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

Published September 16, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Does home insurance cover a shed or detached garage in Texas?

Under most home policies, a shed or detached garage comes under a different coverage from the house. This guide explains the part of a home policy that applies to those buildings and how to check it on your own policy.

The short version. In Texas, most policies define a shed or detached garage as an other structure, and home insurance pays to repair it for covered damage, says the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) in Home insurance: What structures are covered?. It says most home policies set that coverage at 10% of your house's insured value, and you pay your deductible. TDI's Home insurance guide says coverages vary by company.

Here's what we'll cover: what counts as an other structure, where an attached garage fits, how much coverage TDI describes, which kinds of damage the coverage responds to, what to ask about the things stored in a shed, what TDI says about business use and wear and tear, and what to check on your own policy.

What counts as an "other structure"

On a Texas home policy, an other structure is a building or feature on your property that is not attached to the house, under the definition TDI gives for most policies. TDI's structures page says most policies define other structures as structures not attached to your house, and its examples are a detached garage, a storage shed, a pool or guest house, an outdoor kitchen, and barns or a chicken coop.

The same coverage appears in TDI's home insurance guide, in its list of the six coverages that most home policies in Texas include. In the guide's words, other structures coverage "pays to repair structures on your property that aren’t attached to your house." The guide says this includes detached garages, storage sheds, and fences.

The test TDI describes is whether the structure is attached to the house. Under the definition TDI gives for most policies, a small garden shed and a large detached garage would both count as other structures, and so would a fence.

The attached garage is a different question

Whether a garage in Texas counts as an other structure may depend on whether it is attached to the house. TDI's structures page says most policies define other structures as structures not attached to your house, and the garage in its list of examples is a detached one.

Neither TDI page used in this guide says how an attached garage is insured or which coverage applies to it, so ask your agent or company.

In its section on the risks a home policy covers, the guide says: "Coverages vary by company. Read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages." For a garage, that means the wording of your own policy decides which coverage applies. Our guide to how home insurance works in Texas explains how the coverages on a home policy fit together.

How much coverage TDI says other structures get

The figure for other structures coverage on a home policy comes from TDI's structures page: "Most home policies include coverage for other structures at 10% of your house’s insured value." TDI's example on that page is a house with $300,000 of coverage, which has $30,000 in coverage for other structures, and the page adds that you'll also have to pay your deductible.

Because the percentage in TDI's description comes from the amount of coverage on the house, the result may be more or less than what your outbuildings would cost to rebuild. A property with a single small shed and a property with a detached garage, a barn and a long fence could end up with the same figure if the houses are insured for the same amount.

TDI's example gives a single figure for other structures as a group. The page does not say whether each building has its own limit, so if you have several detached structures, ask your agent or company how the limit on your policy applies to all of them together.

You can check your own numbers. TDI's home insurance guide says the declarations page is the first page of your policy and has a summary of your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles. The guide also says each type of coverage has a dollar limit and that if you don't have enough coverage to replace your home and property after a total loss, you'll have to pay the difference yourself. Find the other structures limit, estimate what it would cost to rebuild what stands on your lot apart from the house, and ask your agent about your options if the limit looks low.

The deductible is part of the same sum. If your deductible is a percentage, work out the dollar figure and compare it with the cost of the structure you have in mind. Our guides on home insurance deductibles in Texas and how the wind and hail deductible works cover how that figure is calculated.

What kinds of damage it covers

Other structures coverage on a Texas home policy responds to the same kinds of damage as the coverage on the house, according to TDI's structures page: "Your home policy pays for the same types of damage to structures as it does for your house." The examples TDI gives there are fire, hail, theft, or sudden and accidental water damage.

On wind and hail, the same TDI page says that if you live anywhere in Texas except along the coast, you probably have wind and hail coverage in your home policy, and that if you live on the coast you can get coverage from the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. Our guide on windstorm insurance and TWIA explains how that works.

On flooding, the page says most home policies don't cover damage caused by floods, and it suggests talking to your home insurance agent about getting a flood policy from your insurance company or the National Flood Insurance Program. Our guide to flood insurance in Texas covers that policy.

Fences get their own passage on the TDI page. It says that if your fence was damaged by wind and you have wind coverage, your policy will probably pay for the damage. On how the payment is worked out, it says: "Policies usually pay actual cash value for fences." TDI explains that this means your company will deduct depreciation based on your home's age and condition. On winter weather, it says: "Most policies don’t pay for fence damage caused by ice or snow unless your house collapses on the fence."

