After a long winter with freezing temperatures, Ohioans are ready for fun in the sun and taking advantage of their backyard pools. In fact, a pool is often more than a splashy summer attraction in the Buckeye State — it can increase your home’s value by as much as 7%, so it might just be a good investment, too.

But don’t let the excitement of Ohio pool life blind you to the risks that can come with pool ownership. Make no mistake — owning a pool can be as risky as it is fun — if you don’t have the proper insurance.

If you own a high-risk asset like a backyard swimming pool, you need to understand your responsibilities and how you can protect yourself and those around you. Read on to learn if you need pool insurance in Ohio. 

Reasons to Make Sure Your Pool Is Covered

If you have a pool, the short answer to whether you need pool insurance is yes. Here’s how you can make sure you’re fully covered for the following risks.

Property Damage

The average in-ground pool costs $35,000 to install, and then you spend thousands of dollars each year on routine maintenance. That’s a bigger investment than you’d have to make for many used vehicles. So, what happens if your pool gets damaged? You might be out quite a bit of money.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking your pool will be fine for the long haul. Here are just a handful of ways a backyard swimming pool can be damaged:

• Torn pool liners

• Shifting earth cracking the pool’s concrete base

• Damaged or malfunctioning filters and similar equipment

• Damage from freezing during the Ohio winter

Most families can’t afford to risk an investment worth tens of thousands of dollars like that. Fortunately, if you have the proper pool insurance, you don't have to.

Liability

Here’s something many Ohio homeowners don’t know: Ohio has recognized the doctrine of attractive nuisance for decades, and that doctrine can land pool owners in a world of legal trouble.

Under the law, an attractive nuisance is something dangerous on your property that might attract children to play in it. If that happens and a child is hurt, you may be civilly liable to the child’s family. In other words, you may be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars if a neighborhood kid gets hurt in your swimming pool — even if you didn’t give them permission to use it.

And that’s just one type of liability you might face. Even your invited, adult guests could sue you for conditions in and around your pool if they get hurt on your property. For example, what if a barbecue guest slips and falls on the tiling near your pool because it was wet? You might end up on the wrong end of a lawsuit.

That’s exactly what pool insurance is for — to protect you from liability that comes from having a pool on your property.

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Swimming Pools?

The answer is yes, you do need pool insurance in Ohio. But are you already covered? It’s possible that your homeowners insurance already covers your pool, but it’s unlikely that it covers all of the potential liability and risk that can come from pool ownership.

For example, your homeowners policy may cover civil liability from injuries that could occur because of your pool, but it might not cover damage to your pool. Or it could be the other way around. It’s important to check what is covered before you start purchasing new policies.

In many cases, Ohio pool owners end up getting pool insurance through an umbrella insurance policy which extends their liability coverage and is a small add-on to their homeowners insurance policy to increase coverage of any potential damage.

Requirements for Swimming Pool Insurance Coverage

Whether you’re considering adding a pool to your home, buying a home with a pool or simply getting insurance for a pool you already own, you might run into some roadblocks based on Ohio and city-specific laws that govern backyard pools.

If your pool is in violation of any of those rules, you may find that you are not only in trouble with the city, but you may also find it difficult to get an insurer to agree to cover your pool. For instance, many pool insurance providers require that pools have a fence surrounding them in order to be covered under liability insurance. This requirement is in line with many rules in Ohio towns and cities.

Meanwhile, the rules can get a lot more granular than having a fence around your pool. Some Ohio cities have rules about how far a pool can be from the edge of your property, how you choose to illuminate them at night or the kinds of materials used on slides and diving boards.

If your pool is in violation of a local ordinance or state law, you may encounter problems when you try to get pool insurance. That’s why it’s important to speak with an insurance expert before you make any big pool-related moves.

How Much Does Ohio Pool Insurance Cost?

The cost of pool insurance in Ohio will depend heavily on a few factors:

• What your existing homeowners insurance policy already covers

• How much liability and damage coverage you want or need to add

• Existing risks or liabilities that could threaten the longevity or safety of the pool

In some cases, the pool coverage you already have may be enough, in which case your added cost for Ohio pool insurance would be $0. Often, however, the calculations are a little bit trickier than that. The good news is that an experienced independent insurance agent can help you understand how much more you will have to pay for better coverage of your backyard swimming pool.

Make the Summer Count With Ohio Pool Insurance

Swimming pools are all about getting outside and enjoying the summer. Make the most of our beautiful weather by enjoying your pool, not stressing about it. How do you put a stop to your pool-related stress? The same way you reduce all kinds of stresses from home ownership: insurance.

The trusted insurance agents at Wallace & Turner have been helping Ohio homeowners get the coverage they need for the right price for more than a century. We can help you, too. Get in touch with us to find the perfect pool insurance policy. Call us at 937-324-8492 or contact us online.