Which storm deductible applies to your claim depends on one thing: how the National Hurricane Center classified the storm when it damaged your home. Louisiana policies use three types (La. R.S. 22:1337):
- Hurricane deductible: applies only to storms at hurricane strength.
- Named storm deductible: applies to any storm the National Hurricane Center has named, including tropical storms.
- Wind and hail deductible: applies to any wind or hail damage, named storm or not.
On a $300,000 Baton Rouge home, the gap between these deductibles can top $14,000 out of pocket for the same damage.
The Three Storm Deductibles in a Louisiana Policy
Louisiana law sets up three storm deductibles, plus a standard deductible for everything else. A storm deductible applies only to damage from a specific type of weather event. It can be a percentage of your home’s insured value or a set dollar amount (La. R.S. 22:1337(A)(3)).
Most policies carry one of the three storm deductibles alongside the standard all-other-perils deductible. Which one you have determines what a storm costs you.
| Deductible type | What triggers it | Typical amount |
|---|---|---|
| All other perils | Everything not caused by a storm event: fire, theft, a tree limb on a calm day | Flat dollar amount, commonly $500 to $2,500 |
| Hurricane | Only storms at hurricane strength when the damage occurs. If the system was downgraded to a tropical storm before it reached your home, this deductible does not apply | 2% to 5% of insured value |
| Named storm | Any storm system the National Hurricane Center has officially named, including tropical storms that never reach hurricane strength | 2% to 5% of insured value |
| Wind and hail | Any wind or hail damage regardless of whether the event was named. A hurricane, a tropical storm, a tornado, and an ordinary thunderstorm are all treated the same | A flat amount ($1,000 and up) or 2% to 5% of insured value |
Sources: Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 22, Section 1337; Louisiana Department of Insurance; National Association of Insurance Commissioners
It’s a percentage of your home’s value, not the damage
The percentage is the part that surprises people. Your insurer calculates a 2 to 5 percent storm deductible on your home’s insured value, not on the amount of damage. The Louisiana Department of Insurance says the same: the percentage comes from what your home is insured for, not from what the storm cost you (Louisiana Department of Insurance).
When a storm deductible kicks in
Timing matters too. Most policies apply a storm deductible only within a set window. That window typically opens 24 hours before the storm is named or makes landfall. It can close as late as 72 hours after the storm is downgraded or the hurricane watch ends (Insurance Information Institute). Damage outside that window may fall under a different deductible.
Why the 2026 Storm Season Exposed the Gap for Baton Rouge Homeowners
Louisiana took two named storms before August 2026, and neither reached hurricane strength. Tropical Storm Arthur made landfall in southern Louisiana on June 17. Tropical Storm Bertha followed on July 22, making landfall in St. Bernard Parish with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour. Both were named systems. Neither was a hurricane.
Example: same damage, four different bills
Bertha’s classification decided what thousands of Louisiana homeowners paid out of pocket. Take a Baton Rouge home insured for $300,000 with $25,000 in roof damage from Bertha:
| If your policy carries | Does Bertha trigger it | You pay | Insurance pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane deductible, 5% | No. Bertha was a tropical storm, not a hurricane. The all other perils deductible applies instead | $1,000 | $24,000 |
| Named storm deductible, 2% | Yes. Bertha was an officially named storm | $6,000 | $19,000 |
| Named storm deductible, 5% | Yes. Bertha was an officially named storm | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Wind and hail deductible, 2% | Yes. Wind damage triggers it regardless of naming | $6,000 | $19,000 |
Illustrative example assuming a $1,000 all-other-perils deductible. Actual amounts depend on your specific policy language, insured value, and the insurer’s determination of the loss. Storm classifications per the National Hurricane Center.
Same house, same storm, same damage. The only difference is one line on the declarations page, and it’s worth $14,000. Most homeowners have never been asked to think about it.
In a 2023 Insurance.com survey, nearly 30 percent of people in hurricane-prone areas didn’t know whether their policy had a hurricane or named storm deductible (National Association of Insurance Commissioners). In a state hit by named storms season after season, that uncertainty is expensive.
How to Find Your Deductible Before the Next Storm
Your storm deductible appears in two places, and Louisiana law requires the second one specifically so that homeowners cannot miss it.
The declarations page
The declarations page is the summary at the front of your policy. It lists your coverage amounts and deductibles. Your storm deductible appears separately from the all-other-perils deductible, usually as a percentage. To get your actual out-of-pocket amount, multiply that percentage by your Coverage A dwelling limit. A 5 percent deductible on a $300,000 dwelling limit is $15,000.
