Glossary

Attractive nuisance

A legal doctrine that can hold a landowner responsible when a child is hurt by a tempting hazard on the property, such as a pool or trampoline.

Attractive nuisance is a legal doctrine, not an insurance coverage. It says a property owner can be held responsible when a child is injured by a dangerous condition that children are likely to find tempting, even if the child was trespassing. Swimming pools, trampolines, treehouses, abandoned appliances and unfenced ponds are the usual examples. Courts apply versions of the doctrine, often following the Restatement (Second) of Torts, so the test varies by state.

It matters to your policy because the injury claim lands on personal liability coverage, and a serious injury or drowning can exceed a typical $100,000 to $300,000 limit. Insurers know this. Many ask about pools and trampolines on the application, and may require a fence, a locking gate or a safety cover, exclude trampolines by endorsement, or decline the risk.

Say a neighbor's eight-year-old wanders into your unfenced backyard and is badly hurt on a trampoline (hypothetical). The law may treat that child more generously than an adult trespasser, and the claim could be large. Practical steps: fence and lock the pool, remove ladders, net or remove the trampoline, tell your agent, and consider an umbrella policy. The pools and trampolines guide covers what insurers ask.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Premises liability The legal duty of an owner or occupier to keep property reasonably safe, and the exposure when a visitor is hurt by a wet step, loose railing or icy walk. Personal liability (Coverage E) Coverage that defends you and pays damages if you are legally responsible for injuring someone or damaging their property, at home or away from it. Bodily injury Physical harm to a person, including sickness, disease and resulting death, that triggers liability and medical payments coverage under a homeowners policy. Umbrella policy Extra liability coverage, typically sold in $1 million steps, that applies above your home and auto liability limits and may cover some claims they exclude. Medical payments to others (Coverage F) No-fault coverage that pays the medical bills of a guest hurt on your property, whether or not you were at fault, up to a small per-person limit. Exclusion A policy provision that removes coverage for a stated cause, type of loss, property or circumstance that the coverage would otherwise reach.

Related guides

Pools, trampolines and attractive nuisances Why pool and trampoline owners can be liable to children who were never invited, what your liability coverage pays, and what insurers ask for in return.

Related tools

How much liability and umbrella coverage do I need? Size your homeowners liability limit and an umbrella policy to the assets and income a lawsuit could reach, and to exposures like a pool, dog or teen driver.