Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Published October 6, 2026

Does home insurance cover broken windows in Texas?

A broken window raises three insurance questions: what broke it, whether that cause is one your home policy covers, and whether a claim makes sense once the deductible comes off. This guide walks through what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says about each, including hail, vandalism, and a ball through the glass.

The short version. None of the TDI pages cited in this guide lists windows as a coverage item. TDI's Home insurance guide says dwelling coverage pays if your house is damaged by something your policy covers, and lists windstorm and hail (but not if you live on the Gulf Coast), fire, theft, and vandalism among risks most policies cover, and wear and tear among risks most don't. So whether a Texas home policy pays for a broken window depends on the cause. The guide adds that coverages vary by company.

Here's what we'll cover: which part of a home policy applies, which causes TDI lists, hail, cracks from age or settling, a window someone else broke, the deductible, replacement windows, claim timelines, your premium, and what to check on your own policy.

Which part of a home policy pays for a broken window?

A window in the house itself may fall under the coverage for the house. TDI's Home insurance guide (last updated 6/1/2026) says dwelling coverage pays if your house is damaged or destroyed by something your policy covers, but it doesn't mention windows.

The same guide says other structures coverage pays to repair structures on your property that aren't attached to your house, such as detached garages, storage sheds, and fences. A window in one of those buildings may fall under that coverage instead, with its own dollar limit, so check your policy or ask your agent.

Which risks on TDI's list could apply to a broken window?

Whether a Texas home policy pays for a broken window depends on what broke it. TDI's Home insurance guide has a table of common risks that most policies do and don't cover. The table does not mention windows.

Our reading of the table: a window shattered in a hailstorm and a window that has slowly cracked with age may land on opposite sides of it, so what caused the break may decide how a claim is handled.

TDI attaches a caution to that table: "Coverages vary by company. Read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages."

TDI's page Home insurance policies: All risk or named peril (last updated 9/29/2025) says all-risk policies cover any event the policy doesn't specifically exclude, and named perils policies cover only the events listed in the policy. Our guides on vandalism insurance in Texas and home insurance and theft in Texas cover those two causes, and what home insurance does not cover in Texas covers the exclusions.

Are windows broken by hail covered in Texas?

Hail is in the column of risks most Texas home policies cover in TDI's Home insurance guide, with the caveat "but not if you live on the Gulf Coast." The guide says that if you live on the Texas coast or in Harris County on Galveston Bay, your home policy might not cover wind and hail damage, and that the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) sells wind and hail coverage for coastal residents.

TDI's page Hail damage to your home or car? What to do next. (last updated 12/9/2025) says that if you have wind and hail coverage on your home policy, your insurance company should pay for your hail damage. It says to file an insurance claim as soon as you can, and lists claim steps, including one about broken windows:

• Prevent more damage. "Cover broken windows and holes to keep rain out." The page also says to save all receipts and that your policy may pay for temporary repairs.
• Document it. Take pictures and video of the damage, make a list of damage inside and outside your house, and don't throw damaged items away until your insurance company tells you.
• Be there for the adjuster. The page says being available for the adjuster visit lets you make sure they see everything.

TDI's Home insurance guide gives the same kind of advice in its claim tips: "For instance, board up broken windows or put a tarp over a damaged roof. Don't make permanent repairs." It adds: "The insurance company might deny your claim if you make permanent repairs before it sees the damage."

TDI's deductibles page says a deductible may be a specific dollar amount or a percentage, so check which deductible your policy applies to a hail claim. Our guides on the wind and hail deductible in Texas, how to file a hail claim in Texas, and whether home insurance covers roof damage in Texas cover the rest of a storm claim.

What about a window that cracked from age or settling?

TDI's pages don't address windows that crack over time. Two items in the column of risks most policies don't cover in TDI's Home insurance guide may be relevant: wear and tear, and earthquakes or earth movement.

TDI's all-risk and named peril page says all-risk policies usually don't cover damage from wear and tear, and also usually don't pay to repair your home's foundation. TDI doesn't say whether a particular crack counts as wear and tear or as earth movement. That depends on the cause, your policy's wording, and the company's review of the claim, so ask your agent before you file.

Who pays if a golf ball or a neighbor breaks your window?

TDI's pages don't address who pays when another person, such as a golfer or a neighbor, breaks your window.

What TDI describes is the policyholder's own side. TDI's Home insurance guide says personal liability coverage pays medical bills and other costs for people you're legally responsible for injuring, and that it "also pays if you're responsible for damaging someone else's property." It does not say whether another person's policy pays for your window.

TDI's page Steps to getting your home or car insurance claim paid (last updated 4/16/2025) says a claim could be with your insurance company or someone else's insurance company, and that if it's someone else's, you should still let your insurance company know. Vandalism is among the risks TDI's table lists as ones most policies cover. Whether a particular incident counts is a question for your policy and your agent.

Is a single broken window worth a claim?

A single broken window may cost less than your deductible, and a repair below the deductible may not produce any claim payment. TDI's Home insurance guide defines the term: "A deductible is the amount of a claim that you must pay yourself." Its example is a $1,000 claim on a policy with a $300 deductible, where the company deducts $300 and pays $700.

TDI's page What to know about deductibles (last updated 10/14/2024) says a deductible may be a specific dollar amount or a percentage, and that for home policies the deductible is applied to each claim. TDI's page Why would my home insurance claim be denied or not paid? (last updated 1/8/2026) says a company might close a claim without paying anything if the damage was less than the deductible.

TDI's page Will my premium go up if I file a claim? (last updated 2/26/2026) suggests finding out your deductible and getting repair estimates before you file (none of the cited pages gives window prices), and says that if repairs cost about the same or less than your deductible, you may decide it's not worth filing a claim. Our guide on the home insurance deductible in Texas covers how to find yours.

