Groveland, MA Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO, Licensed Insurance Advisor, Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance

Home · Riverfront · Pond · Flood · Condo · Umbrella · Groveland, Massachusetts

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states, including Massachusetts. We are New Hampshire’s highest-rated agency on Google, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. We shop each Groveland home across 40+ carriers. Start with Massachusetts homeowners insurance, or read on.

Groveland at a glance

The Merrimack Valley Region Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024 describes Groveland as 8.9 square miles, 31 miles north of Boston, crossed by Routes 97 and 113. It cites a population of 6,752 and an average household of 2.66 people. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 7,102 residents as of July 1, 2025.

The plan says the northern, more developed part of town is hilly, rising to about 250 feet, while the rest is flatter with sizable freshwater wetlands. Forest covers 54% of the land and wetlands 19%. Three municipal wells serve about 70% of the town with public water. Sewer reaches about 30%, and the rest of the town relies on septic systems. Electricity comes from the Groveland Municipal Light Department.

The plan also says Groveland has seen significant increases in development and population since 2016, with ten major development projects. For insurance, that means a mix of older village homes, new construction and condos, often near water. Each needs a dwelling limit that matches today’s cost to rebuild.

Where you live in Groveland changes the policy

• Main Street along the Merrimack. The river forms Groveland’s 2.2-mile northern border. The plan says flooding continues along parts of the south bank, most notably on Main Street from downtown by the Bates Bridge west to Washington Street. The 1936 flood of record reached about 25 feet above mean sea level in Groveland.
• Johnsons Pond and Johnsons Creek. The town owns two significant-hazard dams here. Johnsons Creek Dam, near Salem Street, dates to 1913. Johnsons Pond Dam, on Washington Street, dates to 1930. The plan says constant beaver activity near Johnsons Pond Dam poses ongoing flooding risk, and the town is pursuing funding for dam and culvert repairs.
• Center, Salem and Seven Star. The plan cites flooding along Washington Street, Center Street, Main Street, Salem Street and Seven Star Road, frequently attributed to insufficient drainage and undersized infrastructure. A 2023 grant is funding design of another culvert on lower Center Street.
• Crane’s Pond and the Parker River. About 37% of the town drains to the Parker River. The plan says flooding occurs along the river and around Crane’s Pond, but expansive wetlands provide substantial flood storage.
• Near wetlands. The town’s wetland bylaw sets a 100-foot building buffer from the high-water mark of record. That matters if you plan an addition or a new garage.

Flood coverage in Groveland

MVPC’s mapping puts 1,044 acres of Groveland in the 100-year floodplain and another 198 acres in the 500-year floodplain, together 20.7% of the town. It found 173 residential, commercial and industrial structures in flood zones, valued at $89.5 million in 2023, plus six critical facilities. The plan reports no repetitive flood loss sites. FEMA’s Essex County Flood Insurance Study lists Groveland’s first flood insurance rate map as October 1, 1980. The plan says the latest effective map was adopted in 2012 and that new maps were expected.

A homeowners policy will not pay for a river or pond over its banks or surface water. Flood is its own policy. Lenders require it for federally backed mortgages in a special flood hazard area. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, and recheck when new maps take effect.

• NFIP through Selective. We write National Flood Insurance Program policies through Selective, a Write Your Own carrier. The NFIP covers up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for contents. New policies generally have a 30-day waiting period (see FloodSmart), so buy before storm season, not during it.
• Private flood. When a home costs more than the NFIP building limit to rebuild, or you want coverage the NFIP leaves out, we compare Flow Flood, Neptune Flood, Beyond Floods, The Flood Insurance Agency, CatCoverage and Aon Edge. Each one decides address by address.
• Elevation certificates. If you have one, send it. If the house has been raised or has flood vents, it can make a real difference in how flood carriers rate it.

See our flood insurance overview. Water backup (sewer, drain or sump pump failure) is an add-on to homeowners; flood is separate. If your basement is finished, ask about both. See basement flooding coverage and our flood insurance overview.

Trees, wind and winter

The plan calls Groveland heavily forested. It says the emerald ash borer and other invasive insects have caused structural decline of trees and challenges for utilities and infrastructure because of downed trees. The town has identified a need for a tree management and removal plan to protect roadways and utility lines. It also notes the aging generator at the police department, part of the town’s emergency operations center.

Fallen trees, wind damage, ice dams and frozen pipes are generally homeowners claims, subject to your deductible and policy terms. A tree that falls without damaging anything usually isn’t covered, and removing a dying tree before it falls is maintenance, so it’s worth doing.

Wells, septic and sewer backup

With about 30% of the town on sewer, most Groveland homes rely on septic systems. Homeowners policies generally don’t pay for wear and tear on a septic system or a well running dry. Water backup from a sewer or drain is usually excluded unless you add an endorsement, so ask us to add it if you have a finished basement.

