Hail is the defining Denver insurance risk: on May 8, 2017, a storm dropped hail up to baseball size on northwest Denver, Wheat Ridge, Lakewood and Golden. Colorado's auto minimum is 25/50/15, and uninsured motorist and $5,000 of medical payments coverage are included unless you reject them. Wildfire has reached the suburbs, as the Marshall Fire showed on December 30, 2021, and Colorado opened a FAIR Plan for hard-to-place homes in April 2025. Denver also licenses both short-term and long-term rentals.
Denver's brick houses, basements and economy
Denver's older neighborhoods are brick. Capitol Hill and Curtis Park have Victorian homes and walk-up apartment buildings; Park Hill, Washington Park and the Highlands are full of Denver Squares, bungalows and Tudors from the early 1900s through the 1930s; and postwar brick ranches fill Harvey Park and much of southwest Denver. Most of these houses have basements, many of them finished, and a finished basement is where sewer backup and frozen-pipe claims get expensive. Water backup coverage is usually a separate endorsement with its own limit, so I check it on every Denver home.
Newer Denver looks different: townhomes and slot homes on scraped lots in the Highlands and around Sloan's Lake, high-rise condos downtown and in Cherry Creek, and the large planned neighborhoods of Central Park, on the old Stapleton airport site, and Green Valley Ranch. Larger homes in Cherry Creek, Hilltop and Bonnie Brae need the replacement cost set correctly; see high-value home insurance in Colorado.
Denver is a consolidated city and county, so one government licenses rentals and businesses across the whole city. The economy leans on government, healthcare, energy, aerospace, tech, tourism and Denver International Airport, along with a licensed cannabis industry and a dense brewery scene.
What carriers weigh in Denver
Denver's claims come from the sky and the cold more than from the ground. These are the exposures that shape a Denver quote.
- HailThe National Weather Service's report on May 8, 2017 describes hail up to baseball size across Golden, Lakewood, Wheat Ridge and northwest Denver, with dented cars, shattered windows and considerable roof damage. Many Colorado home policies carry a separate wind and hail deductible, and some settle older roofs at actual cash value, so I read those terms first on a Denver homeowners policy. On a car, hail falls under comprehensive.
- Wildfire at the edge of the metroOn December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire swept through Louisville, Superior and unincorporated Boulder County, and Boulder County counts 1,109 homes destroyed. Homes in the foothills west of Denver face the same kind of wind-driven fire, and some carriers decline or non-renew them, which is the situation the Colorado FAIR Plan was created for.
- Basement waterSewer backup, sump pump failure and pipes that burst in a cold snap hit finished basements hardest. Water backup needs its own endorsement, and surface water flooding is excluded and needs flood insurance.
- Winter roadsSnow, ice and heavy traffic on I-25 and I-70 make collision coverage and higher liability limits worth reviewing, especially for drivers who head into the mountains on weekends.
- Rented homesDenver licenses rentals of 30 days or more after a passing inspection by a certified private home inspector, and short-term rentals under a separate license. A rented house belongs on a landlord policy, not a homeowners policy.
Colorado and Denver rules that affect coverage
- Auto: 25/50/15, with UM and MedPay by defaultColorado requires $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $15,000 for property damage. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is included unless you reject it in writing, and $5,000 of medical payments coverage is included unless you reject it. See auto insurance.
- Workers' comp from the first employeeColorado employers with one or more employees must carry workers' comp at all times, whether the workers are full-time, part-time or family. Pinnacol Assurance must provide coverage to any Colorado employer, and more than 500 licensed insurers can also write it. An employer without coverage can be fined up to $500 for each day it is uninsured. See workers' comp.
- Colorado FAIR PlanCreated by HB23-1288, the Colorado FAIR Plan began offering homeowners policies on April 10, 2025 and commercial property policies on June 17, 2025, for property that can't get coverage through regular channels. It is a last resort; I shop the standard and surplus lines markets first.
- Roofers can't waive your deductibleColorado law bars a roofing contractor whose work on a home will be paid from a property insurance claim from advertising or promising to pay, waive or rebate any part of the deductible (C.R.S. 6-22-105). If a contractor does, the insurer does not have to consider that contractor's estimate. Before starting, the roofer must also give the owner a signed written contract that names its liability insurer and lets the owner cancel for a full refund of any deposit within 72 hours (C.R.S. 6-22-103).
