Pools, Trampolines, Dogs, and Your Home Insurance

Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026

Most people think about home insurance in terms of the house: the roof, the wind, the water. But one part of the policy has nothing to do with your building at all. Personal liability coverage is there for when someone else gets hurt and you’re held responsible.

In Florida, three things come up on almost every application because they’re where those injuries tend to happen: swimming pools, trampolines and dogs. None of them automatically keeps you from getting covered. All of them change the conversation. Here’s what I walk clients through.

What liability coverage on a home policy actually does

Personal liability coverage pays when you’re legally responsible for injuring someone or damaging their property. It also pays for your legal defense if you’re sued over something the policy covers. It’s separate from the coverage on your house and your belongings.

Most home policies also include a smaller coverage called medical payments to others. This pays medical bills for a guest who gets hurt at your home, up to a set limit, without anyone having to prove you were at fault. It’s meant for the small stuff, like a neighbor who slips on your steps and needs stitches.

When an application asks about a pool, a trampoline or a dog, this is the part of the policy the company is thinking about.

Swimming pools

A pool is normal in Florida, and insurance companies here are used to them. What they care about is whether a child who wanders into your yard can reach the water.

What Florida law requires

Florida has a Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act. Under section 515.29 of the Florida Statutes, a residential pool barrier has to meet several requirements, including:

• It must be at least 4 feet high on the outside.
• It may not have gaps, openings or parts that a young child could crawl under, squeeze through or climb over.
• It must go around the perimeter of the pool and be separate from any fence or wall around the yard, unless that fence or wall sits on the pool perimeter and meets the barrier rules.
• It must be placed far enough from the water edge that a child who gets through doesn’t fall straight into the pool.

The law was written because drowning is a leading danger for young children in Florida. Your city or county building department can tell you exactly what applies to your pool and when it was built.

What insurance companies ask about

Each company writes its own rules, so there’s no single list. These are the questions that come up most often:

• Is the pool fenced, screened or otherwise enclosed?
• Is there a self-latching gate?
• Is there a diving board or a slide?
• Is the pool in ground or above ground?
• Is the pool filled and maintained, or empty?

An unfenced pool or an empty pool is where I see the most trouble. Some companies won’t offer a policy at all. Others will offer the policy but take liability coverage off of it, which leaves you covered for the house but on your own if someone is hurt. That’s a big difference, and it’s easy to miss if you only compare prices.

The screen enclosure question

A pool cage is a separate conversation from liability. Many Florida policies limit or leave out hurricane damage to screen enclosures unless you add coverage for it. If you have a cage, ask what your policy would pay if a storm took it down. I go through that in my hurricane deductible article.

Trampolines

Trampolines are handled less consistently than pools. Depending on the company, a trampoline can mean:

• No change at all.
• Coverage only if it has a safety net and padding.
• A policy that excludes injuries from the trampoline.
• A declined application.

If you already have a policy and you buy a trampoline later, tell your agent before it goes up in the yard. Finding out after a claim that injuries on it were excluded is the worst way to learn how your policy handles it.

The same goes for other things kids and guests get hurt on, like skate ramps, zip lines and bounce houses. Policies don’t all treat them alike. Ask the question.

Dogs

How much liability coverage should you carry?

There’s no number that’s right for everyone. A few things I tell clients:

• Liability limits are usually sold in steps, commonly starting at $100,000 and going to $300,000 or $500,000.
• Moving up a step is often one of the smaller changes in your premium compared with what it buys.
• If you have a pool, a dog, a rental or savings you want to protect, a personal umbrella policy adds another layer on top of your home and auto liability.
• Medical payments to others is cheap to raise and handles small injuries without a lawsuit.

I can price the options side by side so you can see what each step actually costs.

Common questions

Coverage, exclusions and eligibility vary by company and by policy. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Official sources

• Florida Statute 515.29: residential pool barrier requirements
• Florida Statute 767.04: dog owner liability
• Florida Department of Financial Services: homeowners insurance overview

Keep reading

• Home Insurance Rules That Surprise People
• Why Is My Hurricane Deductible So High?
• Insuring a Rental Property in Florida: What Landlords Should Know
• How Much Should Your Home Be Insured For?

Related coverage: homeowners insurance and flood insurance.