Does Texas Require Wind and Hail Insurance?
Wind and hail insurance requirements in Texas are more complicated than most homeowners realize — and where you live in the state determines everything about whether you need it, where to get it, and how much it costs. Here is the complete 2026 breakdown.
The Short Answer: It Depends on Your Location
Windstorm insurance is not required statewide in Texas. Unlike auto insurance, which is mandatory across the board, windstorm coverage is tied to where your home is located and whether your lender requires it. Texas insurance law divides the state into two fundamentally different worlds — and the rules in each are dramatically different.
Inland Texas: Wind and Hail Are Usually Included
If you live in Dallas, Austin, or the western half of Houston, your standard homeowners policy includes wind and hail coverage automatically — you do not have a separate windstorm policy; you just have insurance. For the vast majority of Texas homeowners living inland, wind and hail protection is a built-in feature of a standard HO-3 policy — though it comes with its own separate deductible. Wind and hail deductibles in Texas have changed significantly for 2026, with most carriers now requiring a 2% deductible for homes in West Texas — meaning homeowners in Midland, Odessa, Andrews, Big Spring, Monahans, Lubbock, Amarillo, and surrounding areas must understand how deductibles are calculated.
Coastal Texas: Wind and Hail Require a Separate Policy
For homeowners in the 14 designated coastal counties, the rules change entirely. Many carriers exclude wind and hail coverage in coastal counties and other high-risk regions of Texas — and windstorm insurance is a specialized policy that protects property from damage caused by high winds. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is the insurer of last resort for Texas homeowners in high-risk areas, providing wind and hail insurance coverage to homeowners who live in these areas and who have been rejected for wind and hail coverage by at least one private insurance company.
Lenders Can Make It Mandatory
Even when state law does not require windstorm coverage, your mortgage lender almost certainly does. If your property is in a designated high-risk wind zone and you carry a federally backed mortgage, your lender requires windstorm coverage as a condition of the loan — making it effectively mandatory regardless of what state law says.
The 2026 Changes You Need to Know
In late 2025, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3689, a landmark bill that overhauled TWIA's funding — lowering the coverage standard from a 1-in-100-year storm to a 1-in-50-year event, which caused TWIA's reinsurance needs to drop by nearly 46% for the 2026 season. The TWIA Board voted for a 0% rate increase for 2026. Additionally, as of July 1, 2026, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac no longer require replacement cost value roof coverage on the mortgages they back — a significant shift that affects how wind and hail claims are settled across Texas. Contact the Texas Department of Insurance at 800-252-3439 to confirm your specific coverage requirements.
