Nerdy takeaways
- Other structures coverage is the part of a homeowners policy that pays if a fence, shed or other detached structure is damaged on your property.
- Other structures insurance covers damage from causes such as fire, hail, wind and vandalism.
- The limit for other structures coverage is generally set at 10% of your dwelling coverage limit.
Homeowners insurance covers not only your house but also other parts of your property. If lightning strikes your shed, for example, your other structures coverage can help pay for the damage.
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Answer a few questions to see custom quotes and find the right policy for you.What is other structures coverage?
Other structures coverage pays for damage to structures on your property that aren’t attached to your house. (The house falls under your dwelling insurance.) This could include the following:
- Fence.
- Detached garage.
- Shed.
- Gazebo.
- Guesthouse.
- Driveway.
- Dock.
- Pool (sometimes).
Other structures coverage pays only for the damaged structures themselves — not for anything stored inside. Say your shed catches fire and everything inside it is destroyed, including a bunch of tools and gardening supplies. Other structures coverage would pay to rebuild the shed, but your personal property insurance would cover the items inside.
Your homeowners insurance deductible generally applies to other structures coverage. (A deductible is the amount of a claim you’re responsible for.) Say a storm does $5,000 worth of damage to your detached garage, and your deductible is $1,000. Your insurer would pay $4,000 toward repairs.
A note on swimming pool coverage
Other structures insurance may also cover a swimming pool, but it’s worth checking with your insurer. Some companies include an in-ground pool under dwelling coverage instead of other structures, especially if it’s attached to your home by a walkway or enclosure. If you have a portable above-ground pool that you could take with you to another home, it might fall under personal property coverage.
Why should you care which part of your policy covers your pool? Because replacing a damaged pool can be expensive, you’ll want to make sure the appropriate section of your policy has a limit high enough to cover it.
Is other structures coverage required?
You’re not legally required to buy other structures coverage. However, most mortgage lenders require borrowers to have homeowners insurance, which almost always includes other structures coverage. And it’s worth having. Even if you don’t own any detached structures, it generally covers your driveway and sidewalk.
If your mortgage is paid off or you’re paying cash for your home, you could go without homeowners insurance. But doing so may not be worth the risk if you don’t have the money to rebuild your home after a disaster.
What does other structures insurance cover?
The other structures on your property are usually covered for the same disasters that your house is, including fire, hail, wind and vandalism. Most homeowners policies cover your house and other structures on an “open perils” basis. That means as long as your policy doesn't specifically exclude a given problem, it’s covered.
In rare cases, your homeowners policy may cover other structures on a “named perils” basis instead, meaning your policy will cover only disasters it specifically lists. These typically include:
- Fire or lightning.
- Windstorm or hail.
- Explosion.
- Riot or civil commotion.
- Smoke.
- Vandalism or malicious mischief.
- Theft.
- Volcanic eruption.
- A falling object.
- The weight of ice, snow or sleet.
- Accidental discharge of water or steam.
- Sudden and accidental tearing apart, cracking, burning or bulging.
- Freezing of certain household systems or appliances.
- Certain sudden, accidental damage from artificially generated electric currents.
- Damage caused by vehicles or aircraft.
Not sure which type of homeowners policy you have or what it covers? Check with your agent or insurer.
Actual cash value vs. replacement cost
There are two ways a homeowners policy can cover your property:
- Actual cash value. This coverage insures your property for its depreciated value. Say a storm destroys the fence you paid $8,000 for five years ago. Your insurance might decide its worn value is $6,000 and pay out based on that.
- Replacement cost. This coverage pays to replace your property based on how much it costs today. If your $8,000 fence now costs $10,000 to rebuild, you could be reimbursed for the full $10,000 (minus your deductible).
While dwelling coverage usually defaults to replacement cost, your other structures coverage may handle payouts differently. For example, detached buildings like sheds and garages are often covered at replacement cost. But fences may be insured for their actual cash value. Read your policy details carefully.
What does other structures insurance not cover?
Most homeowners policies have a detailed list of things they won’t cover. Here are some of the most common.
Flooding
If heavy rain or an overflowing river sends water seeping into your shed, a standard homeowners policy won't cover the damage. Homeowners in at-risk areas should look into flood insurance, which is available through the federal government and private insurers. Note that federal coverage for other structures is limited.
Earthquakes and other earth movement
Most homeowners policies rule out coverage for various types of “earth movement” such as earthquakes, sinkholes, landslides and mudslides. You may be able to buy extra coverage for these disasters. Read more about earthquake insurance.
Structures used for business
If you use your shed primarily to store equipment for your landscaping company or you run a small shop out of your guesthouse, your homeowners policy likely won't cover those structures. Instead, you may need business insurance.
Routine wear and tear
Insurance is designed as a financial safety net for sudden, accidental problems — not to cover standard home maintenance. So it’s unlikely to help if your aging fence starts rotting or the shingles on your shed wear out.
Infestations
Insurers consider preventing damage by termites, mice and other pests to be part of routine maintenance. That means your policy generally won’t pay to clean up infestations or repair any associated damage.
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Answer a few questions to see custom quotes and find the right policy for you.How much other structures coverage do I need?
Many insurance companies set your other structures coverage at 10% of your dwelling coverage limit. So if your dwelling is insured for $300,000, you’d have $30,000 of other structures coverage.
The default amount may not be right for you. Here’s about what you can expect to pay for common repairs and replacements on detached property, according to estimates from Angi, a home services website:
- New shed: $300 to $30,000.
- Fence repair: $300 to $950.
- Fence replacement: $1,860 to $4,840.
- New detached garage: $19,200 to $33,600.
- Concrete pool surface repair and resurfacing: $10,000 to $20,000.
- Fiberglass pool liner repair and resurfacing: $300 to $6,500
- Driveway repaving: $1,400 to $12,100.
Speak with your agent or insurer if you need to adjust your other structures coverage limit.
How much does other structures coverage cost?
Most people get other structures coverage as part of a homeowners insurance policy. The average cost of homeowners insurance in the U.S. is $2,490 per year, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. Your rate will vary based on where you live and how much coverage you need. Find the cheapest homeowners insurance.
A previous version of this article gave an incorrect example of what other structures insurance might pay for. It has been corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if you rent one of your other structures to someone else?
If you’re using one of your other structures for income — such as renting out a guesthouse to a tenant — you may need additional insurance to fully cover the building. A standard homeowners policy likely won’t cover a structure primarily used for commercial purposes. Chat with a local agent about your situation to find the best coverage options in your area.
Can you remove other structures coverage from your homeowners policy?
Not always. Some insurers may let you drop your other structures coverage. But many standard policies automatically include a minimum amount you can’t remove.
What is Coverage B in a homeowners policy?
Coverage B is another name for other structures coverage, based on the way it’s listed in some homeowners policies.
Methodology
NerdWallet calculated median rates for 40-year-old homeowners from various insurance companies in ZIP codes across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. All rates are rounded to the nearest $5.
Sample homeowners were nonsmokers with good credit living in a single-family, two-story home built in 1984. They had a $1,000 deductible and the following coverage limits:
- $400,000 in dwelling coverage.
- $40,000 in other structures coverage.
- $200,000 in personal property coverage.
- $80,000 in loss of use coverage.
- $300,000 in liability coverage.
- $1,000 in medical payments coverage.
We made minor changes to the sample policy in cases where rates for the above coverage limits or deductibles weren’t available.
These are sample rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
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Article sources
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- 1.Insurance Information Institute. Which disasters are covered by homeowners insurance?. Accessed Jul 20, 2026.
