What drives the risk for expensive homes in New Hampshire
- Catastrophe exposureWinter storms make up 11 of the 21 billion-dollar weather disasters that affected New Hampshire from 1980 to 2024, including the January 1998 Northeast ice storm and the October 2011 Northeastern snowstorm. Tropical systems (Gloria in 1985, Floyd in 1999, Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012) and the July 2023 and December 2023 floods account for most of the rest. Source
- FloodStorms on January 10 and January 13, 2024 drove extreme high tides onto the Seacoast: responders rescued 20 people from flooded homes in Hampton Beach, seawalls along Rye's Ocean Boulevard (Route 1A) were flattened, and the Coast Guard station in New Castle was damaged. Flood is excluded from homeowners policies, and NFIP building coverage stops at $250,000, so oceanfront homes in Rye and New Castle often need excess or private flood coverage. Source
New Hampshire by the numbers
| Measure | New Hampshire | Rank among the states | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal major disaster declarations since 2000 | 32 | #21 (tied) of 51 | Most often for severe storm (23), flood (3), hurricane (2). Grafton County has been in 19 of them. |
| National Flood Insurance Program claims, 2005–2025 | 2,509 | #38 of 51 | $57.6 million paid; 29% of claims with a known flood zone were outside FEMA’s high-risk zones. |
| Homes in high-risk flood zones with a federal flood policy | 25% | #24 of 50 | 2,916 policies for 11,554 homes in the counties FEMA can measure; US: 40%. |
| Hail reports, 2016–2025 | 257 | #37 of 51 | 2 of them 2 inches or larger. Largest stone 2 inches, Coos County, May 2022. |
| Tornadoes, 2016–2025 | 11 | #44 of 51 | 0 rated EF2 or stronger; 101 recorded since 1950. |
| Earthquakes of magnitude 4.0+, 2000–2025 | 0 | — | None of magnitude 4.0 or greater recorded in or near the state. |
From the public FEMA, NOAA, Storm Prediction Center, USGS and FMCSA records behind each linked report; ranks count all 50 states and Washington, DC unless noted.
When the standard market says no, and what earns credits
- Insurer of last resort and wind poolsNew Hampshire has no FAIR Plan: it does not appear among the states in the fiscal 2024 FAIR Plan data compiled by the Property Insurance Plans Service Office (PIPSO) and published by Triple-I. With no state insurer of last resort for homes, a house the standard market declines is generally placed with a surplus lines insurer. Source
- Mitigation credits and programsNew Hampshire has a mandatory statewide building code: RSA 155-A:2 requires every building constructed in the state to comply with it, and RSA 155-A:1 adopts the 2024 International Residential Code by reference, with amendments approved by the state Building Code Review Board. Source
Worth knowing in New Hampshire
The December 11-12, 2008 ice storm left more than 400,000 New Hampshire homes and businesses without power, the most widespread outage in state history, and some went two weeks without electricity. Long outages in winter are when pipes freeze and burst, which is a particular concern for lake and ski homes that sit empty for stretches of the season. Source
Where high-value homes are in New Hampshire
Rye · New Castle · Hanover · Bedford · Lake Winnipesaukee (Wolfeboro, Moultonborough) · Lake Sunapee
Common questions
Where can an expensive home in New Hampshire get coverage if insurers decline it?
New Hampshire has no FAIR Plan: it does not appear among the states in the fiscal 2024 FAIR Plan data compiled by the Property Insurance Plans Service Office (PIPSO) and published by Triple-I. With no state insurer of last resort for homes, a house the standard market declines is generally placed with a surplus lines insurer.
Is flood insurance enough for a high-value home in New Hampshire?
Storms on January 10 and January 13, 2024 drove extreme high tides onto the Seacoast: responders rescued 20 people from flooded homes in Hampton Beach, seawalls along Rye's Ocean Boulevard (Route 1A) were flattened, and the Coast Guard station in New Castle was damaged. Flood is excluded from homeowners policies, and NFIP building coverage stops at $250,000, so oceanfront homes in Rye and New Castle often need excess or private flood coverage.
Sources
- New Hampshire: Catastrophe exposure
- New Hampshire: Insurer of last resort and wind pools
- New Hampshire: Mitigation credits and programs
- New Hampshire: Flood
- New Hampshire: Also worth knowing
General information as of October 2026, not legal advice; confirm current rules with the agency.