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Nerdy takeaways
- A standard homeowners, renters or condo insurance policy generally won’t cover earthquake damage.
- Earthquake insurance may be available as a standalone policy or as an add-on to your existing coverage.
- Insurance for earthquakes often comes with high deductibles that could considerably reduce your claim payout.
An earthquake can shake even the sturdiest of foundations, damaging your walls and destroying your belongings. And if you don’t have insurance, it could also leave financial destruction in its wake.
Unfortunately, a standard homeowners, renters or condo insurance policy likely won’t cover this damage. So if you live in an area that’s at risk, you may want to consider buying earthquake insurance.
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What does earthquake insurance cover?
Earthquake insurance generally includes the following key types of coverage:
- Repairs to your house and attached structures, such as a garage. (Earthquake insurance for renters and condo owners doesn’t include this coverage. That’s because the landlord or condo association is responsible for insuring the building.)
- Damaged belongings like furniture and electronics. Some fragile or valuable items may not be covered, such as artwork or glassware.
- Additional living expenses, such as hotel and restaurant bills if you can’t live in your home during repairs.
The following types of coverage may also be included or available as add-ons:
- Detached structures, such as a carport or shed.
- Debris removal.
- Emergency repairs to protect your home from further damage.
- Building code upgrades to bring your home up to the latest safety standards.
- Land restoration to stabilize the property underneath your home.
- Loss assessment for condo unit owners, in case your association asks you to contribute to repair costs for shared spaces.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
When it comes to insurance, an earthquake isn’t the same as “earth movement.” The latter term includes not only seismic activity but also other forms of ground movement such as landslides and mudslides. If you want coverage for other scenarios like these, ask your agent about earth movement insurance. What’s not covered
An earthquake policy usually won’t cover:
- Fires caused by an earthquake. Your homeowners, renters or condo policy should cover that.
- Vehicle damage. If your auto insurance policy includes comprehensive insurance, it’ll cover earthquake damage to your car. (A deductible may apply.)
- Floods. You’ll need separate flood insurance for this damage, even if the flood is a by-product of an earthquake.
- Sinkholes. You may be able to add this coverage to your homeowners policy.
- Masonry veneer. Some policies won’t cover decorative brick, stone or rock used on the outside of your home.
Earthquake insurance deductibles
Earthquake policies generally have a high deductible, which is the amount subtracted from your claim payment. It’s often a percentage of your coverage limits, ranging from 2.5% to 25%, depending on your insurer.
Some earthquake insurance has separate deductibles for different parts of your policy. That means you could end up racking up more than one deductible after a single earthquake.
Say you've insured the structure of your home for $300,000 and your belongings for $150,000, each with a 20% deductible. If a severe earthquake leveled the house and destroyed your belongings, you'd be on the hook for two deductibles. Here's the math:
| Dwelling coverage deductible | 20% of $300,000 = $60,000 |
| Personal property deductible | 20% of $150,000 = $30,000 |
| Total repairs you're responsible for | $90,000 |
If an earthquake does less than $90,000 of damage to your home, you might not get a claim payout at all.
Choosing a higher deductible can lower the cost of your insurance. But before you do it, think carefully about how much you could afford to pay out of pocket if a major earthquake hit your home.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Aftershocks are common after an earthquake. In general, as long as they take place within 72 hours of the initial quake, you can file a single claim for all related damage — and, crucially, pay just one set of deductibles. How much does earthquake insurance cost?
We got online quotes from State Farm, GeoVera and the California Earthquake Authority for various houses in four states. The lowest price we saw was $85 a year for a renter in Los Angeles with $25,000 of personal property coverage. For homeowners, we saw a dramatic range of prices:
| Location | Home size | Annual rates |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1,200 square feet | $1,075 - $7,725 |
| Memphis, Tenn. | 2,600 square feet | $982 - $1,542 |
| Portland, Ore. | 3,000 square feet | $523 - $2,327 |
| Tacoma, Wash. | 1,900 square feet | $354 - $1,509 |
In our sample quotes, different deductibles and coverage limits had a major impact on our total price. How much you pay may also depend on:
- The age of your home.
- The number of stories in your house.
- Your home's rebuilding cost.
- The soil type on your property.
- The building materials used in your home.
- Your home’s proximity to fault lines and seismic activity.
Nerdy Perspective
I pay $319 a year for earthquake insurance on my home. It’s my most expensive policy add-on, and my area is only at medium risk – but I’ve felt a small quake in my region before. This coverage could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars if a more serious quake occurs.
Managing editor on Insurance
Is earthquake insurance worth it?
Earthquake insurance isn’t mandatory. Whether you should buy it depends on where you live, your financial situation and your tolerance for risk. Here are a few questions to consider before buying earthquake insurance.
How high is your risk?
Although earthquakes can happen in all 50 states, some places have more of them. The two states with the most frequent earthquakes are California and Alaska, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. California has the most earthquakes causing damage.
Washington and Oregon also face seismic activity due to the Cascadia subduction zone. Meanwhile, Missouri’s New Madrid fault line puts places like St. Louis and Memphis at risk.
