Moon Insurance Managers, Inc. · TDI license #5595
Windstorm Insurance in Houston & Southeast Harris County
East of Highway 146, the peril most likely to damage your house is usually not on your homeowners policy. It is carved out, and it is bought back separately. We are a registered TWIA agent and our office sits inside that corridor.
- 41years in Houston
- 20+markets compared
- Same dayDPS filing
- #5595TDI license
Designated catastrophe area
The line that decides how your house is insured
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association may write in the fourteen first-tier coastal counties and, in its own words, in “parts of Harris County east of Highway 146.” That strip is the only slice of this county inside the designated catastrophe area, and it takes in Seabrook, La Porte, Shoreacres, Morgan's Point and the eastern edge of Pasadena.
Inside it, private carriers commonly exclude wind and hail from the homeowners policy altogether. The house stays insured for fire, theft and liability — and the peril that actually threatens it here has been removed. A mile inland, the same house usually keeps the peril, subject to a wind and hail deductible. Two houses, two entirely different structures of coverage.
The boundary runs by address, not by city. Half a ZIP code can fall either side of it — be wary of anyone who tells you which side you are on without looking.
Sources: TWIA — coverage and eligibility; TDI — windstorm map, Harris County. Verified .
Chapter 2210
What TWIA is, and what it is not
TWIA is the market of last resort for wind and hail inside the catastrophe area, created under Texas Insurance Code chapter 2210. It is an association of the insurers writing property coverage in this state — not a government agency, and not a subsidy.
| Criterion | TWIA policy | Homeowners policy |
|---|---|---|
| Perils covered | Wind and hail only | Fire, theft, liability, and usually wind |
| Where it applies | Inside the designated catastrophe area | Anywhere |
| Flood | Never | Never |
| How you buy it | Only through a registered agent | Through an agent or direct |
| Deductible | Set on the wind policy itself | A percentage of Coverage A for wind and hail |
| Liability for a guest’s injury | No | Yes |
It also does not sell to the public. TWIA's instruction is that applications “must be submitted by a licensed insurance agent registered with TWIA,” which is why this is an agency question rather than a website one. We submit those applications ourselves.
Sources: TWIA — how to get windstorm insurance; Tex. Ins. Code ch. 2210. Verified .
All five, not most of them
Whether the property qualifies
TWIA states five conditions. Pages that list three or four are usually missing the flood one, and that is the condition that stops a closing:
- The address is in the designated catastrophe area Gate one
- Fourteen first-tier coastal counties, plus — in TWIA’s own words — “parts of Harris County east of Highway 146.” It runs by address, not by city or ZIP code.
- An authorized insurer has declined the wind Gate two
- At least one insurer actively writing wind and hail in the area has to have turned the property down. TWIA is the market of last resort by design, not a first stop.
- The structure is certified to the building code Gate three
- A certificate of compliance: WPI-8 or WPI-8-E, issued by TDI for ongoing or completed construction, or WPI-8-C, issued by TWIA for work completed between January 2017 and May 2020. This is the one that surprises people at closing.
- Flood coverage, where a flood zone requires it Gate four
- Property in certain flood zones must show proof of flood insurance. Wind and water are two policies and here the second is a condition of the first.
- The property is in insurable condition Gate five
- Underwriting requirements met, and no unrepaired damage sitting on the structure.
Gate four is where wind and water meet. If the property needs flood coverage to satisfy it, that is a separate flood policy with its own waiting period — which is why a windstorm application started the week before a closing is a bad week for everyone.
Gate three is the one that ambushes renovations. A house altered without a certificate pulled at the time can need remedial engineering before TWIA will look at it. If you are buying, ask for the WPI-8 before the option period ends, not after.
Sources: TWIA — coverage and eligibility; TDI — windstorm certificates of compliance. Verified .
West of the line
Wind coverage when you are not in the corridor
Most of Harris County is outside the catastrophe area, and there wind and hail stay on the homeowners policy — subject to a deductible set as a percentage of Coverage A rather than a dollar figure, which is the single most misunderstood number on a Texas policy. That material belongs on the homeowners page, where it is worked through in dollars.
Where the admitted market will not write the wind at all — an older roof, a prior claim, a coastal exposure a carrier has decided against — we also place surplus lines wind. It is worth knowing what that means before you buy one: a surplus lines carrier is not licensed in Texas and its policies are not backed by the state guaranty association, so the trade is availability against that protection. We will say plainly which one you are being offered.
No obligation
Talk to an agency inside the corridor
Give us the address and we will tell you which side of the line it falls on, whether the wind is already excluded from the policy you hold, and what the property needs before an application will go anywhere. The phone is fastest: (281) 484-8320. There is a longer quote request form if your declarations page is to hand, and the callback form above takes five fields.
Monday to Thursday, 9:00 to 5:00; Friday, 9:00 to 4:00. 360 FM 1959, Houston, TX 77034.
Wind questions we get every week
Is windstorm coverage separate in Pasadena, Seabrook or La Porte?
Often, yes. Inside the designated catastrophe area — the slice of Harris County east of Highway 146 — private carriers commonly exclude wind and hail from the homeowners policy, so the peril most likely to damage the house has to be bought back on its own policy. A mile inland, the same house usually keeps the peril with a wind and hail deductible instead. The boundary runs by address, not by suburb.
What is TWIA?
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association: the market of last resort for wind and hail in the designated catastrophe area, created under Texas Insurance Code chapter 2210. It is an association of the insurers writing property coverage in Texas, not a state agency, and a TWIA policy covers wind and hail only — not fire, not theft, not liability, and not flood.
Do I qualify for a TWIA policy?
Five conditions, all of them: the property is in the designated catastrophe area; at least one authorized insurer writing wind in the area has declined it; the structure is certified to the applicable building code on a WPI-8, WPI-8-E or WPI-8-C; property in certain flood zones shows proof of flood insurance; and the property is in insurable condition. Give us the address and we will work through them with you.
What is a WPI-8?
A certificate of compliance showing a structure was built or altered to the applicable windstorm building code. TDI issues the WPI-8 and WPI-8-E; TWIA issued the WPI-8-C for work completed between January 2017 and May 2020. Without one, TWIA coverage is not available, which is why it turns up as a closing problem on houses that were renovated without one being pulled.
Does my homeowners policy cover hurricane damage?
Partly, and the split is the thing to understand. A hurricane brings wind and water. Wind and hail are either on your homeowners policy subject to a deductible, or excluded and bought back separately inside the catastrophe area. Flood is never on a homeowners policy at all and is always its own. One storm, up to three policies.