Normally, your homeowners policy limits coverage for other structures to 10% of the amount your home is covered. So a $100,000 home might have $10,000 in coverage for your pool and other structures. If that’s not enough to replace your pool and garage, you might want to purchase additional coverage.

“The bottom line is you can’t insure a person if you don’t know what you are insuring,” Worters said. “If you don’t speak to your insurer, you don’t have the coverage.”

Some companies will charge you an additional premium if you install a pool, but others will not. It’s worth shopping around to compare prices. Also, be aware that many insurers will not provide coverage for pools with a diving board, due to the increased risk of injury.

Before installing a pool:

• Make sure the contractor has liability coverage by asking to see proof of insurance. If the contractor isn’t covered, you may be held liable if a worker was hurt on your property.

• Check with your local town or municipality. Towns often require pool owners to build high fences and provide safety equipment. Towns define what they mean by a pool based on size and water depth, but even installing a small pool may mean meeting those requirements. Even if your pool is too small for the town to require fences and safety devices, it still might be worth having them installed to protect yourself and those around you.
Other Pool Safety Tips
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which tracks the number of accidental drownings, recommends the following to help keep your pool safe:

• Install a four-sided pool fence that completely separates the house and play area of the yard from the pool. The fence should be at least 4-feet high and have a self-closing and self-latching gate with latches that are out of a small child’s reach. Also consider additional barriers, such as locks or alarms. Remove all floats and toys from the pool, because they can tempt children to enter the pool or try to reach them. If it’s an above-ground pool, remove all ladders when not in use.

• Always make sure a responsible, sober adult is watching young children while playing around water.
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