League City homeowners with older roofs gained a new protection after the Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday, Sept. 29, clarified that insurers cannot drop or deny coverage based on roof age alone.

The TDI announcement draws a line between a roof's age and its condition. Insurers can still evaluate the physical state of a roof, along with wiring, plumbing, heating and air conditioning systems, and siding. But age by itself is no longer a valid reason to deny a policy or refuse to renew one.

League City sits in the Greater Houston area, where storm exposure and rising premiums have squeezed homeowners for years. The rule gives residents who maintain their roofs a clearer path to keeping coverage, even if the roof was installed a decade or more ago.

"Texans deserve fair access to home insurance, no matter the age of their home," Insurance Commissioner Amanda Crawford said, according to Click2Houston.

TDI developed the rule in response to a directive Gov. Greg Abbott issued Aug. 24. Abbott cited a 79 percent rise in average annual Texas homeowners premiums over six years, climbing from less than $2,000 in 2020 to more than $3,500 in 2026. "High insurance costs hit Texas families hard," Abbott said Aug. 24 when he issued the directive, as reported by My Neighborhood News.

The roof-age clarification is one piece of Abbott's broader directive. It also called on TDI to require insurers to factor in storm-resistant FORTIFIED roof upgrades when setting rates and to ban "price optimization," a practice in which insurers use personal data unrelated to risk to set premiums. Abbott has also proposed a $400 million Texas Roof Fortification Program that would offer up to $10,000 per homeowner toward fortified roofs, potentially saving homeowners up to 8 percent on premiums.

The pressure on Houston-area homeowners is real. In April 2026 alone, insurance companies sent notices involving 81,370 policies in the Greater Houston area informing policyholders they would not be covered, according to a KHOU investigation. Of those, 6,658, the fifth most common reason cited, involved exposure to wind, hail or hurricane loss.

A separate state law, House Bill 2067 (HB 2067), took effect Jan. 1 and requires insurers to give homeowners a written explanation when they decline, cancel or refuse to renew a policy. Homeowners who do not receive that explanation can file a complaint with TDI.

Residents who have received a non-renewal notice or have questions about their coverage can call the TDI Help Line at 800-252-3439.