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

Published July 28, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Does home insurance cover dog bites in Texas?

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says most home policies in Texas include coverages beyond the building. Two of them deal with people who are hurt, and a dog bite is one of the examples TDI uses when it explains them.

The short version. In Texas, TDI says in Home insurance might cover dog bite costs that if your dog bites someone on your property, your homeowners insurance might help, and that some policies exclude certain breeds. TDI's Home insurance guide adds that the amount of liability coverage in a home policy is limited.

Here's what we'll cover: the two coverages TDI describes for injuries to people, what TDI says about dog bites and breed exclusions, what it says about liability limits and umbrella policies, and steps you can take with your own policy.

Liability and medical payments coverage in TDI's guide

Personal liability coverage and medical payments coverage are the two parts of a Texas home policy that TDI describes as paying when a person is hurt. Both are on the list of six coverages that TDI's Home insurance guide says most home policies in Texas include.

The guide describes each one in its own words:

• Personal liability coverage. In the guide's words, it "pays medical bills, lost wages, and other costs for people that you’re legally responsible for injuring." The guide adds that it also pays if you're responsible for damaging someone else's property, and pays your court costs if you're sued because of an accident.
• Medical payments coverage. The guide says it "pays the medical bills of people hurt on your property. It also pays for some injuries that happen away from your home – if your dog bites someone at the park, for instance."

The dog example in that guide sits under medical payments coverage, and TDI words it as some injuries away from home. The guide's description of personal liability coverage does not mention dogs.

TDI's guide is about home insurance in general. In its section on the risks a home policy covers, it also says: "Coverages vary by company. Read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages."

What TDI says about dog bites specifically

TDI addresses dog bites and Texas home insurance directly in a blog post dated January 8, 2026, Home insurance might cover dog bite costs. The post says about one in five dog bites requires medical attention.

On coverage, TDI's post says: "If your dog bites someone on your property, your homeowners insurance might help."

Might is TDI's word. The post does not say that every home policy pays for a dog bite, and it does not say how much a policy pays. It goes on to say that medical payments coverage, if your policy includes it, pays the medical bills of people hurt on your property, and also pays for some injuries that happen away from home, like at a park. The post's first tip is about exclusions.

Breed exclusions in TDI's dog bite post

A breed exclusion in a home policy can change whether the policy responds to a dog bite. The dog bite blog post puts it this way: "Some policies exclude certain breeds. To be sure, check your policy or call your insurance company."

TDI's post does not name the breeds or say how many policies have such an exclusion. Two households with the same liability limit can get different answers to the dog question if one policy has breed language and the other does not.

In practice, that means reading the exclusions in your policy for any wording about dogs or breeds, and asking your insurance company if the wording is unclear. If you are comparing policies, breed language is one more thing to read in each one.

Liability limits and umbrella policies, per TDI

Liability coverage in a Texas home policy has a dollar limit, and an umbrella policy is the separate product TDI describes for people who want more. The Home insurance guide says: "Home policies provide liability protection, but the amount of coverage is limited." The guide then says that if you want more coverage than your policy provides, you can buy a separate umbrella liability policy.

TDI's tip sheet Umbrella policy: What is it and when do you need one? explains that most insurance policies, like home and auto, only pay up to a certain amount for liability coverage. The tip sheet, last updated April 10, 2025, gives these figures: "Umbrella policy coverage usually starts around $300,000 and pays up to at least $1 million." TDI's dog bite blog post describes the amount a little differently, saying umbrella coverage pays up to a certain amount, usually $1 million or more, for medical bills, lost wages, and lawsuits if someone sues you.

The tip sheet also explains the order in which the policies pay. In its example, you're in a car accident or someone is hurt in your home and you're sued for medical bills, and the umbrella policy would kick in after your auto or home insurance stops paying. The same page says umbrella policies cover everyone in your household, and that an umbrella policy might cover false arrest, defamation, and slander.

For dog bites, the blog post says: "A personal liability umbrella policy helps if your home insurance doesn’t cover dog bite injuries or doesn’t pay enough." That sentence speaks to both situations in this guide, a policy that excludes the dog and a policy whose limit is lower than the cost of an injury.

Beyond dogs: other examples on TDI's umbrella list

A dog bite is one of several injury examples TDI gives when it describes umbrella policies. The umbrella tip sheet lists four examples of situations that could fall under an umbrella policy: you cause a serious car accident or an accident with multiple cars, your dog bites someone, a child is hurt in your yard, pool, or trampoline, and someone falls in your home and is hurt.

That list is about umbrella policies, and TDI says these situations could fall under one. It is not a list of what a home policy pays. It is still a useful prompt for a household with a dog, a pool, or a trampoline, because each one is a reason to know your liability limit and to read what your policy says about that activity.

What to do with this

These are steps you can take to check how your own Texas home policy treats a dog bite. The checklist is Credify's, and the facts inside each step come from the TDI pages linked.

• Find your liability limit. According to the Home insurance guide, the first page of your policy is the declarations page, with a summary of your policy, including your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles.
• Look for medical payments coverage. It is one of the six coverages TDI's guide says most home policies in Texas include, so confirm whether it is on yours.
• Read the exclusions for breed language. Some policies exclude certain breeds, per the dog bite blog post, which suggests checking your policy or calling your insurance company to be sure.
• Ask about an umbrella policy if you want more liability coverage. The umbrella tip sheet says to ask your agent or insurance company about getting one.
• Take questions to TDI. The umbrella tip sheet and the Home insurance guide both give 800-252-3439 as the number to call TDI with questions.

Key facts

• If your dog bites someone on your property, your homeowners insurance might help, according to TDI's dog bite blog post.
• The same TDI blog post says some policies exclude certain breeds, and suggests checking your policy or calling your insurance company to be sure.
• Personal liability coverage and medical payments coverage are among six coverages that TDI's Home insurance guide says most home policies in Texas include.
• That guide describes medical payments coverage as paying the medical bills of people hurt on your property and some injuries away from your home, with a dog bite at the park as its example.
• Home policies provide liability protection in a limited amount, and a separate umbrella liability policy can be bought for more, per the Home insurance guide.
• TDI's umbrella tip sheet, last updated April 10, 2025, says umbrella coverage usually starts around $300,000 and pays up to at least $1 million, and lists a dog bite among examples of situations that could fall under an umbrella policy.
• A personal liability umbrella policy helps if your home insurance doesn't cover dog bite injuries or doesn't pay enough, the dog bite blog post says.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance might cover dog bite costs, Umbrella policy: What is it and when do you need one?, and Home insurance guide.

Take the next step

Before you compare policies, know your liability limit, whether your policy includes medical payments coverage, and whether it has breed language. If you're reviewing the rest of the policy while you're in there, how to choose home insurance in Texas covers what to compare, and independent agency vs going direct covers the two ways to shop it.

Get a second opinion on your policy — free. Credify is a licensed insurance agency in Texas that helps you compare home insurance from roughly 20 licensed Texas carriers, so you can see whether your liability coverage fits your needs. It takes a few minutes, and there's no obligation. 📞 Talk to Credify 24/7.

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