Park home insurance premiums in the US run from $300 to $1,200 a year, depending on size, zip code, and storm risk. Coastal Florida lots pay the top end, whereas inland Texas parks sit near the middle.
Insurers consider flood zone, tie-down rating, and year built. The following sections dissect each element so you can reduce your bill and maintain strong protection.
Key Factors Influencing Your Premium
Insurers consider numerous factors before providing a rate for park model home insurance. For example, a park model home in Lake Havasu, AZ, may cost around $380 annually, while the same model located on a storm-prone lot near Galveston, TX, could exceed $1,200 due to increased insurance coverage needs.
- Exact size and HUD tag numbers
- Year built and roof type
- ZIP code flood and crime tiers
- Distance to fire plug and station
- Credit tier and past five-year claims
- Use: full-time, seasonal, or rental
- Coverage limit: 20k vs 100k
- Add-ons: deck, skirting, trip collision
- Deductible picked: $500 or $2,500
- Safety gear: deadbolts, smoke alarms, monitored alarm
1. Your Home’s Details
A 400 sq ft 2023 park model with a metal roof and no add-ons runs about $280 to insure in central California. Stretch it to 600 sq ft and add a 120 sq ft deck and vinyl skirting, and that same carrier increases the rate to $410 since dwelling coverage jumps from $35,000 to $55,000. Capture VIN plates to the tongue and HUD tags in the bedroom closet.
Underwriters verify them in a national database and discount 3 to 5 percent if all compares. Older units, pre-1995, lose the discount although they appear new.
2. The Park’s Location
Plug that ZIP into any online rater and see the figures dance. Nevada desert parks 5+ miles from water and low fire protection class 9 or 10 can tack on $150 annually. Take that very same home, but inside city limits in Sun Valley, ID, within 1,000 ft of a hydrant and class 3 drops the premium by 12%.
Then request the park manager for the community’s five-year loss run. If three homes filed hail claims, you will share the pain. FEMA flood layer? A lot 2 inches into zone AE requires a separate $450 flood policy before you can bind the basic park home insurance.
3. Your Personal Profile
Pull your LexisNexis. A 740 credit score gets me the ‘preferred’ tier and saves 18 percent compared to standard. One hidden kitchen leak claim from two years ago hikes the base cost by $90. Two claims spike it by 35 percent.
Tell the truth about use. Full-time retirees pay less than weekend landlords who rent on Airbnb. They want to know who is living there. List every resident over 18 since they charge additional liability if young adults are crashing there every summer.
4. Chosen Cover Level
Pick dwelling coverage like you pick a car: Twenty thousand dollars keeps the premium low but leaves you writing a big check after total loss. Doubling to forty thousand dollars adds around one hundred forty dollars annually but saves thousands at claim time.
Trip collision is seventy-five dollars, but it pays off when your unit ejects a wheel on I-10. Drop animal liability if you have zero pets and pocket an additional six percent.
5. Security Measures
A supervised smoke/heat ring along with door sensors garner a straightforward 10 percent savings in Florida. Deadbolts alone provide 4 percent. Sticking motion lights on every corner and posting 24-hour video signs underwriters record it as protective device grade B and knock another $25 off.
Maintain a dated record of alarm tests. Evidence maintains price reductions frozen at renewal.
Why It Differs From Standard Insurance
Park Model Insurance vs Standard Home Insurance | Park Model | Site-Built Home |
|---|---|---|
Policy Type | RV or mobile home form | HO-3 homeowners form |
Trip/Tow Coverage | Yes, up to 100 mi per move | None |
Campground Liab. | $100k–$300k built-in | Optional rider |
Unoccupancy | 30–60 days max | 60–90 days max |
Standard Peril List | Named-peril (18) | Open-peril (all except exclusions) |
| Frame Coverage | ACV at $55–75 per square foot | RC at $150–250 per square foot | | Transport deductible | 2% of sum insured | Not required |
Park home insurance is a mash-up of RV and mobile home rules, not the plain homeowners policy you find on a suburban lot. The units ride on a steel chassis, have a DMV-style VIN, and occupy leased land. That trio alone bumps them out of the HO-3 category.
