Texas Windstorm Insurance
Along the Texas coast, wind and hail damage is carved out of a standard homeowners policy and has to be written on its own, and we have been sorting out which policy pays for what since 2009, from our League City office since 2016.
Your Home Policy and Your Wind Policy Are Two Different Pieces of Paper
Most Texas homeowners policies cover wind and hail. Coastal ones often do not. Once a property sits inside the state's designated catastrophe area, carriers routinely stamp a wind and hail exclusion on the homeowners policy and expect that peril to be covered somewhere else.
That is usually the moment a lender asks for proof of windstorm coverage and the whole thing comes as a surprise. It should not. If your property is on the coast, read the exclusions page of your
home insurance policy first, and then let us tell you what is actually missing.
Coastal Coverage Takes Three Policies, Not One
One hurricane can damage a house three different ways, and three different policies answer for it. Knowing which is which before a storm is the difference between a clean claim and an argument.
- A homeowners policy covers fire, theft, liability and, inland, wind and hail.
- A windstorm policy covers wind and hail damage on the coast: the roof the wind peeled back, the windows the debris broke, the siding the gusts stripped.
- A flood policy covers rising water and storm surge, whether it came from the bay, the bayou or the rain that had nowhere to go.
The line between the second and the third is where most confusion lives. Wind took the roof off, so the wind policy pays for the roof. Water came in through the door, so the flood policy pays for the floors and the drywall. A single storm can trigger both claims on the same house on the same night, which is why we would rather set all three up together than discover a gap afterward.
Who Needs Windstorm Coverage on the Texas Coast
Windstorm eligibility is drawn by geography, not by how close your house feels to the water. Fourteen first-tier coastal counties sit inside the designated catastrophe area, along with one carved-out piece of Harris County.
- Galveston County in full, including League City, Friendswood, Clear Lake, Dickinson, Texas City, Kemah and Galveston Island
- Chambers County, where much of our Bay-side business sits
- Harris County only east of Highway 146, which is why two neighbors a few miles apart can be quoted very differently
- Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio and Willacy counties
Most of the windstorm we write is in League City and southeast Houston, so the local questions are the everyday ones here: whether an address falls east of 146, how an older Clear Lake roof will be looked at, what a Galveston Island beachfront home needs on file.
How a TWIA Policy Works and What It Takes to Qualify
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is the not-for-profit association the state created to write wind and hail for eligible coastal property when the private market will not. It is the backstop, not the starting point. Three things typically have to be true before a property qualifies.
A WPI-8 certificate of compliance
The Texas Department of Insurance issues a WPI-8 certificate showing the structure, or the addition, roof or repair in question, was built to the state windstorm building code and inspected for it. Newer construction usually has one on file; older homes and post-storm roof replacements often do not, and that is where a windstorm quote stalls.
A declination from a private carrier
At least one authorized insurer actively writing wind in the designated area has to decline the risk. That is the point of the shopping we do anyway, so it rarely adds a step for you.
Flood coverage where the flood zone requires it
Property in a V, VE or V1-30 flood zone that was built or substantially altered after September 1, 2009 has to carry flood insurance to be eligible for a wind policy. If that describes your address, the two policies get set up together.
We handle the paperwork side of this rather than handing you a checklist, because the WPI-8 question in particular is one most homeowners have never heard of until it holds up a closing.
What a Percentage Wind Deductible Actually Costs You
Coastal wind and hail deductibles are written as a percentage of the dwelling limit, not as a flat dollar amount, and they sit separate from the all-other-perils deductible on the rest of the policy. That is the number that surprises people at claim time.
Say the dwelling is insured for $300,000. A one percent wind and hail deductible is $3,000 out of pocket before the policy pays. Two percent is $6,000. Five percent is $15,000. Meanwhile the deductible on a kitchen fire or a break-in might still be $1,000, because it is a different deductible on the same policy.
Lowering the percentage raises the premium, and raising it lowers the premium. There is a right answer for your household, and it depends on what you could write a check for the week after a hurricane. We will do that math with you in dollars before you sign, not after the storm.
We Shop the Private Wind Market Before We Turn to TWIA
We are an independent agency, so we compare wind and hail options across multiple carriers first and go to TWIA when the private market will not write the risk. A captive agent has one company's answer. We have the whole shelf, and we re-shop it at renewal instead of letting a policy roll over on its own.
- Amber Pillsbury has written insurance in Texas since 2009 and opened this League City office in 2016, bringing 18 years in finance and insurance to it.
- Three licensed agents write coastal wind, which means deductibles, storm surge and catastrophe-area territory are everyday conversations here, not exceptions.
- Multiple carriers are compared on every windstorm quote, including at renewal.
- Coverage gets explained in plain language before it gets quoted, so you know what you are buying.
Windstorm Questions We Answer Every Week
Do I need windstorm insurance in Galveston County?
In almost every case, yes. Galveston County sits entirely inside the state's designated catastrophe area, so homeowners policies written there commonly exclude wind and hail, and a separate windstorm policy fills that gap. If you have a mortgage, your lender will usually require proof of it.
Why doesn't my Texas homeowners policy cover wind and hail?
Inland, it usually does. On the coast, carriers exclude wind and hail because hurricane exposure is concentrated in a narrow band of counties, and they write that peril separately or not at all. Check the exclusions page of your declarations, and if wind and hail is listed there, you need a windstorm policy alongside it.
Is windstorm insurance the same as flood insurance?
No. A windstorm policy pays for damage the wind and hail caused, like a torn-off roof or broken windows. A flood policy pays for rising water and storm surge that entered from outside. A hurricane routinely causes both kinds of damage, and only carrying both policies covers the whole loss.
How do I get a TWIA policy in League City?
TWIA policies are written through a licensed agent, not directly by the association. Call us and we will shop the private wind market first, confirm the declination and WPI-8 documentation, and submit the TWIA application if that is where the risk lands.
What is a WPI-8 windstorm certificate?
It is a certificate of compliance issued by the Texas Department of Insurance confirming a structure was built or repaired to the state windstorm building code and inspected for it. TWIA generally requires one for construction, additions and roof replacements completed after the code took effect for your area.
What is a percentage wind and hail deductible?
It is a deductible calculated as a percentage of your dwelling limit rather than a flat amount. On a home insured for $300,000, a two percent wind deductible means $6,000 comes out of your pocket before the wind policy pays anything.
Is home insurance required in Texas?
Texas law does not require it, but mortgage lenders do, and they will require proof of coverage before closing and at every renewal. If a lender force-places a policy because yours lapsed, you pay far more for far less coverage. Send us the lender's requirements and we will make sure the policy meets them.
Let's Get Your Coastal Coverage Lined Up
Bring us your current declarations page and we will tell you plainly what is covered, what is excluded, and what your wind deductible costs in dollars. We write windstorm across the Texas coast and quote all 254 Texas counties from this office, with clients outside the Houston and Galveston corridor handled by phone, email and video.
Call (936) 445-6701, email apillsbury@twfg.com, or send us a note and we will come back with real numbers. We are at 100 Perkins Ave Suite C in League City, open Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, and closed Saturday and Sunday.