A backyard trampoline with a safety net and protective padding in a residential yard

Backyard Trampolines

Will a Backyard Trampoline Raise Your Homeowners Insurance? What to Ask Before You Buy

Learn whether a backyard trampoline raises your homeowners insurance costs and what questions to ask your agent before you buy.

By Up Is Jump TeamOctober 8, 20267 min read

You've found a trampoline on sale, or one is already sitting in the yard with the leaves piling up under it. Then you start to wonder whether your homeowners insurance will cost more because of it. The answer depends on your insurer. Some companies cover a trampoline at no extra cost. Some charge a higher premium. Some cover it only if it has a net, a fence or a locked gate. Some exclude trampoline injuries completely, and a few won't write or renew the policy while one is on the property. Nearly all of them want to know it's there.

Why insurers care about your trampoline

Insurers aren't worried about the trampoline itself. They're worried about the neighbor's kid on it. If someone who doesn't live with you gets hurt and you're legally responsible, the personal liability part of your policy may pay for the injuries and your legal defense, up to the policy limit. A child in your own household getting hurt is a different matter, and this coverage isn't designed for that.

Insurers also call a trampoline an "attractive nuisance." That means something on your property that draws in children who don't understand the danger. Under that idea, which comes from state law and varies by state, you can be held responsible for an injury even if the child didn't have permission to be in your yard and wasn't jumping safely.

The injury numbers explain why insurers take this seriously. In 2024, U.S. hospital emergency departments treated an estimated 118,179 trampoline-related injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. About 83 percent of those were children: 26,156 under age 5 and 71,613 ages 5 to 14. The estimate was 111,212 in 2023 and 123,014 in 2022, so the numbers aren't climbing every year, but they stay high. These figures include every trampoline, including ones at parks and gyms, not just backyard ones. Even so, the common causes match what happens at home: jumpers colliding, bad landings, falling off, and hitting the springs or frame.

The four ways insurers handle trampolines

There's no national rule and no separate "trampoline insurance." Any extra cost is built into your homeowners premium. Insurers and regulators describe four common approaches:

Covered, no change. The trampoline falls under your regular liability coverage. If a guest is hurt and you're responsible, the policy pays up to its limit.
Covered, but at a higher premium. A trampoline makes a liability claim more likely, so some insurers charge more. No national surcharge is published, so the only way to learn your cost is to ask.
Covered only with safety conditions. Progressive and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) list conditions like a net, a limit on how many people jump at once, a fence, or a locked gate. If you don't meet them, the claim can be denied. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that many policies treat trampolines the way they treat pools, requiring an enclosed area with limited access. Nationwide's safety guidance says skipping precautions like a fenced area can make a home ineligible for a standard policy.
Excluded, or not insured at all. Some companies exclude trampoline claims completely. Others won't insure the home, or will cancel or decline to renew, while a trampoline is on the property.

State Farm doesn't publish a simple yes-or-no rule. It tells owners to report a trampoline before or soon after buying one, check whether the policy covers it, and change the policy if it doesn't.

What to do before you buy

Call your agent before the box arrives. Insurance applications often ask directly about trampolines, and the NAIC lists a trampoline as something that can change your premium. Ask these questions:

Will my current policy cover injuries to guests on a trampoline?
Will my premium go up, and by how much?
Do I need a net, a fence, or a specific kind of fence, such as one with a self-closing, self-latching gate?
Is there a trampoline exclusion anywhere in my policy? Can you send it to me in writing?
Do I need a rider or an endorsement?

Then read the liability section of your policy. That's the part that applies when a visiting child is hurt. It can pay damages and defense costs if the accident was caused by your negligence. A separate medical payments benefit, often about $1,000 to $5,000, can pay a guest's medical bills. It doesn't cover your own family.

Check your liability limit too. The Insurance Information Institute says policies usually start around $100,000, and it suggests owners consider $300,000 to $500,000. Any amount above your limit is yours to pay.

Safety steps that also help with insurance

The American Academy of Pediatrics' position is that children should stay off recreational trampolines except in supervised training programs, and that children under 6 should never jump. If your family keeps one anyway, the Academy, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons agree on these rules:

One jumper at a time. Collisions are a leading cause of injury.
An adult who actually enforces the rules, including no flips or somersaults.
Pads that fully cover the springs, hooks and frame.
A net that stays zipped and gets checked for tears.
No ladder left in place when nobody is jumping.
Level ground, away from trees, walls and other play equipment, as low as possible.
A fence or locked gate, which many insurers also want because of the attractive-nuisance risk.

Be realistic about what a net can do. The orthopaedic surgeons point out that most injuries happen on the mat, so a net won't prevent them, though the CPSC says an enclosure can help prevent falls off the trampoline.

With fall storms coming, wind matters too. Progressive uses a trampoline blown into a house as an example of a dwelling claim. Sportspower, a trampoline maker, says anchors driven at least 18 inches into the ground and strapped to the frame still don't guarantee it will stay put. Take it apart and store it if high winds are forecast. With cousins visiting over Thanksgiving, it's also worth checking the pads and net before the holiday.

If your insurer excludes trampolines

You have two main options. The first is to shop for a different homeowners insurer that will cover the trampoline. The second is to consider a personal umbrella policy, which adds liability coverage above your homeowners limit. As of 2026, GEICO puts a $1 million umbrella at about $150 to $300 a year, and the Insurance Information Institute estimates about $200 to $350. Umbrellas usually require about $300,000 in homeowners liability coverage underneath.

Read the umbrella's exclusions before you count on it. Some umbrellas cover claims your homeowners policy doesn't, but others pay only after the homeowners coverage runs out. If your homeowners policy excludes trampolines, the umbrella may not help.

Don't keep the trampoline a secret

An unreported trampoline is the worst-case scenario. If someone gets hurt, the insurer can deny the claim and cancel or decline to renew your policy. Insurers also use aerial photos, so they can spot a trampoline you didn't report. Make the call, get the answer in writing, and then enjoy the trampoline.

Sources (29)

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