Carriers put them under recreational-vehicle codes, so the premium begins with RV schedules and then adds mobile home riders for the skirting, porch, and tie-downs. Big-name homeowners writers—State Farm, Allstate, Farmers—almost never go near them. When they do, the quote returns double or they simply won’t.
Specialty carriers like Foremost, American Modern or Assurant RV assume the niche risk. They price for wind exposure in desert parks, freeze risk in mountain RV resorts and theft in snowbird lots. An $85,000 park model near Quartzsite, AZ goes for $550 to $700 a year; those same bucks hardly get you a $300,000 site-built home’s wind rider in Phoenix.
Trip coverage is the most obvious gap. A traditional house never leaves its foundation, but a park model could be relocated bi-annually—winter in Yuma, summer in Flagstaff. Each trip tears up axles, roofs, and siding. Plans include 100 to 150 miles of free towing coverage and a $1,000 transportation deductible.
Campground liability is the other ‘must.’ Most parks in California and Florida require proof of $100,000 liability before they even issue a seasonal lease. Homeowners plans treat that like a commercial add-on and want $300 additional. Finally, transport protection provides coverage for detached bump-outs, air conditioning units, and shed roofs during the home is in transit—items a traditional policy overlooks.
Second-home use flips the script once more. If the owner rents the unit for 120 days near Myrtle Beach, the carrier brands it commercial. Premium soars by 40 percent, and public-liability limits increase to $500,000. Garden gnomes, propane firepits, plastic sheds — all cap at $2,500 under most park forms.
Homeowners plans often hit $5,000. Unoccupancy is just 30 to 60 days, so a late-March return home after a three-month cruise can nullify a claim if the park closes the water and a pipe bursts.
Understanding Your Coverage Options
Park model home insurance protects the unit, add-ons, and your liability coverage on the leased lot. However, land is not included. Check out the chart, then explore the sections that tend to shift the most at renewal for your park model home coverage.
Coverage | What it pays | Typical limit notes |
|---|---|---|
Buildings | Repair or replace the park model and attached items | Must equal today’s rebuild cost, minus land |
Contents | Furniture, tech, clothes, small gear | 50-70 % of building limit; extras need scheduling |
Liability | Injury or damage you cause to others | $100 k base; parks may ask for proof |
Add-ons | Debris haul, food spoil, pet bites | Small sub-limits; price each at quote |
Buildings Cover
Insure the park model for the same amount a local builder would charge to deliver and set a comparable new unit, in addition to any deck, shed, or Florida room you add. If its tag is $82,000 and the cedar deck with aluminum awning adds $9,000, list $91,000 on the policy.
Choose “replacement cost” over “actual cash value” so depreciation doesn’t come back to bite you after a monsoon or California brush fire. Deductibles range between $500 and $2,500 per claim. Increasing the deductible from $1,000 to $2,000 will typically reduce the annual premium by 12 to 15 percent, but be sure you can write out that check on short notice.
Contents Cover
Go through with your phone, open each and every cupboard, tap record. Say the brand and year out loud—claims reps adore that. One 2-minute video takes weeks off settlement time if a theft or pipe bust hits.
Base contents coverage is 50 to 70 percent of whatever they put on the building, so a $91,000 dwelling equals approximately $45,000 to $64,000 worth of stuff. That sounds steep until you price four lawn chairs, a paddle board, and the smart TV.
Jewelry, drones, or pro cameras total $1,500 altogether except if you schedule them; a $4,000 ring requires its own line and runs about $38 per year. Park model owners that lease the unit for even ten weekends a year need to convert to a commercial policy. Short-term renters are considered business use and void almost all personal forms.
Legal Liability
Most AZ and TX campgrounds request a certificate with at least $100,000 personal liability before they will issue the lot lease. Dog bites head the claim list. One golden retriever nip in Branson resulted in a $34,000 medical bill last summer, so tack on animal liability if animals drop by.
Your policy just protects against happenings on the dirt you lease. A trip and fall on the shared pier is the park’s issue, not yours. Demand the manager’s own insurance certificate. Double coverage keeps lawyers from blaming each other during you’re mired in the middle.