For a shed, a detached garage or a fence, the cause of the damage is one thing to check, as it is for the house. It helps to know which causes your own policy lists before you need to use it.

What about the things stored inside the shed?

For things stored in a shed or detached garage in Texas, the starting point is how TDI's home insurance guide describes two coverages. It describes other structures coverage as paying to repair structures, and personal property coverage as the one that pays if your furniture, clothing, and other things you own are stolen, damaged, or destroyed. It does not say how belongings kept in a detached building are treated.

The guide also describes how personal property coverage is sized. It says home policies usually pay a percentage of your dwelling coverage limit to repair or replace your furniture, clothes, and other property. In TDI's example, a house insured for $100,000 under a policy that covers property at 20% of that amount would have personal property insured for up to $20,000. Those are TDI's example figures and your policy may use different ones.

If you store equipment in a shed, ask your agent or company whether those items are covered there and up to what amount. Our guide on personal property coverage in Texas covers how those limits are structured.

Business use and wear and tear: what TDI says

TDI raises two points that are worth checking for a shed, detached garage or barn in Texas: whether the building is used for a business, and whether the damage happened over time.

On business use, TDI's structures page says: "If you use a structure on your property to run a business, ask your insurance company if you need a separate policy or extra coverage."

On damage that builds up over time, TDI's Five things your home policy won't cover, which is about home policies in general and does not mention other structures, says: "Companies won’t pay for damages that happen over time, like rotted boards, cracking window seals, or worn roofs." An older shed or fence is worth looking over with that passage in mind. Our guide on what home insurance doesn't cover in Texas goes through TDI's list.

A related case is the pool. TDI's examples of other structures include a pool or guest house, and we cover pools separately in does home insurance cover a swimming pool in Texas.

What to do with this

Checking the coverage on a shed, detached garage or fence in Texas starts with your declarations page. These are steps you can take with it.

• Find the other structures limit. Compare it with 10% of your dwelling amount, the figure TDI's structures page gives for most home policies.
• Add up the detached structures. Estimate the rebuild cost of each one, then ask how the limit on your policy applies to them together.
• Check the deductible. If yours is a percentage, work out the dollar figure and compare it with the cost of the structure you have in mind.
• Ask about an attached garage. Ask your agent or company which coverage on your policy applies to it.
• Mention business use. If you use a structure on your property to run a business, TDI's page says to ask your insurance company if you need a separate policy or extra coverage.
• Ask about contents. Find out whether belongings kept in a detached building are covered and up to what amount.

Key facts

• TDI's home insurance guide lists other structures coverage among six coverages that most home policies in Texas include, and says it pays to repair structures that aren't attached to your house, including detached garages, storage sheds, and fences.
• Most policies define other structures as structures not attached to your house, according to TDI's structures page, whose examples include a detached garage, a storage shed, a pool or guest house, an outdoor kitchen, and barns or a chicken coop.
• The same TDI page says most home policies include coverage for other structures at 10% of your house's insured value, and that you'll also have to pay your deductible.
• The TDI page says a home policy pays for the same types of damage to structures as it does for the house, and that most home policies don't cover damage caused by floods.
• On fences, the TDI page says policies usually pay actual cash value, and that most policies don't pay for fence damage caused by ice or snow unless your house collapses on the fence.
• If you use a structure on your property to run a business, the TDI page says to ask your insurance company if you need a separate policy or extra coverage.
• TDI's Five things your home policy won't cover, a page about home policies in general, says companies won't pay for damages that happen over time.
• TDI's home insurance guide says coverages vary by company and advises reading your policy or talking to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance: What structures are covered?, Home insurance guide and Five things your home policy won't cover. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Take the next step

Pull your declarations page, find the other structures limit, and compare it with what it would cost to rebuild the detached structures on your property.

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 other structures coverage fits your needs. It takes a few minutes, and there's no obligation. 📞 Talk to Credify 24/7.

Credify is a licensed insurance agency in Texas. License TX #3309669 · NPN 21516523.

We compare quotes from multiple licensed Texas carriers; each insurer has sole responsibility for its products.

Coverage varies by insurer. Please review policy documents for complete details.