Reviewed by Tom Moore, Agency Partner, CA Agency Insurance License 6003355
Last reviewed: 6/19/2026
Key takeaway: Other structures coverage Spokane homeowners carry on a standard home policy pays for damage to anything on your property that isn't attached to the house — detached garages, sheds, fences, driveways, pergolas, and in some cases an ADU. It's usually capped at 10% of your dwelling limit, which sounds like a lot until you price out rebuilding a 600-square-foot shop garage. Most people don't think about it until a windstorm knocks down a fence or a tree drops on the shed.
Here's the part nobody mentions when you bind a home policy: the coverage for everything that isn't your house is a math problem most people never solve.
You insure the house. Of course you do. The dwelling limit is the headline number on the declarations page, and your agent walks you through it. But your detached garage? The fence around the backyard? The shed where you keep the mower and the snowblower? Those sit under a separate coverage bucket — "Coverage B" on most ISO-based policies — and the limit is usually a percentage of the dwelling, not a number you picked.
For a lot of Spokane homes, that math works fine. For others — especially the ones with shop garages on the Valley side, ADUs tucked behind older homes on the South Hill, or fenced acreage out past Mead — the default limit isn't close to enough.
Outline
What "other structures" coverage actually means on your home policy
Other structures coverage is the part of your homeowners policy that pays to repair or rebuild detached structures on your property after a covered loss. The Insurance Information Institute groups it as Coverage B in the standard HO-3 form, the policy most Spokane homeowners carry. It sits separately from Coverage A, which is your house itself.
The trigger for a payout is the same as for the dwelling: a covered peril has to cause the damage. Wind, fire, hail, falling trees, vandalism, theft, the kind of stuff a standard policy already names. Flood and earthquake are excluded the same way they're excluded on the house. If your fence comes down in a Palouse windstorm, you're covered. If it floats away in a flood, you're not.
The limit is what trips people up. It's usually set automatically as 10% of your dwelling coverage. You didn't pick it. It was assigned.
What counts as an "other structure" in Spokane
The rule of thumb: if it's on your property and it isn't physically attached to your house, it's an other structure. That covers more than most people realize.
Detached garages
The big one. A detached garage — whether it's a single-car structure off to the side or a full shop garage out back — sits under Coverage B. Attached garages don't. If your garage shares a wall with the house, it's part of the dwelling coverage. If you walk across the driveway to get to it, it's an other structure.
Spokane has a lot of detached garages, especially in older neighborhoods like Browne's Addition, Logan, and parts of the South Hill where homes were built before attached garages were the norm.
Sheds, gazebos, and pergolas
Tool sheds, garden sheds, the gazebo your last owner built over the hot tub pad — all other structures. Same with pergolas and freestanding carports. If you can pick it up and walk away with it (a small portable storage box, for example), some carriers treat it as personal property instead. The line isn't always obvious. Ask before you assume.
Fences, retaining walls, and driveways
This is the one that catches people. Your fence is an other structure. So is your retaining wall. So is your concrete driveway and the detached basketball hoop pad. After a bad windstorm — and Spokane gets enough of those — the call I get most often isn't about the house. It's about the fence.
ADUs (accessory dwelling units)
Accessory dwelling units are the gray area. Spokane has been encouraging ADU construction for years, and there are more of them going up across the city under recent zoning changes. A detached ADU on your property may fall under other structures — but only if you're not renting it out. The second you start collecting rent, most homeowners policies stop covering it under Coverage B and your carrier will want a different setup. More on that below.
How much coverage do you actually have
Open your declarations page. Look at the dwelling limit. Move down two lines to "Other Structures" or "Coverage B." That second number is almost always 10% of the first.
A $500,000 dwelling limit gets you $50,000 in other structures coverage. Sounds workable. But run the numbers on what you'd actually need to rebuild:
- A simple 12x16 storage shed in Spokane runs about $8,000 to $15,000 to rebuild at current material and labor costs
- A two-car detached garage typically costs $35,000 to $60,000 to rebuild from scratch
- A 600-square-foot shop garage with electrical, insulation, and finished interior can push past $80,000
- A detached ADU — the kind people are building behind their main homes — can easily cost $150,000 to $250,000 to rebuild
If you've got a detached garage and a shop in the back, you can blow through $50,000 in a single covered loss without breathing hard. The default 10% wasn't built for that. It was built for a fence and a shed.
Where Spokane homeowners get caught off guard
Three scenarios come up over and over in Spokane. None of them are exotic. All of them are fixable if you catch them in advance.