The Park’s Role in Your Premium
GET THE MASTER POLICY FROM THE PARK OFFICE BEFORE YOU DIAL AN AGENT. That one sheet will tell you whether the pool, dock, or clubhouse is already covered under a park-wide policy. If the park holds the pool liability, your premium can fall by $60 to $90 a year as the insurer understands that injury claims will impact the park initially. Additionally, knowing your park model home insurance can help you navigate these policies more effectively.
A brand new dock that the park installed last spring sends your rate up. Docks are associated with water, and water leads to slip and fall potential. Get the amenity list and coverage limits. If the park is under-insured, carriers will raise your personal premium to fill the gap, affecting your overall insurance coverage.
Second, read the park rule sheet everybody signs at move-in. Parks that spell out fire-pan pads, propane-tank cages and storm tie-down straps get group discounts from most carriers. One park in Riverside County lowered its residents’ premiums by 12 percent after it installed concrete pads for each grill and posted a “no tanks inside” sign every 20 feet.
If the manager can e-mail you a copy of the fire marshal’s last sign-off, forward that to your agent. Underwriters adore paper trails, which can significantly influence your park model home coverage.
Flood zone status is second. Even though your home rests on steel blocks a couple of feet off the ground, they tag the entire park if the access road is located in FEMA zone A or V. Check the flood map directly on FEMA’s site. Enter the park address, not just your lot.
One Ventura coastal park saw premiums leap $140 a home after the map was redone in 2021, yet not a home had ever taken water. Check with the manager to see if the park has its own flood policy. If it does, you can often purchase a less-expensive “contents-only” rider rather than full flood coverage.
Finally, request a five-year loss runs letter. This printout lists every claim paid in the park: fire, wind, theft, water line bursts, the works. A park with four claims in five years is medium-risk; anything over six flags the entire site, impacting your future mobile home insurance rates.
One park near Fresno lost its group discount after six water line freezes in two winters. Every resident’s premium went up 18% the very next renewal. If the manager balks, tell them you can’t shop properly without it. A clean loss record can trim $110 off your yearly statement, whereas a messy one does the reverse.
Average Park Home Insurance Costs
The majority of owners pay between $800 and $2,000 a year for a basic policy on a single-wide. That range divides itself into three neat increments.
Basic: $350 to $500 a year, or about $30 a month, covers fire and wind only, no contents.
Mid: $700 to $1,100 a year, about $65 a month, includes water damage, theft, and $25,000 in contents.
Full: $1,200 to $2,000 a year, close to $150 a month, provides replacement cost, liability, and extras like shed and deck.
Monthly payment seems simple. Most companies charge $20 to $60, but they add a service fee every time. Those fees can reach $75 by year-end. A single lump payment eliminates them.
What you park the unit near shifts the figure more than anything. Nevada deserts average $350 a year since hail is scarce and parks are few. Florida’s coast jumps the same plan to $550 because of hurricane pools and state wind pools. Texas is number one at nearly $600. TWIA adds its own surcharge in addition to the base quote. A buyer in Galveston County can pay twice the premium as an identical home in Amarillo.
Age and construction rules push the cost as well. Whatever was constructed earlier than June 1976 sits underneath old HUD frames and costs around 15 percent more. Park home insurance costs of post-1976 HUD-tag homes sit straighter, tie down tighter, and insurers reduce the rate.
A 2020 double-wide in Tucson might come in at $950, whereas a 1970 single-wide across the street runs $1,125 for comparable coverage. Newer park models—those under 400 square feet vacation units—run near $1,500 a year since they contain a higher finish grade and are located in risk areas such as lakes or ski lots.
Increasing the deductible is the easiest dial to twist. Jumping from $500 to $1,500 can trim 12 percent off the annual bill on the spot. Age still helps; hit fifty and most carriers cut 5 percent. Live in an approved park with full-time management and gated entry and you can save another 10 percent.
Opt for actual cash value and the cost plummets, but a totaled roof settlement could come up short against lumber bill these days. Shop a minimum of three quotes. Foremost lists a national average of $1,267, but our local mutuals typically topple it by $200 after discounts begin stacking.
How to Lower Your Insurance Costs
Park home premiums in California run $550 to $900 a year, and a couple of moves can cut off a third of that without cutting coverage. Begin by bundling the park model with your auto policy. Most carriers discount 8 to 12 percent off both contracts.
