Home & Property
Earth Movement Exclusion
A standard policy exclusion barring coverage for damage caused by earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, sinkholes, and other ground movement.
Last reviewed: May 2026 · Editorial methodology
Definition
The earth movement exclusion is one of the most far-reaching standard exclusions in homeowners insurance, eliminating coverage for virtually all ground-related causes of loss: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, mudslides, earth sinking, shifting, rising, and sinkholes (in most states). This means that a $500,000 home destroyed by a major earthquake carries zero coverage under a standard HO-3 without a separate earthquake endorsement or standalone earthquake policy. In California, the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) provides the primary market for earthquake coverage after most private insurers stopped offering it following the 1994 Northridge earthquake. After the 2023 Turkey-Syria and 2024 Japan quakes raised global awareness, U.S. earthquake endorsement take-up rates increased slightly but remain below 15% nationally even in high-risk zones. The exclusion is typically written broadly enough to capture concurrent causation scenarios where wind or rain damages a structure already weakened by ground movement.
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Cover Forge USA Editorial Team
Editorial Lead
This article was researched and written by the Cover Forge USA editorial team against federal sources (NAIC, CMS, FEMA, DOL, SSA, state DOIs) and standard policy forms. Bylines organize content by topic — they do not assert individual licensure. See our editorial-policy for details.
Reviewed 2026-06-14
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