Guides
Burst and frozen pipes: what's covered
A burst pipe is usually covered if you kept the heat on or drained the system. What reasonable care means, how vacancy affects a claim, and the first hour.
A standard homeowners policy generally covers the water damage from a pipe that freezes and bursts, but only if you used reasonable care to keep the building heated or to shut off the water and drain the system. If you kept the heat on and the pipe split anyway, the claim is normally payable, less your deductible. If the house sat cold and unattended and nobody drained the lines, the insurer can deny it. Most disputes are about that one condition.
What the ISO form says about freezing
The standard ISO HO-3 (form HO 00 03, 2011 edition) handles freezing in the same place it handles all dwelling losses. It excludes loss caused by "freezing of a plumbing, heating, air conditioning or automatic fire protective sprinkler system or of a household appliance, or by discharge, leakage or overflow from within the system or appliance caused by freezing." Then it removes the exclusion: "This provision does not apply if you have used reasonable care to: (a) maintain heat in the building; or (b) shut off the water supply and drain all systems and appliances of water."
Two practical readings follow.
First, you have two ways to satisfy the condition. Either you keep the building heated, or you winterize the lines. A homeowner who leaves for the winter and drains the system meets the condition on its face, as does one who stays and keeps the furnace running.
Second, if the building has an automatic fire sprinkler system, the form says you must "use reasonable care to continue the water supply and maintain heat" for coverage to apply. You can't drain a sprinkler line and also keep the system working.
For belongings (Coverage C), "freezing" is a named peril under the same reasonable-care condition. Furniture, rugs and electronics damaged by a freeze-related release fall there, and the standard form pays personal property at actual cash value unless you carry a replacement cost endorsement. See is water damage covered by homeowners insurance? for how the dwelling and contents coverages fit together.
Your insurer's own form may use different wording. Some require a specific minimum temperature or a particular method of heating, and some exclude freezing outright when the house is vacant or unoccupied. Read the freezing and vacancy language in your policy.
What gets paid
When the condition is met, a freeze loss is a covered loss to the building and its contents. A typical payment includes:
- Water damage to the structure: drywall, insulation, flooring, cabinets, ceilings.
- Tear-out to reach the pipe, where the form's accidental discharge provision applies.
- The reasonable cost of emergency steps to protect the property, such as water extraction and drying. See reasonable repairs: what you can fix before the adjuster comes.
- Belongings, at actual cash value unless you bought replacement cost on contents.
- Additional living expenses if the home is unfit to live in during repairs. See loss of use and additional living expenses.
The ISO accidental-discharge language says the policy does not cover "loss to the system or appliance from which this water or steam escaped." The freezing provisions quoted above do not repeat that sentence, so on the ISO wording the split pipe is not carved out of a freeze loss the way a worn-out pipe is. Insurers' forms differ, so confirm with your adjuster whether the burst section itself is paid before you assume either way.
What the ISO form does not treat as plumbing
The form states that a "plumbing system or household appliance does not include a sump, sump pump or related equipment or a roof drain, gutter, downspout or similar fixtures or equipment." A frozen sump line or a frozen downspout is therefore outside the freezing coverage, as is damage to a pool or its equipment. The form separately excludes loss from the freezing, thawing, pressure or weight of water or ice to a fence, pavement, patio or swimming pool, to footings, foundations and retaining walls, and to piers, wharves and docks.
The roof is a different problem. Ice that backs water under shingles is an ice dam loss, discussed in ice dams and roof damage.