Then, pay all your bills on time for six months. Your insurance score can leap 50 points, and that by itself shaves another 10 percent. If the park is beyond the San Andreas fault ribbon, knock off the earthquake rider. It is 4 percent of premium for a risk that barely exists in Blythe or Hemet.
Finally, treat the policy like a hotel rate and reshop it every January. Specialty carriers reprice for new business, and last year’s $700 quote can drop to $520 overnight.
Increase Your Excess
Up that deductible from the default $250 to $1,000 and the bill falls up to 25%. On a $750 premium, that’s $190 back. Drop that grand in a high yield online savings sub-account called ‘Park Home Only,’ so a hail claim doesn’t hit a credit card.
Read the fine print: some contracts make you pay the deductible once per event, others once per section (dwelling, contents, liability). Don’t exceed $2,500 except you maintain 3 months living expenses in cash. A busted water line can write off a park home in short order.
Improve Security
One hardwired smoke alarm in each room garners 5 percent off, and a monitored heat sensor adds another 5 percent. Trade the factory door latch for a $28 double-cylinder deadbolt, email the installer a photo, and most underwriters reduce $35 a year.
A GPS puck on the chassis costs $99 but reduces the theft portion of the premium by 12 percent; it pays for itself in 18 months on a $450 policy. Affix the alarm-company sticker to your curb-side skirt, too; posters and visible warnings deter opportunistic petty theft and keep your claims history clean.
Build No Claims
Spend the $280 to repair a cracked skylight by yourself, and a claim would result in a $250 deductible plus a 15 percent surcharge for three years. Keep a one-page checklist taped inside the kitchen cabinet: check roof seal every spring, PEX lines every fall, and skirt vents for rodent gaps.
I save the receipts in a Google Drive folder. Five consecutive years without a paid claim opens the door to a 20 percent no-claims discount at Nationwide and Foremost. Inquire whether the carrier provides first-accident forgiveness; some will waive the initial claim under $1,000.
Pay Annually
Monthly plans surreptitiously sneak in a $5 to $10 service fee on a $600 policy that is an additional charge every year. Open a no-fee savings account, auto-draft $50 a month, and the lump sum is ready at renewal.
Put the entire premium on a 2 percent cashback card; that is $12 back on a $600 plan, and you secure the rate for 12 months. Pay monthly, and the carrier can sneak in a mid-term increase after a storm season.
Conclusion
Park home insurance in the U.S. Is around $250 to $800 annually. You can trim that bill by bundling, adding dead bolts, and picking a park that maintains the roads and water lines. Look over the policy every spring. Replace flimsy language with actual coverage limits. Request from your agent the specific dollar cap on wind, hail, and flood. Five minutes on the phone could save you a couple of hundred bucks. Need a new quote? Click here, enter your zip, and view three actual prices in less than two minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my park home policy cover earthquake damage in California?
Most regular park model home insurance policies don’t include quake coverage either. Have your insurance agent add an earthquake endorsement or purchase a separate CEA policy for comprehensive cover. Deductibles are 10 to 15 percent of the home’s value.
Will living in a 55-plus park near Palm Springs lower my premium?
Yes. Gated, age-restricted parks with on-site managers and full-time security frequently receive discounts of 5 to 15 percent, as park model home insurance providers notice fewer claims.
Can I drop flood insurance if my park home is on a rented lot in the Central Valley?
Only if the lot sits outside FEMA flood zones and your lender doesn’t require it, as park model home insurance may not cover damages from floods. Check the flood map first.
Do California insurers care how far my park home is from a fire hydrant?
Of course, park model homes that are within 1,000 feet of a hydrant and 5 miles of a staffed fire station can save up to 20 percent on the fire portion of the park model home insurance premium.
Is my California park home covered while I spend summer in Oregon?
Yes, as per normal “unoccupancy” clauses for up to 60 days, ensure your insurance provider is informed in advance about your park model home insurance needs.
Will a $1,000 claim for a stolen golf cart raise next year’s premium?
One minor theft claim can cause rates for park model home insurance to soar by 10 to 20 percent for three years. Paying out of pocket keeps your claims record clean and saves you money in the long term.