- Denver rental licensesDenver requires a short-term rental license for stays of 1 to 29 days, and the home must be the host's primary residence, meaning the place the host usually returns to; a person can have only one. Rentals of 30 days or more need a residential rental license, valid for four years unless ownership changes, after a third-party inspection. See short-term rental insurance.
Insuring a Denver business
Hail season keeps Denver's roofing contractors busy, and roofing is one of the harder trades to place for general liability and workers' comp. Remodelers, electricians and plumbers working on Denver's older brick houses need the same core package of general liability, workers' comp and commercial auto, and general contractors ask for certificates before any of them start.
Denver's licensed cannabis businesses need property, product liability and general liability from specialty markets, because many standard carriers will not write them. Breweries, restaurants and bars in RiNo, LoDo and along South Broadway need liquor liability and property coverage; see brewery insurance. Trucking on I-70 and I-25 is covered on my Colorado truck insurance page.
What Denver callers ask me about
- A hail claim and a roofer at the door. After a storm, canvassers arrive fast. I explain how the policy's roof settlement terms and deductible work, and remind clients that Colorado bars contractors from promising to cover the deductible and requires a written contract with a 72-hour cancellation window.
- Non-renewed in the foothills. Homeowners in wildfire areas west of the city call after a non-renewal. I shop admitted carriers and surplus lines markets, and the Colorado FAIR Plan when nothing else will write the house.
- Finished basement, low backup limit. Water backup limits are often small by default. I set the limit to match what is actually finished downstairs: flooring, drywall, a bathroom, a home office.
- Licensing a rental. Landlords getting Denver's residential rental license, and hosts applying for a short-term rental license, need the right policy form behind it.
- Coverage standard carriers decline. Cannabis operators, breweries with taprooms and roofing contractors often get turned down by standard carriers. Specialty markets are where those placements usually happen.
Working with me from Denver
I don’t have an office in Denver. I work with Denver clients from my office in Beverly Hills, California: quotes, applications and policy changes are handled by phone, email and the online quote form, and I shop each request across admitted carriers and specialty markets. Saman Alishahi holds a Colorado nonresident insurance producer license (NPN 21022298) and a California license (#4348151). Call (424) 552-4545, answered 24/7, or send a quote request.
Denver insurance, answered
What is the minimum car insurance in Denver?
Colorado requires $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $15,000 for property damage. Uninsured motorist coverage and $5,000 of medical payments coverage are added unless you reject them, and uninsured motorist must be rejected in writing.
Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage in Denver?
Generally yes, subject to the deductible, which on many Colorado policies is a separate wind and hail deductible. Some policies pay actual cash value on older roofs or limit cosmetic damage, so the declarations and endorsements matter.
Can I rent my Denver condo on Airbnb?
Only if it is your primary residence and you hold a Denver short-term rental license. Your HOA rules also apply, and a standard condo policy usually is not written for paid guests.
What is the Colorado FAIR Plan?
It is Colorado's insurer of last resort for property the regular market won't cover, often because of wildfire risk. It began writing homeowners policies on April 10, 2025.
Do you work with Denver clients from Beverly Hills?
Yes. I work by phone and online and shop Denver policies across carriers that write in Colorado. Statewide rules are on my Colorado insurance page.
Sources
- Colorado Division of Insurance: Auto insurance
- Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation: Insurance coverage for employers
- Colorado Division of Insurance: FAIR Plan
- C.R.S. 6-22-105: Roofing contractors and insurance deductibles
- C.R.S. 6-22-103: Contracts for roofing services
- NWS Denver/Boulder: Severe weather report, May 8, 2017
- Boulder County: Marshall Fire and wind event recovery
- City and County of Denver: Short-term rentals
- City and County of Denver: Residential rental property FAQ
General information about insurance in Denver as of October 2026, not legal advice. State rules, local ordinances, hazard maps and carrier appetite change; check the current rules with the Colorado insurance regulator and your city. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.