Larger homes

Under about $2 million, most of our 40+ carriers are in play. Andover writes up to about $2.25 million in Massachusetts, sometimes higher with underwriting approval. Around $2 million to $3 million, Hanover is among the carriers we compare. Cincinnati and Chubb are similar high-value carriers that compete with each other and write homes at any dwelling limit, so we quote both. Whatever the size, we build the dwelling limit around the cost to rebuild, not the market value, and we look at extended or guaranteed replacement cost where a carrier offers it.

See high-value home insurance in Massachusetts.

Condos and rentals

Your HO-6 condo policy covers what the association’s master policy does not: usually your interior, improvements, belongings, liability and loss assessments. Ask for the master policy before you close. If you rent out a house, you need a dwelling or landlord policy. It covers the building, lost rent and your liability, with no fees.

Renters and tenants in Groveland

If you rent in Groveland, your landlord’s policy covers the building, not your belongings or your liability. A renters policy covers both, plus extra living costs after a covered loss. We shop renters coverage across our carriers, and Progressive Home is one of them; we use Progressive Home for renters policies only. Landlords who own two- to four-family buildings can see landlord insurance.

Auto, umbrella and the rest of the household

Most Groveland households also need auto insurance, and many add a personal umbrella. We quote them with the home so the liability limits line up, and we put rentals, second homes, boats and valuables under the same review. One agent, one renewal conversation.

Common coverage gaps we see in Groveland

• A dwelling limit based on the purchase price or assessed value instead of the cost to rebuild
• No water backup coverage on a house with a finished basement
• Personal property limits that have not kept up with what the household actually owns
• Liability limits on the home and auto that do not line up with an umbrella, or no umbrella at all
• No ordinance or law coverage on an older home that would need code upgrades after a loss
• No flood policy on a home near Main Street, Johnsons Pond or Johnsons Creek
• No water backup endorsement on a finished basement

Most of these are straightforward to fix once someone reads the declarations pages side by side, and that is the first thing we do in a review.

Before storm season in Groveland

• Know your hurricane or named storm deductible in dollars, not just as a percentage
• Photograph or video each room so a contents claim is easier to document
• Keep your declarations pages, flood policy and any elevation certificate somewhere you can reach from your phone
• If you are thinking about flood coverage, buy it well ahead of a storm because of the waiting period
• Take down dead or dying ash trees near the house before they fall

Buying a home in Groveland

Start the insurance conversation before you are under contract, not the week of closing. Send us the listing and the inspection report when you have it. The report answers most of what carriers ask: roof age, electrical panel, heating, plumbing and any water in the basement. Near the river or a pond, ask for any elevation certificate and the seller’s flood policy. If the home is on septic, get it inspected before you close. We line up proof of homeowners coverage, and flood coverage if you need it, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Groveland home quote works

• Tell us about the house: address, year built, square footage, roof age and updates to wiring, plumbing and heating.
• Send your current declarations page so we can compare like for like and point out limits that look short.
• We shop the carriers that fit and lay the options out side by side, with the differences in coverage, deductibles and storm terms, not just price.
• You choose, and we handle the switch, including your mortgage company and the effective date, so there is no gap.

Serving Groveland from Portsmouth, NH

We do not have a Massachusetts office. We insure Groveland homes from our Portsmouth, NH office, and work by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Nearby, see our Haverhill and Newbury pages, or our Massachusetts homeowners insurance guide. For the wider region, see our North Shore home insurance guide.

Sources

• Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, Merrimack Valley Region Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024 (FEMA-approved February 3, 2025)
• FEMA, Flood Insurance Study, Essex County, Massachusetts, volume 4 (revised July 8, 2025)
• U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 subcounty population estimates
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center
• FloodSmart, buying a flood policy

Get a quote

Tell us about the property and we will compare carriers and follow up with options. Prefer to talk? Call (603) 431-4020.

Frequently asked questions

Do you insure homes in Groveland, MA?

Yes. We’re licensed in Massachusetts and insure Groveland homes from our Portsmouth, NH office by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020.

Does Groveland flood?

Yes, in places. The regional hazard mitigation plan says town emergency officials consider Groveland at high risk from flooding. It cites Main Street along the Merrimack and Washington, Center and Salem streets and Seven Star Road. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Does homeowners insurance cover a flooded basement?

Not from flood. Water backup from sewers, drains or a sump pump is an add-on, and rising or surface water needs a flood policy.

Who writes your NFIP flood policies?

We write NFIP policies through Selective, and we compare private flood from Flow Flood, Neptune Flood, Beyond Floods, The Flood Insurance Agency, CatCoverage and Aon Edge.

Do you charge fees?

No. We don’t charge fees on any policy we write, including homeowners, condo, renters, landlord, dwelling and auto.