The separate signed deductible form
Louisiana requires your insurer to give you a separate form listing each storm deductible: named storm, hurricane, and wind and hail. Each one is shown as a percentage of your insured value, a dollar amount, or both. You or your legal representative must sign the form before the policy takes effect (La. R.S. 22:1337(D), effective January 1, 2023).
The signed form is part of your policy, even if it isn’t physically attached. You must sign a new one before any change to a deductible amount. The official form wording is in LDI Bulletin 2022-04. If you have bought or renewed a Louisiana homeowners policy since January 2023, you have signed this form. Most homeowners have never read it. It is the fastest way to confirm exactly which storm deductible you carry.
The Single Deductible Rule: What Happens After a Second Named Storm
Louisiana homeowners don’t pay a full storm deductible twice in the same calendar year. The state passed its single deductible law in 2009, after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. It covers every homeowners policy issued or renewed since January 1, 2010.
How the drawdown works
It isn’t a straight waiver, so the details matter. If you have losses from more than one named storm or hurricane in a calendar year, your insurer charges whichever of these is greater on each later storm (La. R.S. 22:1337(C)):
- What’s left of your storm deductible
- Your standard all-other-perils deductible
In plain terms, the first storm draws down your deductible, and the next storm charges whatever is left.
Example: Hurricanes Laura and Delta (2020)
- A home insured for $400,000 has a 5 percent hurricane deductible ($20,000) and a $1,000 all-other-perils deductible.
- Hurricane Laura causes $16,400 in damage. That falls below the $20,000 deductible, so the insurer pays nothing. The remaining deductible is $3,600.
- Six weeks later, Hurricane Delta causes $10,000 in new damage. Without the law, this claim would also fall below the $20,000 deductible and pay nothing.
- Under the law, the Delta deductible is the greater of $3,600 (what’s left) or $1,000 (the standard deductible). That’s $3,600, so the homeowner receives $6,400.
Source: Louisiana Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog analysis of La. R.S. 22:1337 application following Hurricanes Laura and Delta, 2020
Keep records from the first claim
Your insurer may ask for receipts and records from the first loss before applying it to a later claim. If Arthur damaged your home in June and Bertha damaged it again in July, keep everything from the first claim. That paperwork proves the drawdown on the second.
What you document in the first hours after a storm is what makes this work. What to do in the first 24 hours after storm damage covers the photographs, records, and claim-opening steps that support both the first claim and any second one in the same season.
ACV vs. RCV: The Second Variable in What a Storm Costs You
Your deductible sets what you pay before insurance kicks in. Your coverage type sets how much of the rest your insurer pays. A homeowner with a low deductible and ACV roof coverage can still pay more than one with a higher deductible and full RCV coverage.
Why Baton Rouge homeowners end up with ACV coverage on the roof
Most Louisiana policies start with replacement cost coverage on the whole home. The roof is what changes. As it ages, carriers often switch the roof to actual cash value terms or add a roof payment schedule endorsement. The rest of the home stays on replacement cost. Roofs over 15 years old often trigger the switch, and a claim on an ACV roof can pay 30 to 40 percent less (Select Risk Insurance Group, December 2025). The change usually happens at renewal, tucked into endorsement paperwork rather than announced.
Actual Cash Value coverage
Actual Cash Value coverage pays what the damaged roof is worth today, after depreciation. Your insurer starts with the replacement cost. It then subtracts depreciation based on the roof’s age, condition, and expected lifespan, and subtracts your deductible. You generally can’t recover that depreciation later, so you pay it.
Replacement Cost Value coverage
Replacement Cost Value coverage pays to repair or replace the roof with similar materials. Depreciation is held back at first, not kept. Payment usually comes in two stages:
- The initial ACV payment, minus the deductible.
- The held-back depreciation (called recoverable depreciation), paid after the work is done and you submit documentation.
What the difference looks like on a $20,000 roof
If a roof replacement costs $20,000, depreciation is $7,000, and the deductible is $3,000:
| ACV policy | RCV policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial insurer payment | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Second payment after work is completed | None | $7,000 |
| Total insurer payment | $10,000 | $17,000 |
| Homeowner responsible for | $3,000 deductible plus $7,000 depreciation | $3,000 deductible |
That $7,000 is the whole difference between the two. On an ACV policy, you never get it back.
How insurers calculate the depreciation
Depreciation is usually the roof’s age divided by its expected lifespan, applied to the replacement cost. Travelers, for example, subtracts a fixed percentage per year. At 4 percent a year, a 10-year-old roof carries 40 percent depreciation (Travelers, Understanding Depreciation). Three factors move the number: the roof’s age, its material, and its condition at the time of loss. Material matters more than most homeowners expect. On most carrier schedules, metal roofing depreciates more slowly than asphalt shingles.