Replacement windows: replacement cost or actual cash value

How much a Texas home policy pays toward replacement windows depends partly on whether the policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value. TDI's Home insurance guide says home policies provide one or the other.

The guide says replacement cost coverage pays to repair or replace your house and personal property at current prices, and actual cash value coverage pays replacement cost minus depreciation, which it describes as a decrease in value because of wear and age. It says that with a replacement cost policy, most companies pay with two checks: the first for the estimated cost of repairs minus depreciation and your deductible, and the second for the amount kept for depreciation after the company gets the bill for the finished job.

The guide also says you usually must complete repairs within a certain period of time, and to ask your agent or adjuster if you're not sure how long you have.

What claim deadlines does TDI list for a window claim?

TDI's page Steps to getting your home or car insurance claim paid gives deadlines for a Texas claim with your own company, and notes that TDI can extend deadlines after a weather-related catastrophe. The page lists:

• Acknowledging the claim. For a claim with your own company, the page says your company has 15 business days to say it got your claim.
• Deciding the claim. It says your company has 15 business days after getting what it needs from you to tell you if it will pay, that it must say why in writing if it rejects the claim, and that it can extend this deadline by 45 days if it tells you why it needs more time.
• The catastrophe extension. The page says: "TDI can extend these deadlines by 15 more days if there is a weather-related catastrophe."
• Paying the claim. It says that after your company agrees to pay all or part of your claim, it must pay within five business days.

TDI's Home insurance guide describes the decision deadline and adds that it may be longer after major disasters. The guide also lists exceptions: a company that needs more time can take 45 days to decide whether to pay your claim and must tell you the reason for the delay, and a company that suspects arson has 30 days to accept or deny. It also says a surplus lines company has 20 business days to pay after it agrees to pay, and TWIA has 60 days to tell you whether it will accept or deny your claim and, once it has the information it needs and has accepted the claim, 10 days to pay. That guide also says most companies have deadlines for you to file a claim, so tell your company as soon as possible.

Will a broken window claim raise your premium?

A home insurance claim can raise a Texas premium, depending on the type of claim, according to TDI's page Will my premium go up if I file a claim?. The page says it depends on the type of claim and how many you file, that home premiums can go up if you file claims, and that you could also lose any discounts you're getting for being claim free.

The same page lists claims TDI says home companies can't charge you more for. They include claims for damage from natural causes, including weather, and claims the company didn't pay. TDI's deductibles page adds that filing small claims may affect how much you have to pay for insurance later. TDI's Home insurance guide lists filing three or more nonweather-related claims in three years among the reasons a company may nonrenew a policy, and says that if you file two nonweather-related claims, the company must tell you that you're in danger of nonrenewal. For a window broken by something other than weather, ask your agent how your company treats the claim.

If a window claim is denied

If a window claim is denied, TDI's claim denial page says the most common reason companies deny claims is that the policy doesn't pay for certain types of damage. It says to ask your company for the reason, and that the company must tell you in writing why it denied a claim.

What to check on your own policy

Before you call about a broken window, a few items on your own policy can answer questions TDI's pages leave open. The list below is Credify's own, and a TDI page is cited only for the facts inside a step.

1. Cover the opening and hold off on permanent repairs. TDI's Home insurance guide says to make only temporary repairs, such as boarding up broken windows, until the company sees the damage.
2. Find your declarations page. The same guide says it summarizes your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles.
3. Note what broke the window.
4. Check which deductible applies to a hail claim. Our wind and hail deductible guide explains the wind and hail deductible.
5. Get a repair estimate and compare it with your deductible.
6. Ask whether your policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value.

Key facts

• None of the TDI pages cited in this guide lists windows as a coverage item. TDI's Home insurance guide (last updated 6/1/2026) mentions broken windows only in its claim tips, as something to board up as a temporary repair.
• The same guide says dwelling coverage pays if your house is damaged by something your policy covers, and its table lists windstorm, hurricane, and hail (but not on the Gulf Coast), fire, theft, and vandalism among risks most policies cover, and wear and tear and earth movement among risks most don't. It says coverages vary by company.
• TDI's hail and windstorm page (last updated 12/9/2025) says that if you have wind and hail coverage on your home policy, your company should pay for hail damage, and it says to cover broken windows to keep rain out.
• TDI's Home insurance guide says a company might deny a claim if you make permanent repairs before it sees the damage.
• No TDI page cited in this guide says who pays when another person breaks your window. TDI's Home insurance guide describes personal liability coverage as paying if you're responsible for damaging someone else's property.
• TDI's deductibles page (last updated 10/14/2024) says a home deductible is applied to each claim, and TDI's claim denial page (last updated 1/8/2026) says a company might close a claim without paying if the damage was less than the deductible.
• For a claim with your own company, TDI's claim steps page (last updated 4/16/2025) says the company has 15 business days to acknowledge it, 15 business days after getting what it needs from you to decide it (extendable by 45 days if the company tells you why), and five business days to pay once it agrees. TDI can lengthen these deadlines by 15 days after a weather-related catastrophe, per the claim steps page. TDI's Home insurance guide lists different timelines for TWIA, surplus lines companies, and suspected arson.
• According to TDI's page Will my premium go up if I file a claim? (last updated 2/26/2026), home premiums can go up if you file claims, depending on the type and number, and home companies can't charge you more for claims for damage from natural causes, including weather.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance guide, Home insurance policies: All risk or named peril, Hail damage to your home or car? What to do next., What to know about deductibles, Steps to getting your home or car insurance claim paid, Why would my home insurance claim be denied or not paid?, and Will my premium go up if I file a claim?. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Take the next step

If a window is broken, cover the opening, document the damage, and check the cause against your policy and deductible before you file.

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