What counts as reasonable care
The form does not define "reasonable care," so the question is decided on the facts of each claim. Insurers and adjusters generally look at:
| Facts that support reasonable care | Facts that undercut it |
|---|---|
| Thermostat set to a sensible winter temperature, heating system in working order | Heat turned off or set very low in a cold spell |
| Water shut off at the main and lines drained before a long absence | Home left empty without draining or heating |
| A caretaker checking the house during an extended absence | Known weak spots, such as uninsulated pipes in an exterior wall, left unaddressed |
| Prompt response to a cold-weather warning: faucets dripping, cabinet doors open | A furnace failure that went unrepaired after you knew of it |
| Records of an HVAC service visit | Long unoccupied stretches with no inspections |
Guidance from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), relayed by the Maryland Insurance Administration, recommends letting faucets drip, opening cabinet doors so warm air reaches pipes, insulating pipes in attics, crawl spaces and exterior walls, and detaching hoses. State Farm's 2022 prevention guidance recommends keeping the house heated to at least 55°F. Those are recommendations from the source, not conditions in any policy, but they show what an investigator is likely to consider reasonable. The Maryland agency adds that, if an insurer concludes you neglected the plumbing system by skipping preventative measures, the burst-pipe damage may not be covered.
Power outages and failed heat
A winter storm can cut the power and make heating impossible. In the ISO form, the power failure exclusion applies to failure that takes place off your premises, but it adds that if the failure results in a loss from a covered peril on your premises, the policy pays for the loss caused by that peril. So the question becomes whether the freeze itself is covered under the reasonable-care condition. Whether you used reasonable care when the heat was beyond your control often depends on what you did next: shutting off the water, draining lines or running a generator safely. A furnace that fails while you are home and is repaired promptly looks different from one that fails while you are away. See winter storms, freezes and power outages for the broader picture.
Vacant and seasonal homes
Vacancy and unoccupancy rules are a common trouble spot for freeze claims on second homes. The Texas Department of Insurance's 2018 comparison of homeowners policies lists "freezing pipes while your house is unoccupied" among common exclusions, and the Maryland Insurance Administration says policies generally require you to keep a minimum temperature or shut off the water when the home is vacant. If you leave a house for weeks, get the policy's definition of vacancy and unoccupancy in writing and winterize, or ask about a vacancy permit. See vacancy and unoccupancy exclusions and snowbirds and seasonal homes: vacancy, freeze and theft.
How big these claims run
Freeze claims can be expensive because water may run for hours behind walls before anyone notices. State Farm's newsroom reported nearly 9,000 frozen-pipe claims in 2022, with more than $181 million paid and an average payment just over $20,000. In a January 2026 release, it reported more than 20,000 claims from 2024 through June 2025, more than $628 million in paid losses and an average payment above $30,000; that data included damage to foundations and slabs and other freeze-related damage. Those are figures from one large insurer (State Farm), not an industry average, but they show the order of magnitude.
If a pipe bursts: the first hour
- Shut off the water at the main. Know where it is before you need it.
- Cut power to affected areas if you can do so without standing in water. Water and electricity don't mix.
- Open faucets below the break to drain the lines, and let the system thaw slowly. Don't use an open flame.
- Photograph the break and the damage before anything is moved, and keep the burst section of pipe.
- Start drying. Call a mitigation company or begin extraction yourself; delay breeds mold. Keep receipts. See the first 48 hours after damage to your home.
- Call your insurer and report the loss. Say what happened, not what you assume about the cause or the policy.
- Write down your temperature and heating history: thermostat settings, dates away, who checked the house. You may be asked.
The home insurance claim checklist tool tracks the paperwork, and Should I file a homeowners claim? helps with the judgment call when damage is modest and the deductible is high.
Prevention that also protects the claim
The best protection is the same as the evidence you'd need later: an insulated plumbing system, a serviced furnace, a known shutoff location and a plan for when you are away. water damage prevention: a homeowner's checklist covers it in full; leak sensors and an automatic shutoff valve, covered in water leak sensors and shutoff valves: discounts and value, limit the damage if a pipe fails despite your care.
Key takeaways
- Under the ISO HO-3, freeze damage is covered if you used reasonable care to maintain heat or to shut off and drain the water system.
- Vacant, unoccupied and seasonal homes are a common trouble spot for freeze claims; check your policy's definitions before you leave a house for weeks.
- The ISO accidental-discharge wording excludes the failed system itself, but the freezing language does not repeat that; whether the burst pipe is paid depends on your insurer's form.
- State Farm's published figures put average frozen-pipe claim payments above $20,000 in 2022 and above $30,000 for 2024 through June 2025.
- Shut off the water, document everything, start drying right away and report promptly.