The deadline that forfeits the second payment
Recoverable depreciation isn’t paid automatically, and it expires. Most policies require you to tell your carrier you plan to recover it, and to finish the work, within a set window after the loss. That window usually runs 180 days to one year, depending on the carrier. For major disasters such as hurricanes, Louisiana law gives you up to one year (Insurance Claim HQ). Miss the deadline and you lose that money for good.
To get the second payment, send proof the work is done: usually the contractor’s final invoice, receipts, and photos of the finished roof. Carriers generally pay within 10 to 30 business days of receiving acceptable documentation.
The roof payment schedule endorsement
Some Louisiana policies use a third setup that is neither straight ACV nor full RCV. A roof payment schedule endorsement pays a shrinking share of replacement cost as the roof ages. One common schedule (LegalClarity, 2026):
- Years 1 to 5: no reduction
- Years 6 to 10: 2 percent less each year
- Year 11 on: 5 percent less each year, up to a 75 percent maximum reduction
Homeowners with this endorsement often think they have full replacement cost coverage. They find out after a loss that the payout is a fraction of it. These endorsements tend to show up quietly in renewal paperwork.
What to check on your own policy
Coverage limits, deadlines, endorsements, and payment rules vary by policy. Some homeowners have RCV on the home but ACV or a payment schedule on the roof, so read your policy and declarations page carefully. Confirm three things:
- Whether the roof is covered at ACV or RCV, which may differ from the coverage on the rest of the dwelling.
- Whether a roof payment schedule endorsement is attached, and what its reduction schedule is.
- How long you have to complete repairs and claim recoverable depreciation.
If You Think the Wrong Deductible Was Applied
Insurers sometimes apply the wrong deductible. The four most common disputes involve storm classification, timing, calculation, and second-storm drawdowns.
- Classification. The insurer applied a named storm deductible to damage from an unnamed thunderstorm, or applied a hurricane deductible to a system that had already been downgraded to a tropical storm when it reached your home. What counts is how the National Hurricane Center classified the storm when it hit your home.
- Timing. Damage occurred outside the policy’s trigger window, which commonly runs from 24 hours before naming to 72 hours after a downgrade. Damage from a storm system outside that window may fall under the standard deductible.
- Calculation. The percentage was applied to the wrong value. Storm deductibles are based on the insured value in your policy, usually the Coverage A dwelling limit. They aren’t based on the damage amount or your home’s market value.
- Second storm drawdown. The insurer charged a full storm deductible on a second named storm in the same calendar year instead of applying the remaining amount under La. R.S. 22:1337(C).
Start by asking your adjuster to explain in writing which deductible they applied, which storm classification they used, and what insured value they based the percentage on. Compare that against your declarations page and your signed deductible form. If the discrepancy is not resolved, the Louisiana Department of Insurance accepts consumer complaints and can review how a deductible was applied.
This section is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Coverage and deductible application depend on your specific policy language and your insurer’s determination.
Reducing Your Storm Deductible Exposure
Your policy fixes your storm deductible, but not the wind portion of your premium, and your roof is the biggest factor in that. Louisiana Fortify Homes Program audit data shows homeowners who upgraded to IBHS FORTIFIED roofs cut insurance costs by a median 22 percent, about $1,250 a year. (Select Risk Insurance Group, 2025)
Louisiana Regulation 136 requires insurers to discount premiums for homes with an IBHS FORTIFIED designation. Reported discounts run 19 to 49 percent on the wind portion, depending on the carrier and certification level. The carrier-by-carrier breakdown is in FORTIFIED roof insurance savings in Baton Rouge.
The roof itself is the other lever, and it works on both variables at once. A roof that survives a named storm does not generate a claim, which means the deductible never comes due. A newer roof also stays on replacement cost coverage instead of switching to ACV, which protects the second half of your payout. Metal roofing in Baton Rouge covers how standing seam and galvanized systems perform in Gulf wind events compared to asphalt, and the Baton Rouge roof replacement cost guide covers what a replacement costs across materials.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a hurricane deductible and a named storm deductible in Louisiana?
A hurricane deductible applies only when the storm is at hurricane strength at the time it causes damage to your home. If the system has been downgraded to a tropical storm before the damage occurs, the hurricane deductible does not apply and your standard all-other-perils deductible applies instead. A named storm deductible is broader. It applies to any storm system that the National Hurricane Center has officially named, including tropical storms that never reach hurricane strength. Every hurricane is a named storm, but not every named storm becomes a hurricane. This mattered in Louisiana in 2026, when Tropical Storms Arthur and Bertha both made landfall below hurricane strength. Homeowners with hurricane-only deductibles paid their standard deductible on damage from those storms. Homeowners with named storm deductibles paid 2 to 5 percent of their home’s insured value.
