Pennsylvania has a long, proud history of coal and clay mining. While that history helped build many communities across the Commonwealth, it also left behind a hidden, unpredictable risk directly beneath our neighborhoods: mine subsidence.
At E. R. Munro and Company, we pride ourselves on doing things differently from the usual insurance agency. We don’t just talk about customer education—we actively help you uncover and protect your home from major coverage gaps that other agencies completely overlook.
The Reality of Living in Western Pennsylvania
If you live in Western Pennsylvania, there is a very high probability that your home sits over a coal mine—or worse, an abandoned coal mine.
Many of these underground mines were dug out in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Because modern mapping and safety standards didn’t exist back then, there may be absolutely no public record of the mine under your house. Often, a homeowner only finds out about an old mine when their foundation begins to sink.
Furthermore, when mine subsidence happens, it doesn’t just impact the dirt directly underneath a structure. It pulls in the surrounding earth. Even if your home is not directly over a mine, a collapse happening 500 feet away can severely damage your property.
How to Find Out: You can easily check if your property is at risk by using the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Mine Subsidence Insurance (MSI) online mapping tool. You simply type in your address to see known mining maps. Or, you can just ask us to check it for you.
The 95% Certainty: Your Homeowners Insurance Won’t Cover It
There is an estimated 95% chance that your current homeowners insurance policy excludes mine subsidence.
Standard property insurance policies strictly exclude damage caused by earth movement and underground mine collapses. If a mine shifts and your home is compromised, you could face hundreds of thousands of dollars in structural damage entirely out of pocket.
The Two Ways to Protect Your Home (And Why They Aren’t Equal)
Once you discover your home sits above a risk area, you have two distinct paths for protection. Understanding the difference between them is what we call the Munro Advantage.
Option 1: The State-Run DEP Policy
You can purchase a standalone mine subsidence policy directly from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s DEP program. It is relatively inexpensive, offering limits from $5,000 up to a maximum of $1,000,000 for no more than $253.75 a year.
However, the state program comes with several distinct disadvantages at the time of a loss:
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The Claims Nightmare: Mine subsidence is immediate; a collapse below can make your home completely uninhabitable within 24 hours. With a state policy, you have to call your homeowners insurance company first, wait for them to deny the claim, and then contact the state days later to start over.
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Structure Only: The state-run policy only covers the physical structure of the home. Your personal belongings and contents inside are completely unprotected.
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Hard Limits: The state will not write a policy for more than $1,000,000. If your home costs more than that to rebuild, you are left underinsured.
Option 2: The Munro Advantage (Private Carrier Endorsements)
We do what standard insurance agencies can’t. We represent two of only a small handful of premier insurance companies that will add mine subsidence coverage directly onto your existing homeowners policy.
Through our partnerships with Travelers and Chubb, we offer a vastly superior alternative:
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One Policy, One Point of Contact: If a crisis happens, you do not have to navigate the state bureaucracy or worry about two entities arguing over who pays. You make one call to your insurance company, an adjuster is typically out the same or next day, and your claim is processed seamlessly.
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Full Replacement & Contents Covered: Unlike the state program, private carrier coverage through Chubb or Travelers can cover both the structure and your personal contents.
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Protection for High-Value Homes: For standard and mid-sized homes, we frequently utilize Travelers. If the cost to rebuild your home exceeds the state’s $1,000,000 maximum limit, we can write your policy through Chubb to ensure your entire investment is safe.
Even If You Think You’re Safe…
Think there’s no mine under your land? Even if a previous owner was 100% sure the ground was solid, there is a 95% chance that the subterranean coal rights are not owned by you.
In a month, a year, or ten years, an entity holding those rights could mine that coal. The safest move is to have your protection active long before the earth moves.
Let Us Do the Heavy Lifting
There is a massive difference between homeowners insurance policies—it isn’t just about the premium price or the basic coverage limits; it’s about knowing your local risks and building a policy that actually protects you.
Don’t wait until your foundation cracks to look at a map. Contact us today. Let our team look up your address, analyze your risk, and give you the comprehensive, single-policy peace of mind you deserve.
