What your storm deductible actually comes to in dollars, and whether raising your regular deductible is worth the exposure. Estimates only — not a quote.
A typical 2% catastrophe deductible on $300,000 of coverage means you pay the first $6,000 of storm damage yourself — 6x the $1,000 deductible that applies to everything else. That is $5,000 more you would need on hand after a named storm than after a kitchen fire.
Shown on Connecticut’s reference coverage level of $300,000. Enter your own coverage above for your number.
Connecticut is one of the 19 states plus D.C. the Insurance Information Institute lists as using hurricane or windstorm deductibles, and unlike most inland states its rules are genuinely regulated rather than left to carrier discretion. TWO TIERS, SET BY DISTANCE FROM THE WATER: within 2,600 feet of the Connecticut shoreline an insurer may impose a hurricane deductible of up to 5% of the Coverage A dwelling limit; beyond 2,600 feet within those shoreline communities the cap is 2%. 2% is recorded as the typical figure because most Connecticut homes carrying a hurricane deductible sit outside the 2,600-foot band, where 2% is both the cap and the norm; a shoreline homeowner should read 5%. On a $300,000 dwelling limit that is $6,000, or $15,000 at the shoreline tier - against a $1,000 all-perils deductible on the same declarations page. THE TRIGGER IS UNUSUALLY STRICT AND WORTH KNOWING: the hurricane deductible applies only when the National Weather Service measures sustained surface winds of 74 mph or more somewhere in Connecticut AND issues a hurricane warning for somewhere in the state. Most storms that damage Connecticut homes - including tropical storms and nor'easters - do not clear that bar, so the ordinary deductible applies to them. A hurricane deductible is also legally distinct from a windstorm-or-hail deductible in Connecticut: insurers may not force the latter, though a consumer may choose to accept a wind/hail deductible in lieu of the overall policy deductible. Policies written through the FAIR Plan's C-MAP coastal program carry a mandatory 5% hurricane deductible on all risks.
This needs your two real quoted premiums. We deliberately don’t apply a “typical savings” percentage: deductible credits vary by carrier, state, and filing, so a made-up multiplier would give you a break-even that looks precise and isn’t. Ask your insurer to quote both deductibles — it takes one phone call, and the answer is specific to you.
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