Fences, sheds and detached garages: the coverage limit nobody checks until the wind takes the fence down.

Almost every homeowners policy includes a separate limit for structures on your property that are not attached to the house. It is usually set automatically as a percentage of your dwelling coverage, it is usually never revisited, and in a state where straight-line winds regularly flatten fence lines, it is one of the more commonly inadequate limits on the policy.

What Coverage B actually is

Standard homeowners forms divide property coverage into parts. Coverage A is the dwelling. Coverage B — usually labeled "Other Structures" or "Detached Structures" — covers structures on your premises that are separated from the house by clear space, or connected only by a fence, utility line or similar connection.

In practice that includes:

• Detached garages and carports
• Storage sheds and workshops
• Fences — typically the largest single exposure for most suburban homes
• Driveways, sidewalks and retaining walls, depending on the form
• Gazebos, pergolas and detached patio covers
• In-ground pools, in many forms
• Mailboxes, flagpoles, permanently installed play structures
• Barns and outbuildings on acreage

Note what is not in Coverage B: anything attached to the house. An attached garage is part of the dwelling. A deck attached to the house is generally part of the dwelling. The dividing line is attachment, not appearance.

The default limit and why it fails

Coverage B is commonly set at a default percentage of Coverage A — 10 percent is the most typical starting point, though it varies by carrier and form.

So a home with $400,000 of dwelling coverage often carries $40,000 of other structures coverage. That sounds generous until you price the actual structures.

Consider a fairly ordinary Edmond property:

• Privacy fence around a suburban lot
• A detached shop or oversized garage
• A concrete driveway
• A patio cover and a shed

Fencing alone runs into real money at current material and labor prices, and a detached shop can easily be a five-figure structure on its own. Add the rest and the total can approach or exceed a $40,000 limit — which is the amount available for all of it combined, not per structure.

On acreage the gap widens considerably. Long runs of pipe or wire fence, a barn, a loafing shed and a shop can total well past the default limit on a home whose dwelling value looks modest.

Fences and Oklahoma wind

Fences deserve their own paragraph because of how often they are damaged here.

Straight-line winds and severe thunderstorm gusts take down fence sections routinely across the metro — not once a decade, but as an ordinary consequence of a bad spring. Replacing a long run of privacy fence is a genuinely expensive job.

Two things to understand about how a fence claim actually pays:

The wind and hail deductible applies

If your policy carries a percentage wind and hail deductible, it applies to a wind-damaged fence the same as it applies to a wind-damaged roof. On a $400,000 dwelling with a 2 percent wind and hail deductible, that is $8,000 — and a great many fence claims come in below that.

This is worth internalizing before the storm, because it means many fence losses are effectively self-insured regardless of what the Coverage B limit says. Knowing that in advance changes how you think about the repair.

Settlement basis matters

Some policies settle other structures on a replacement cost basis and some on actual cash value, and the treatment of fences specifically can differ from the treatment of other detached structures. A depreciated settlement on a fifteen-year-old fence pays a fraction of what replacement costs.

Check the settlement basis for Coverage B on your own policy rather than assuming it matches Coverage A.

The situations where the default is most likely wrong

Coverage B works fine for a house with a small yard and no outbuildings. It tends to fall short when:

• You have a detached garage, shop or barn of any real size
• You have extensive fencing, particularly on a corner lot or acreage
• You have an in-ground pool, which frequently falls under Coverage B
• You have added structures since the policy was written — a new shop, a large deck, a pergola — and never told the carrier
• You have significant hardscaping, retaining walls or a long private drive
• Your dwelling limit is low relative to your improvements, which drags the percentage-based Coverage B down with it

That last one catches people. Because Coverage B is derived from Coverage A, an under-insured dwelling produces an under-insured Coverage B automatically. Two problems for the price of one.

How to fix it

The good news: increasing Coverage B is usually inexpensive relative to what it protects, and it is one of the simpler endorsements to add.

Do this:

1. Inventory what you actually have. Walk the property. Write down every structure that is not attached to the house, including linear feet of fence.
2. Price the replacement, not the original cost. What would it cost to rebuild all of it today? Get a rough number from current material and labor pricing, not from what you paid in 2016.
3. Compare that total to your Coverage B limit on the declarations page.
4. If there's a gap, ask for a higher limit. Most carriers allow Coverage B to be increased above the default percentage.
5. Confirm the settlement basis — replacement cost or actual cash value — and confirm how fences specifically are treated.
6. Check your wind and hail deductible in dollars, so you know which losses would realistically produce a payment.

While you are at it, photograph the structures. A dated photo of an intact fence line and a standing shop is exactly the documentation that makes a claim go smoothly.

A note on structures used for business

If a detached shop is used for a business — storing inventory, running a side operation, housing tools you use commercially — the homeowners form may limit or exclude that exposure. Business property in a residential structure is one of the classic coverage gaps, and it is usually solved with either an endorsement or a small commercial policy.

If you are running anything out of the shop, mention it. It is a five-minute conversation that occasionally prevents a very bad surprise.

The bottom line

Other structures coverage is set by default, rarely reviewed, and frequently outpaced by what people actually build on their property. In a wind state with a lot of fence, it is worth an afternoon of attention. Walk the property, price the replacement, compare it to the limit on your declarations page, and confirm both the settlement basis and the deductible that would apply. If you would like us to review it with you, send the dec page over.

Frequently asked questions

Does homeowners insurance cover fence damage in Oklahoma?

Fences are generally covered under the other structures portion of a homeowners policy, subject to that limit and to the applicable deductible. Where a percentage wind and hail deductible applies, many fence losses fall below the deductible amount and produce no payment.

How much other structures coverage do I have?

The limit appears on your declarations page and is commonly set as a percentage of the dwelling coverage, often around 10 percent as a starting point. Whether that amount is adequate depends on what you would actually have to rebuild, including fencing, detached garages and outbuildings.

Can I increase other structures coverage?

Most carriers allow the other structures limit to be increased above the default percentage, typically at modest additional premium. Availability and the maximum limit vary by carrier and policy form, so confirm the options with your agent.