Keep in mind that some standalone drone insurance claims will apply a deductible, which is the amount you must pay before the insurance carrier starts paying toward your expenses.

Am I Covered if Someone Else’s Drone Damages My Home?

The owner of a drone that damages your home should pay for damages by filing a claim with their insurer. It’s important for you to collect as much insurance information as you can from the owner and report the accident to your home insurance company.

When you file an insurance claim with your home insurance company, they will sort it out with the drone operator's insurance company. If they do not have insurance, your home insurance company may cover the damages, up to your policy’s limits.

How To File an Insurance Claim if a Drone Damages Your Home

It’s important to call the police if a drone damages your home. When the police arrive, they may contact the Federal Aviation Administration for a crash investigation, depending on the damage and the type of drone. Take photographs or a video of the drone and the damages it caused.

Using the police report, videos and photographs, you can file a home insurance claim. If you have the drone owner’s information, including the insurance carrier, that is helpful. If not, the drone may be registered and the authorities will figure out the person’s information for you.