Homeowners insurance in Connecticut

The home insurance market in Connecticut

Connecticut homeowners paid $2.55 billion in homeowners premiums in 2025, according to NAIC market share data. These are the 10 largest insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written:

The market is spread thin at the top: no group writes more than about a tenth of the premiums, and the top 10 together write about 60%. A high-net-worth insurer (Chubb) and a direct-writing mutual (Amica) both rank in the top 10.

Availability is tightest on the shoreline along Long Island Sound, which is why the Insurance Department has issued coastal underwriting guidelines since 2007 and insurers created a coastal market assistance program. A U.S. Senate Budget Committee staff report found Connecticut's 2023 nonrenewal rate was 1.34%, the ninth highest of the states it studied, based on data from 23 insurers.

What drives home insurance costs in Connecticut

NAIC's average HO-3 premium in Connecticut was $2,036 in 2023, the ninth highest in the country by our ranking of NAIC's table and above the national $1,737.

Coastal storms set the terms. After Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, the governor and insurance commissioner announced that more than 20 insurers, including the CT FAIR Plan, would waive hurricane deductibles for coastal homeowners. The 2012 law that followed ties the deductible to hurricane-force wind measured in Connecticut, as described below.

The state's other signature problem is crumbling concrete foundations, linked to the mineral pyrrhotite in the concrete aggregate. Rather than leave the cost to homeowners policies, the state created a dedicated captive insurer to help pay for foundation replacement, described below.

Deductibles and coverage rules to know

Connecticut ties its hurricane deductible to wind measured in the state, not to a storm's name (Conn. Gen. Stat. §38a-316a). The deductible applies only when the National Weather Service reports a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or more anywhere in Connecticut. The window opens when a hurricane warning is issued for any part of the state and closes 24 hours after the last warning ends or the storm is downgraded, whichever is earlier. A tropical storm does not trigger it.

The Insurance Department's coastal guidelines (July 2014) cap the hurricane deductible at 5% within 2,600 feet of the coast and 2% farther inland, and the inland 2% may not apply at renewal if you have storm shutters. Mandatory wind or wind/hail deductibles on homeowners policies are prohibited; insurers may only offer them as an option. Insurers must show the dollar amount of a percentage hurricane deductible on the declarations page, and may not refuse to write or renew a policy because you lack storm shutters. Say your dwelling limit is $600,000 and your home is within 2,600 feet of the Sound with a 5% deductible: that is $30,000 before the policy pays for hurricane wind damage. Run your numbers in the hurricane and percentage deductible calculator, and see hurricane and named-storm deductibles explained.

Other rules worth knowing:

• Matching: if replacement items don't match adjacent items in quality, color or size, the insurer must replace enough to give a reasonably uniform appearance, inside and out (§38a-316e).
• Catastrophe losses: an insurer may not decline, cancel or nonrenew a homeowners policy based solely on losses from catastrophic events (§38a-316d).
• Small claims and inquiries: an inquiry, or a claim that paid less than $500 or nothing, cannot be the sole basis for nonrenewal or a rate increase, unless you filed more than one paid noncatastrophe claim in the prior three years.

Flood and other gaps

Homeowners policies exclude flood, and since July 1, 2026 insurers must give you a plain-language notice saying so and pointing you to separate flood coverage (§38a-316h). FEMA data show about 30,600 NFIP policies in force in Connecticut as of September 30, 2026 (our sum of FEMA's community figures). See NFIP flood insurance explained.

For crumbling foundations, the state's answer is a separate fund rather than homeowners insurance. The Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company (CFSIC) pays up to $205,000 per building, or $82,000 per condominium unit, toward foundation repairs for eligible homes. It stops taking new applications at 5 p.m. on June 30, 2030, and applicants filing a "Type 2" claim must become active claimants by 5 p.m. on March 15, 2027. If an insurer denies a pyrrhotite claim, the policy must allow at least one year after the written denial to sue (§38a-688c).

If you can't find coverage

The Connecticut FAIR Plan sells basic named-peril fire coverage, at actual cash value rather than replacement cost, on the DP 00 01 dwelling form. It does not cover theft, freezing or water damage. Limits top out at $350,000 for a one- to four-family dwelling and $75,000 for contents, with personal liability available on some dwellings. Homes within 2,600 feet of the shoreline carry a separate 5% hurricane deductible. The plan also runs the Coastal Market Assistance Program (C-MAP), a voluntary network of insurers that helps coastal homeowners who have been turned down. Surplus lines insurers are another route for homes the standard market declines; see FAIR plans explained: the insurer of last resort for homes and surplus lines home insurance when standard carriers say no.

Claims rules and deadlines

Connecticut's unfair claims law requires insurers to acknowledge and act on claim communications with "reasonable promptness" but sets no day counts for most steps (§38a-816(6)). The standard fire policy sets the hard numbers: you owe a signed, sworn proof of loss within 60 days after the loss unless the insurer extends it in writing, and the loss is payable 30 days after the insurer receives proof of loss and the amount is agreed or set by appraisal (§38a-307). Every written claim denial must tell you that you may contact the Insurance Department's Consumer Affairs division (§38a-323b).

You must sue within 24 months after the loss (§38a-307). After a governor-declared catastrophe, the department may run a mediation program for disputes of $5,000 or more; insurers must participate and pay the mediation fee, and any settlement must give you a right to rescind it (§38a-10a). More in state mediation programs for homeowners claims.

Nonrenewal requires at least 60 days' written notice stating the reason (§38a-323). If the insurer misses it, you are entitled to renewal for at least one year. Since July 1, 2025, you can name a third party to receive copies of nonrenewal and cancellation notices.

Discounts and mitigation programs

Every homeowners insurer must offer an actuarially based discount for permanent storm shutters or impact-resistant glass (§38a-316b). The department's coastal guidelines also urge insurers to consider lower deductibles or larger discounts for homes with an IBHS FORTIFIED designation. The department's Severe Weather Mitigation and Resiliency Advisory Council recommended a FORTIFIED roof retrofit pilot in June 2025; we found no statewide grant program open as of October 2026. Ask your insurer what it credits before you re-roof.

Where to get help

The Connecticut Insurance Department's Consumer Affairs division is at 860-297-3900; the department's toll-free number is 800-203-3447, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. File a complaint online. The department moved to 280 Trumbull Street, 7th Floor, Hartford, CT 06103 in September 2026; mail goes to PO Box 816, Hartford, CT 06142-0816. See how to file a complaint with your state insurance department and your home insurance was nonrenewed: what to do now. Neighboring state guides: New York and Massachusetts.