Is debris removal covered by a homeowners insurance policy?

Yes, debris removal is typically automatically covered under a homeowner insurance policy (learn more about your coverage in Breaking Down Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy, from Coverage A to E). This covers the removal of debris from the insured‘s own property or from other things blown onto the insured’s property. However, the extent to which debris removal is covered depends on the type of policy purchased.

Under the most basic Fire Policy, debris removal is covered if it results from an insured peril or windstorm. However, an important exclusion is that it does not recover the cost of testing for and cleaning of pollutants. As a general rule, anything to do with pollutants is not covered by your typical insurance policy as losses may be disproportionately large.

The amount of debris removal coverage is typically only up to 25% of the total value of the loss minus any deductible that may apply.