The ADU rental problem
You built an ADU. Maybe you put your mom in it for a few years. Now she's moved out and you're renting it on a long-term lease to a tenant. Your standard homeowners policy almost certainly doesn't cover an ADU you're renting out — at least not without a specific endorsement. The carrier sees it as a separate risk because someone else is living there, using the appliances, and creating liability exposure you didn't have before. Some carriers will add it on. Others want you to write a separate landlord policy on the unit. If you haven't told your agent about the rental, the coverage gap is bigger than the policy you're paying for.
The shop garage problem
I see this most often in the Valley and out toward Greenacres — somebody bought a property with a small house and a massive shop garage. They use the shop for hobbies, vehicles, sometimes a small side business. The dwelling limit is set based on the house. The other structures limit is 10% of that. The shop is worth more than the house. The math doesn't work, and they don't know until something happens. The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner has a clean breakdown of how home policy coverage limits stack — worth a read if you've got an oversized outbuilding.
The detached fence problem after a windstorm
Spokane gets windstorms. The November storms, the spring gusts off the Palouse, the occasional summer downburst. Fences come down. Trees drop on sheds. People file claims and find out two things at once: the deductible applies to other structures the same way it applies to the house, and the damage on a long fence run plus a shed roof plus a few hours of cleanup can land right at or below the deductible. Worth knowing before you file.
When you need to add coverage (and how)
Adding other structures coverage is straightforward when you catch it early. Most carriers will let you increase the Coverage B limit as a percentage of dwelling — 15%, 20%, sometimes higher — for a small premium adjustment. On most policies it's pennies relative to what you're already paying for the house.
Some carriers handle it as a scheduled endorsement instead. You tell them the structure, the value, and they write a specific coverage line for it. This is the route I'd take for a shop garage, a high-value ADU, or any detached structure where you've put real money into the build.
For ADUs that you're renting out, the answer is usually a separate landlord or dwelling fire policy on the unit itself. Sometimes that policy bundles with the homeowners and gets you a multi-policy discount. Sometimes it has to stand alone. Depends on the carrier and the situation.
The point: don't assume the default limit is enough. Look at the number. Compare it to what you've actually got out back.
What other structures coverage does not pay for
A few things to know up front, because the exclusions catch people more than the coverage does.
Coverage B doesn't pay for damage from excluded perils — floods, earthquakes, normal wear, neglect, gradual rot, pest damage, mold buildup. If your shed roof has been slowly leaking for five years and finally caves in, that's not a covered loss. It's deferred maintenance.
It also doesn't cover the contents of those structures the same way. The tools in your shop garage, the riding mower in the shed, the bikes locked up under the carport — those fall under your personal property coverage (Coverage C), not other structures. Different limit, possibly different sub-limits depending on the category, definitely worth a separate look.
And it doesn't cover detached structures used primarily for business. Your home-based contracting business with the truck and the gear parked in the shop garage? That's a commercial exposure, not a homeowners one. The III has good context on where home insurance stops and business insurance starts.
If you've got a detached garage, an ADU, a shop, or anything else out back that you've never specifically discussed with your agent — that's the call to make. One review, no pressure, and you find out what your limit actually is before something happens that makes the number matter. Reach out anytime at or grab a quick quote at here at All Lines Insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is other structures coverage on a Spokane home insurance policy?
It's the part of your homeowners policy that pays to repair or rebuild detached structures on your property — garages, sheds, fences, ADUs, pergolas — after a covered loss like wind, fire, or hail.
How much other structures coverage do I have by default?
Most Spokane home policies set the limit at 10% of your dwelling coverage. So a $500,000 dwelling limit gives you $50,000 in other structures coverage unless you've adjusted it.
Is my detached garage covered under my homeowners policy?
Yes, if it's a personal-use detached garage. It falls under Coverage B (other structures). Attached garages are covered under the dwelling limit instead.
Does other structures coverage pay for fence damage from a Spokane windstorm?
Yes. Wind is a covered peril on a standard homeowners policy, so fence damage from a windstorm is typically covered — subject to your deductible.
Is an ADU covered under my home insurance in Spokane?
A detached ADU may be covered under other structures if it's not being rented out. If you're renting it to a tenant, you usually need an added endorsement or a separate landlord policy.
Does other structures coverage include the stuff inside my shed or garage?
No. The structure itself is covered under Coverage B. The tools, equipment, and personal items inside fall under your personal property coverage (Coverage C), which has its own limit.
Can I increase my other structures coverage?
Yes. Most carriers let you raise the Coverage B percentage above the standard 10% for a small premium adjustment. Some will write a scheduled endorsement for a specific high-value structure instead.
What's not covered under other structures on a Spokane home policy?
Flood and earthquake damage, gradual wear, neglect, pest or mold damage, and structures used primarily for business. Those need separate or specialized coverage.
