Whether a policy includes sewage backup insurance depends on the policy, and two public sources describe the odds a little differently. Reading both, then your own paperwork, beats guessing.
Nothing below states what your insurer will do. It reports what Pittsburgh Water and the Pennsylvania Insurance Department publish and points you to the questions worth asking.
On its sewage backup page, Pittsburgh Water says homeowner's insurance does not always cover cleanup and repairs after a backup and that this service may have to be purchased separately. Its advice is to contact your insurance provider to make sure you are covered.
A second page covers the pipe itself. Pittsburgh Water states that standard homeowners policies typically do not cover repair or replacement of water service lines or sewer lines, and it lists optional line-protection plans from a third-party provider. It stresses that the plans are optional, are not regulated utility services, and are not provided or guaranteed by Pittsburgh Water, and it tells customers to read the terms for coverage limits and exclusions.
A Pennsylvania Insurance Department consumer brochure on disaster recovery says flooding generally is not covered under standard homeowners policies. It also states: "Seepage and damage caused by sewer backup are not covered unless they are directly caused by flood." The brochure is undated, so check it against current policy language.
The department's homeowners guide explains the machinery behind this. An exclusion is a provision explaining what is not covered, and an endorsement is a policy form that amends the main policy, usually adding coverage for an additional cost. The guide tells readers to ask their agent or insurer about exclusions and says the policy is the guide to what may or may not be covered.
Taken together, the sources say the same practical thing: do not assume. A standard policy may leave a backup out, an add-on may or may not exist on yours, and only the wording in your own policy settles it. Pittsburgh Water also separates flooding from this question, noting that homeowner's policies do not cover flooding and pointing to the National Flood Insurance Program, which the department says usually has a 30-day waiting period.
Flood coverage is a separate product from sewer backup coverage; see how a federal flood policy treats a sewer backup.
Pittsburgh Water's own cleanup timing still applies, so see the first-steps guide for how the two fit together.
The department lists four steps: review the terms of your policy, appeal to your agent or the claims manager, contact the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, and, if necessary, consult an attorney. A homeowner who believes Pittsburgh Water caused the backup can instead contact the authority to file a claim with it, though the authority itself says damages are generally not its liability.
Insurance is one of several factors that shape the total, which the sewage cleanup cost page walks through. The company behind this site, Sewage Cleanup Crew, LLC, makes referrals only and cannot advise on any policy. A short description of the arrangement is on the main page of this site.
