Pools, insurance, property taxes and flood zones

Homeowners insurance

Call your agent before construction starts. The Triple-I suggests liability of at least $300,000 or $500,000, more if your assets warrant it, and an umbrella policy on top (Triple-I). It puts umbrella coverage at about $200–350 a year for an extra $1 million (Triple-I), and insurers usually want a minimum level of home liability underneath it. The Triple-I also notes that local rules can require a certain fence, locks and safety equipment. Ask your insurer about diving boards and slides, and whether the pool is covered as part of the home's other structures.

Flood insurance won't cover the pool

The NFIP Flood Insurance Manual (October 2022) expressly excludes "indoor or outdoor swimming pools," and hot tubs and spas unless they're bathroom fixtures (Florida DEM, Jan 2024). After a flood, cleaning, draining or repairing a pool is on you unless a private policy says otherwise. Ask your agent before you assume coverage.

Building in a Lafayette floodplain

All development in the city and unincorporated parish needs a permit, and in a mapped floodplain LCG's zero net fill rule, adopted in November 2017, means no net loss of flood storage (LCG). For new homes, LCG requires the lowest floor, including mechanical and electrical equipment, to sit 1 ft above base flood elevation. A pool isn't a house, but the same thinking protects the pump, filter and heater. FEMA-based guidance from Florida suggests raising pool equipment as far as practical, anchoring it and putting it on GFCI-protected circuits (Florida DEM). LCG's floodplain administrator is at (337) 291-8468. More on spoil and water tables: groundwater and zero net fill.

Property taxes

From the Louisiana Tax Commission rules and the Lafayette Parish Assessor. Your millage rate is on your tax bill.

So if a pool adds, say, $40,000 to your home's market value, the assessed value rises by about $4,000. Multiply by your millage (mills ÷ 1,000) to estimate the yearly tax increase. The assessor decides the actual value.

Questions to ask your agent

• How much does my premium change with the pool, and with a diving board or slide?
• What liability limit do you recommend, and what do you require under an umbrella policy?
• Is the pool, deck, fence and equipment covered for wind, falling trees and lightning, and with what deductible?
• Does my flood policy, federal or private, pay anything for the pool, deck or equipment?
• Do you need photos, a permit final or proof of the fence and gate once it's built?

Get the answers in writing, and update the policy before the first swim, not after.

Before hurricane season

Photograph the pool, deck, fence and equipment with dates once the build is done, and keep the contract and permits with your insurance papers. See storms and timing for how to ready a pool before a storm.

Common questions