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Matching commercial earthquake coverage: how the comparison works

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Commercial earthquake coverage pays for damage to a building and its contents from earth movement, which property policies exclude, usually with a deductible set as a percentage of the insured value. It matters most in the seismic areas of the licensed states and for buildings lenders have flagged. Carriers quote it on the construction, the soil, the age and any retrofit. CoverMatch compares the limits, the percentage deductibles and whether sprinkler leakage and business income are included.

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Reviewed by Michael LaBarbera, Licensed property & casualty agent, Provident Financial Group · Reviewed Oct 12, 2026 Updated
Coverage scoreEvery policy in one wallet
Commercial EarthquakeRenews in 47d
Workers' CompensationLive cert ✓
Business Owner's PolicyCan switch
CoverMatch A fifteen percent deductible on one quote and ten on the other two, on a building the lender wants covered. The comparison shows the dollar difference at your insured value.
01 / WHAT UNDERWRITERS ASK
  • Address and the building's construction, age and number of storeys
  • Soil type and any geotechnical or retrofit reports
  • Building and contents values
  • Whether the building is unreinforced masonry or soft-storey
  • Lender requirements
02 / WHAT MOVES THE PRICE
  • ConstructionWood frame fares better than unreinforced masonry; retrofits lower the rate.
  • Location and soilProximity to faults and soft soil raise the rate.
  • Deductible percentageHigher percentage deductibles lower the premium substantially.
  • ValuesThe insured value sets both the premium and the deductible in dollars.
  • AgeOlder buildings without retrofits are rated up or declined.
Direction only — the carriers' quotes carry the figures.
03 / HAVE READY
  • Building construction details and year built
  • Any seismic retrofit or engineering report
  • Building and contents values
  • The lender's requirement if any
  • The property policy declarations

What commercial earthquake coverage responds to

Direct physical loss from earth movement: earthquake, landslide and related shaking, to the building and contents, after the percentage deductible. Fire following is typically left to the property policy; sprinkler leakage and business income are options.

How CoverMatch compares the quotes

Limits, percentage deductibles converted to dollars, sprinkler leakage, business income, masonry veneer and ordinance-or-law treatment, and the territory. The AI summary states the differences; a licensed agent explains them.

What to watch for

A deductible that would consume most of a realistic loss, contents left uninsured in a building where the equipment is the value, and no business income in a region where a reopening takes months.

Questions people actually ask

Does property insurance cover earthquake?

No; earth movement is excluded. Fire following an earthquake is usually covered by the property policy, which is why earthquake coverage focuses on shake damage.

How does a percentage deductible work?

The deductible is a percentage of the insured value of the building or contents, not of the loss. On a large building that is a large number; the comparison shows it in dollars for each quote.

Is sprinkler leakage covered?

Only when included; shaking sets off sprinklers and the water damage can exceed the shake damage. The comparison shows whether each quote includes it.

Is business income included?

As an option on most forms. For a business in a seismic area it is the difference between reopening and not.

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