A single insurance coverage limit that applies across multiple structures on your property — and a term worth understanding before you file a storm damage claim on anything beyond your main home.
What Blanket Coverage Means
Blanket coverage is a single insurance limit that applies to a group of structures or items rather than assigning a separate, itemized limit to each one. In homeowner’s insurance, it most commonly refers to how your policy covers multiple structures on your property — your home, detached garage, shed, fence, or pergola — under a combined limit rather than individual limits for each.
Most homeowners are familiar with their dwelling coverage limit — the amount their policy will pay to rebuild the main home. Blanket coverage applies the same concept to everything else on the property, pooling those structures under a single combined limit rather than carving out individual amounts for each one.
How Blanket Coverage Works in a Homeowner’s Policy
In a standard homeowner’s policy, structures on your property fall into two main categories:
Coverage A — Dwelling
Your main home — the primary structure on the property. This is typically the largest coverage amount on your policy and is not subject to blanket coverage in the traditional sense. It has its own dedicated limit.
Coverage B — Other Structures
Everything else — detached garages, sheds, fences, pergolas, gazebos, and similar structures. Coverage B is where blanket coverage most commonly applies. It is typically set at 10% of your Coverage A dwelling limit and applies as a combined pool across all covered structures.
For example, if your home is insured for $400,000, your Coverage B limit is typically $40,000 — total, across all other structures combined. If your detached garage, fence, and shed all sustain storm damage in the same event, all three claims draw from that same $40,000 pool.
Why Blanket Coverage Matters After a Storm
After a significant hail or wind event in Colorado, the damage rarely stops at the main roof. Detached garages, fences, pergolas, and outbuildings take the same storm — and they are frequently overlooked in the initial claims process, both by homeowners and by adjusters.
Understanding your blanket coverage limit before you file matters for two reasons:
- You need to know what pool you are drawing from — if multiple structures are damaged, each claim reduces what is available for the others under the combined Coverage B limit
- You need to document all damage upfront — damage to secondary structures that is not included in the initial claim can be harder to add later, and may be subject to statute of limitations issues if discovered long after the date of loss
Blanket Coverage vs. Scheduled Coverage
The alternative to blanket coverage is scheduled coverage — where each structure or item is individually listed with its own specific limit. Scheduled coverage is more common for high-value personal property items like jewelry or art, but it can also apply to structures in some policy configurations.
- Blanket coverage — one combined limit shared across all covered structures. Simpler, but the pool can be exhausted if multiple structures sustain significant damage simultaneously.
- Scheduled coverage — each item or structure has its own dedicated limit. More precise, but requires the homeowner to specifically list and value each structure at policy inception.
Most standard homeowner’s policies use blanket coverage for other structures. If you have a high-value detached garage or outbuilding, it may be worth asking your agent whether scheduled coverage makes more sense for your situation.
Common Structures Covered Under Coverage B
When storm damage extends beyond the main dwelling, these are the structures most commonly covered under Coverage B blanket limits:
- Detached garages — one of the most common Coverage B claims after hail events
- Sheds and outbuildings — tool sheds, storage buildings, and similar structures
- Fences — wood and vinyl fences frequently sustain hail and wind damage
- Pergolas and gazebos — often overlooked in initial inspections but legitimately covered
- Carports — detached carport structures fall under Coverage B
- Swimming pool enclosures — where applicable and covered under the policy
- Guest houses — detached guest structures not used as a primary rental
Note that attached structures — an attached garage, covered porch, or sunroom connected to the main dwelling — are typically covered under Coverage A as part of the dwelling, not Coverage B.
Blanket Coverage and the Detached Garage Roof
For Colorado homeowners, the detached garage roof is one of the most commonly missed items in a hail damage claim. The same storm that damaged the main roof almost certainly damaged the detached garage roof as well — but adjusters frequently focus on the main structure and either miss or undervalue the garage.
A few things worth knowing:
- The detached garage is a separate claim under Coverage B — it should be scoped, documented, and estimated independently from the main dwelling claim
- The same causation standards apply — you need to establish that the storm caused the garage roof damage, just as with the main roof
- Depreciation applies separately — the garage roof may have a different age and condition than the main roof, affecting the depreciation calculation independently
- Code upgrades may apply — if the garage roof replacement requires code-compliant materials or methods not present in the original installation, those upgrades may be covered under your ordinance and law provision
How to Maximize Your Blanket Coverage Claim
Getting the most out of your Coverage B blanket limit after a storm requires a systematic approach:
- Walk the entire property after every storm — not just the main roof. Check the detached garage, fences, pergola, shed, and any other structures for visible damage
- Photograph all damage before any repairs — collateral damage to secondary structures provides supporting evidence of storm severity across your entire claim
- Include all structures in you