You can check your state’s earthquake risk on the USGS website.
Did you know…
Certain types of houses are more prone to earthquake damage than others. Brick homes, wood frame houses with crawl spaces, and homes with multiple stories are at greater risk, according to the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance.
Could you afford to repair your home after an earthquake?
If you live in a place where a major earthquake is possible, consider how easily you could recover. Most people don’t have enough money to rebuild their home if it were destroyed — which is one argument for buying earthquake insurance.
If you’re a renter, the financial burden would be lower since you wouldn’t have to rebuild the place where you live. But it’s worth considering whether you’d have enough money to replace your belongings if an earthquake destroyed your home.
Some people decide not to get insurance because they assume the government will help after a disaster. However, federal aid may not be as generous as you’d expect.
The average Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for an individual household after an earthquake was $4,341 between October 2002 and March 2024. For most people, that amount would fall well short of what they need to recover.
You can get a low-interest loan up to $500,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help rebuild your home. But unlike insurance, you’ll need to pay that money back.
Earthquake insurance can be pricey, especially if you live in a high-risk area. You may need to budget hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year just to pay the premiums. And because deductibles are usually steep, you might not get an insurance payout if the damage is minor.
If paying for earthquake insurance would strain your budget, you may be better off trying to build a solid emergency fund for now. You can always revisit the insurance question down the road if your finances allow.
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Let NerdWallet Insurance Experts compare quotes from popular carriers to find the right insurance coverage and rate for you. No guesswork — just expert, personalized help.
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NerdWallet Insurance Experts, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of NerdWallet.
Insurance Services offered through NerdWallet Insurance Experts, LLC (AZ resident license no. 3003649891).
How much earthquake coverage do you need?
Here’s how to choose a limit for three of the most common types of earthquake insurance.
Dwelling coverage. If you’re a homeowner, your insurer usually sets the same limits on dwelling coverage for both earthquake and home insurance. This reflects the estimated cost to rebuild your home — not its market value. If you’re a renter, you don’t need to worry about adding dwelling coverage.
Personal property coverage. This coverage limit may initially be set on the low side, around $5,000, but you can raise this amount to your insurer’s maximum. However, there may be caps on how much your insurer will pay for certain items, such as computers. A home inventory can help you determine how much your belongings are worth.
Loss of use coverage. When choosing a limit, consider how much it might cost for you to spend weeks or months living elsewhere while your home is repaired. Learn more about loss of use coverage.
How to get earthquake insurance
If you’re in the market for earthquake insurance, start with your current homeowners or renters insurance company. Ask whether it offers either an add-on to your policy or a stand-alone earthquake policy.
In California, the law requires home insurance companies to sell earthquake coverage. The California Earthquake Authority, or CEA, is the state’s primary earthquake insurance provider. It works with more than a dozen companies to offer policies for homeowners, renters, condo unit owners and those who own manufactured homes.
Options in California, Oregon and Washington include standalone policies from GeoVera or Arrowhead. The latter is an agency selling policies from multiple companies. Palomar, a specialty insurance company, sells earthquake policies in more than a dozen states, including Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and California.
If you live elsewhere and your current insurer doesn’t offer coverage, you’ll need to shop around. Consider contacting a local independent insurance agent who works with multiple companies. Your state’s insurance department can also help you find earthquake insurers for your home.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
If an earthquake has just occurred in your area, insurers typically won’t sell new policies for a month or two. How can you save money on earthquake insurance?
You may be able to reduce your earthquake insurance premium by choosing a higher deductible or updating your home to reduce its risk of damage. For example, certain upgrades could save you up to 25% on a CEA earthquake policy.
The average cost of retrofitting a home for earthquake safety is between about $3,500 and $8,700, according to HomeAdvisor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does renters insurance cover earthquakes?
Most renters policies don’t cover earthquake damage, but there are exceptions. USAA includes earthquake coverage in its renters insurance policies. However, its policies are available only to the military community and some federal workers.
How does earthquake insurance work?
If an earthquake strikes your home, you’ll need to file a claim with your insurance company. The insurer will evaluate the damage and determine whether it’s covered. If it is — and if the amount is greater than any applicable deductibles — the company will issue you a payout to help with repairs. Your policy may also help pay for you to live elsewhere while the work is completed.
Why is earthquake insurance so expensive?
Insurance premiums generally reflect how risky your home is to insure. So your earthquake insurance may cost a lot because you live near an active fault. But rates are also based on the fact that a single earthquake could cause many claims all at once, especially if it hits a densely populated area. The insurance company has to charge enough to be able to pay a bunch of big claims in a catastrophic situation.
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- 1. Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance. Missouri Earthquake Insurance Shopping Guide. Accessed May 6, 2026.
- 2. Congressional Research Service. FEMA Individual Assistance Grants for Disaster Survivors: Individuals and Households Program Data and Analysis FAQ. Accessed May 6, 2026.
- 3. HomeAdvisor. How Much Does an Earthquake Retrofit Cost in 2025?. Accessed May 6, 2026.
