POLICY TRENDS · FLORIDA & NEW JERSEY

What Is a Hurricane Deductible? How It Works in Florida and New Jersey

By Yeni Martinez, Licensed Public Adjuster, Florida (License P103370) and New Jersey (License 3003714097)
Homeland Public Adjusters · Last reviewed: October 2026

Wind-damaged roof tiles on a Florida home after a hurricane, the kind of loss a hurricane deductible applies to

The hurricane deductible is a percentage of your dwelling coverage, not a flat amount

Short answer: A hurricane deductible is a separate deductible that applies only to losses caused by a hurricane, and it is usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage rather than a flat dollar amount. On a $400,000 dwelling limit, a 2% hurricane deductible is $8,000. In Florida it applies once per calendar year; in New Jersey it can apply only when hurricane-force winds of 74 mph or more are measured in the state.

The Florida options

Under Fla. Stat. §627.701(3), Florida insurers must offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2%, 5% and 10% of the dwelling limit, with exceptions for higher-value homes (no $500 option is required at $250,000 or more in dwelling coverage, and insurers may offer 3% in place of 2% between $1 million and $3 million). Your policy must carry an 18-point boldface warning that it contains a separate hurricane deductible.

Dwelling limit	2% deductible	5% deductible	10% deductible
$300,000	$6,000	$15,000	$30,000
$500,000	$10,000	$25,000	$50,000
$750,000	$15,000	$37,500	$75,000

When it applies in Florida

The hurricane deductible applies to windstorm loss during a "hurricane" as defined in §627.4025: a storm the National Hurricane Center has declared a hurricane, from the time a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning for the state ends. Wind damage outside that window, or from a storm that was never a hurricane, falls under your regular deductible. Interior rain damage counts as hurricane damage only if wind first created an opening.

Once per calendar year. Under §627.701(5), the hurricane deductible applies on an annual basis to all hurricane losses in the calendar year. The Florida Department of Financial Services explains that for a second hurricane in the same year, the deductible is the greater of the unmet remainder of your hurricane deductible or your all-other-perils deductible. Keep the records from the first storm; they determine what you owe on the second.

New Jersey

New Jersey regulates when a hurricane deductible may apply at all. Under DOBI Bulletin 11-16, a hurricane deductible may apply only to a storm the National Weather Service named a hurricane, and only if sustained hurricane-force winds of 74 mph or greater were measured in New Jersey. The winds do not have to reach your property. In 2011, DOBI determined that Irene did not meet that test, so no hurricane deductible applied; after Sandy in 2012, hurricane deductibles likewise did not apply because the storm was no longer a hurricane at landfall. Check your policy's declarations page for the hurricane deductible and read the endorsement that defines when it applies.

What this means for your claim

Know your number before the storm. A 5% deductible on a $600,000 home is $30,000 out of pocket before the insurer pays anything.

Date and cause matter. Whether damage is "hurricane" damage, and whether it happened inside the window, decides which deductible applies. Dated photos and weather records help.

Separate the perils. Flood damage is not covered by a homeowners policy or its hurricane deductible; it runs through flood insurance. A hurricane claim often involves both.

Hurricane deductibles are a first-call question for homeowners in Naples, Lee County and Monmouth County.

Frequently asked questions

What is a hurricane deductible?

A separate deductible that applies only to losses caused by a hurricane, usually set as a percentage of your dwelling coverage (in Florida, 2%, 5% or 10%, or $500). A 2% deductible on a $400,000 dwelling limit is $8,000.

When does the hurricane deductible apply in Florida?

To windstorm loss during a storm the National Hurricane Center declared a hurricane, from the time a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning ends (Fla. Stat. §627.4025).

Do I pay the hurricane deductible twice in one year?

No. In Florida the hurricane deductible applies once per calendar year to all hurricane losses (Fla. Stat. §627.701(5)). For a second hurricane, you owe the greater of the unmet remainder of the hurricane deductible or your regular deductible.

Does New Jersey have a hurricane deductible?

It can, but it applies only to a storm the National Weather Service named a hurricane and only if sustained winds of 74 mph or more were measured in New Jersey (DOBI Bulletin 11-16). It did not apply for Irene in 2011 or Sandy in 2012.

After a hurricane, Homeland documents the damage, sorts hurricane damage from other perils, and presents the claim with the deductible applied the way the policy and the statute require.

This article is for general information only and is not legal or insurance advice. Statutes, regulations and policy wording change, and how they apply depends on your own policy and the facts of your claim. Homeland Public Adjusters is a public adjusting firm, not a law firm.

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