How is a hurricane deductible calculated in Louisiana?
A Louisiana storm deductible is calculated as a percentage of your home’s insured value, not as a percentage of the damage and not as a flat dollar amount. Percentages typically range from 2 to 5 percent of the Coverage A dwelling limit listed on your declarations page. On a home insured for $300,000, a 2 percent deductible is $6,000 and a 5 percent deductible is $15,000. That amount comes out of your claim before the insurer pays anything. This is different from a standard all-other-perils deductible, which is usually a flat figure between $500 and $2,500. To find your exact figure, locate the storm deductible percentage on your declarations page and multiply it by your dwelling coverage limit. Louisiana also requires a separate signed form listing each deductible amount. It’s the clearest place to confirm what you carry.
What is the difference between ACV and RCV coverage on a roof?
Actual Cash Value coverage pays the depreciated value of the roof. The insurer subtracts depreciation based on age and condition, and you can’t recover it. Replacement Cost Value coverage pays the full cost to replace the roof with similar materials, in two stages. The first payment is the actual cash value minus your deductible. The second payment, called recoverable depreciation, is released after the work is completed and you submit documentation. On a $20,000 roof replacement with $7,000 in depreciation and a $3,000 deductible, an ACV policy pays $10,000 and the homeowner covers $10,000. An RCV policy pays $10,000 initially and releases the remaining $7,000 after completion, leaving the homeowner responsible for the $3,000 deductible. Louisiana carriers often switch roofs to ACV once they pass 15 years old.
Do I have to pay two hurricane deductibles if two storms hit in the same year?
No. Louisiana enacted a single deductible statute in 2009 that prevents homeowners from paying a full storm deductible more than once in the same calendar year. It works as a drawdown, not a waiver. When a second named storm or hurricane causes damage in the same calendar year, your insurer applies whichever is greater: what’s left of your storm deductible, or your standard all-other-perils deductible. For example, if you carry a $20,000 storm deductible and your first storm caused $16,400 in damage, $3,600 of the deductible remains. A second storm in the same year would be subject to a $3,600 deductible rather than the full $20,000. Your insurer may ask for receipts and records from the first loss, so keep all documentation.
Where do I find my storm deductible on my Louisiana homeowners policy?
Your storm deductible appears in two places. The first is the declarations page at the front of your policy, where deductibles are listed alongside coverage amounts. Storm deductibles are shown separately from the all-other-perils deductible and are usually expressed as a percentage rather than a dollar figure. The second place is a separate deductible notice form that Louisiana has required since January 1, 2023. Insurers must provide a form listing each named storm, hurricane, and wind and hail deductible, and you must sign it before the policy takes effect. The signed form is part of your policy even if it isn’t attached, and you must sign a new one before any deductible change. If you have purchased or renewed a Louisiana homeowners policy since January 2023, you signed this form.
Does a wind and hail deductible apply to ordinary thunderstorm damage?
Yes. A wind and hail deductible applies to any damage caused by wind or hail regardless of what kind of weather event produced it. A hurricane, a tropical storm, a tornado, and an ordinary Baton Rouge thunderstorm are all treated the same way under a wind and hail deductible. This makes it the broadest of the three storm deductibles. A named storm deductible, by contrast, requires the National Hurricane Center to have officially named the system, and a hurricane deductible requires the storm to be at hurricane strength when the damage occurs. If your wind and hail deductible is a percentage, 2 to 5 percent of your insured value can apply to a routine spring hailstorm, not just a tropical system. Check your declarations page to confirm which of the three your policy uses.
The Lines on Your Policy Worth Reading Before June
Three deductibles, three triggers, and a $14,000 swing in what you pay for the same damage to the same house. Louisiana’s 2026 season made that real. Both named storms stayed below hurricane strength, so what homeowners paid depended entirely on which deductible their policy carried.
The deductible sets what you pay before insurance responds. The coverage type sets how much of the rest you actually collect. Both are decided in advance, in writing, in documents you already have.
Find your declarations page. Find the signed deductible form. Confirm which storm deductible you carry and what percentage it uses, whether your roof is covered at ACV or RCV, and whether a roof payment schedule endorsement is attached. Multiply the percentage by your dwelling coverage limit so you know the actual number before the next storm rather than after it.
Pelican Roofing provides free roof inspections across Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, and Lafayette, with documented condition reports that support an insurance claim. Schedule a free inspection or start with the free online estimate tool for a cost range by address.