Am I Liable if a Kid Gets Hurt on My Trampoline?
Usually yes, since liability coverage on your policy typically applies if a guest is hurt on your property, trampoline included.
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Why the trampoline matters right now
If a non-renewal letter is on its way or already landed, a trampoline in the yard may be part of why. Some insurers decline to write or renew a policy when they see one, treating it the same as a pool or a trail of dog bites. This is separate from whether a past injury claim would have been covered. It usually would have been, under the liability and medical payments parts of your old policy. But when you shop for new coverage, expect the application to ask about it directly. A few insurers exclude trampoline injuries outright, others require a net and anchoring, and some just charge more. Check your declarations page for how liability was handled before, then ask any new insurer how they treat it.
Don't let a trampoline cost you coverage
If one insurer walked away over a trampoline in the yard, another may not blink. Compare how insurers handle it, and what liability coverage looks like, before a deadline forces a rushed choice.
What liability coverage actually pays for
Liability coverage on a homeowners policy pays if someone other than you or your household is hurt on your property and you're found responsible. It covers the injured person's medical bills above a certain point, legal costs if they sue, and any settlement or judgment up to your policy's liability limit. That limit is set when you buy the policy and it's listed on your declarations page.
Most policies also carry a smaller, separate piece called medical payments coverage. This one pays a guest's medical bills regardless of fault, usually up to a few thousand dollars, without anyone having to prove you were negligent. For a trampoline scrape or a broken arm, this is often what pays first, before liability even comes into it.
None of this is unlimited. If a jury awards more than your liability limit, or a court decides the injury happened because of something reckless, like a trampoline with no net standing on broken legs, coverage can fall short. An insurer can also push back on paying in that situation. This is where someone might ask about an umbrella policy, which sits above your homeowners liability limit and picks up where it ends. It's worth asking about if the standard limit seems low next to what a serious injury could cost.
Whether a claim gets paid at all still depends on the specific policy and insurer, not just the type of coverage. Some insurers write trampoline exclusions into the policy itself. That means liability and medical payments would not apply to a trampoline injury no matter the circumstances. Others attach conditions, like requiring a net or limiting it to one jumper at a time. Reading the actual wording is the only way to know what a specific policy would do, rather than assuming trampoline injuries are covered just because liability sounds broad.
What else changes once an insurer knows about the trampoline
A trampoline exclusion doesn't always show up as a flat no. Some insurers write it as a carve-out inside the liability section, naming trampolines alongside things like diving boards or certain dog breeds. Others handle it through an endorsement, a separate page added to the policy that spells out exactly what's different from the standard terms. If the declarations page doesn't mention a trampoline at all, that's worth asking about directly rather than assuming it's covered by default.
Moving the trampoline doesn't necessarily solve the underwriting problem. Insurers that decline over trampolines are usually looking at the liability exposure of the property as a whole, and a trampoline is one line on a longer list that can include the age of the roof, prior claims, or a dog breed they consider high risk. Removing the trampoline might help, but if the non-renewal letter cites other reasons too, getting rid of it alone may not change the outcome with that insurer.
Some underwriters ask about safety features before they'll quote at all. A net around the perimeter, pads over the springs, and anchoring to the ground are common requirements, and a few insurers want photos as proof rather than just a yes on the application. Limiting use to one jumper at a time is sometimes written into the policy as a condition, which means an injury during group jumping could be treated differently than one that happens with a single child on it.
Homeowners associations and municipal codes sometimes have their own trampoline rules, separate from anything an insurance policy says. A fence requirement or a setback from the property line doesn't change what liability coverage pays out, but ignoring a local rule could come up if a claim is disputed. None of this replaces reading the policy itself. The exclusions and conditions that matter are the ones written into that specific contract, not the general reputation trampolines have with insurers.
Before you sign anything new
Pull your current declarations page and see how it handles the trampoline, then ask any insurer you're comparing the same question directly. A clear answer now is worth more than finding out after a claim.
