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With the wall-to-wall news coverage of the devastating wildfires in California being front and center, you may be wondering, “If my home burned, is my vehicle covered?”

If your home burned down and your car was parked in the garage, your home and contents inside of the vehicle would be covered under homeowner’s insurance, but the vehicle itself would not. This is because homeowners policies exclude coverage for motor vehicles that are required to be registered for use on public roads. The vehicle would be covered under your auto policy as long as you have comprehensive coverage, which is sometimes referred to as ‘other than collision’ coverage.

Comprehensive coverage is the part of an auto policy that provides coverage for damage caused by falling objects, theft, explosion or earthquakes, wind, hail, water or flood, vandalism, rioting, contact with birds or animals, as well as fire. It’s important to note that the state of Georgia only requires liability coverage to hit the road, but to be protected from damage from the items listed above you would need additional coverage other than just liability.

To make sure you are fully covered in the instance of a fire, like the fires in California, we encourage you to review your limits of coverage on your homeowners policy at least once a year.  A good time to do this is right before your policy renews each year. If the dwelling coverage limit looks high or low, inquire about it with your agent/carrier and make sure the details about the home used to generate that coverage amount are accurate. Review the personal property coverage limit to make sure you have enough coverage for all your items in the home, paying special attention to any high value items like guns, jewelry, fine arts, money, and important documents. If you have particular items that you are concerned about coverage for, ask your agent specifically about them as sometimes they can be scheduled for an agreed upon amount of coverage, and if not scheduled they may not be covered in full.  

It's always important to make sure that important documentation is secure and safe from things like a home fire. Investing in a fireproof safe that could hold your passport, deed to your home, vehicle titles and other important documents is a great idea. You could also make copies of those documents and put them in a safe deposit box or keep at a trusted family member or friend’s house. Some people affected by the California wildfires reported delays in their coverage because their important documentation that burned in the fire needed to be replaced prior to being made whole.

To check on your coverage or for more information please reach out to your local agent. You can find your agent here.

Content contributed by Walton County Farm Bureau Agent, Coleman Fisher