Homeowners Insurance in Merrimack, NH

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Merrimack covers about 33.4 square miles between Bedford and Nashua, with the Merrimack River running the full length of its border with Litchfield, according to the town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2026. The Souhegan River, Naticook Brook and Pennichuck Brook cross the town, and the Everett Turnpike, Daniel Webster Highway and Route 101A carry most of its traffic. Most homes are owner-occupied colonials and capes on wooded lots in neighborhoods like Reeds Ferry and Thorntons Ferry, along with a large stock of townhouses.

One family has owned Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance, an independent agency, since we opened in 2005. Our team works from 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH, and serves Merrimack homeowners over the phone and through email. Shopping 40+ carriers lets us make sure a 1980s colonial on a cul-de-sac, a newer build near Route 101A and a townhouse in an association each get the right form and limits. Write to insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com, or dial (603) 431-4020 to talk it through.

PAI has 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials from the people we insure. You will find 592 Google reviews on the Portsmouth, NH listing.

Merrimack homes in the Census data

These estimates come from the American Community Survey five-year release for 2020–2024 and cover the town of Merrimack. Each figure carries a margin of error, so read them as approximate.

Measure (ACS 2020–2024)	Merrimack	Source
Median value, owner-occupied homes	$458,600	B25077
Median income across occupied homes	$127,219	B19013
Occupied homes lived in by their owners	About 9,640 of the 10,840 occupied homes	B25003
One-unit detached houses	About 7,420 of the 11,150 housing units in town	B25024
Owners living in attached single-family homes	About 1,700	B25032
Lived in by owners, built in the 1980s	About 3,320, the busiest decade	B25036
Lived in by owners, built 1970–1989	About 5,120 (a little more than half)	B25036
Lived in by owners, built in 2000 or later	About 1,350	B25036
Lived in by owners, valued at $750,000 or more	About 680, of which about 195 are at $1 million or more	B25075

What matters for the policy is the cost to rebuild, which is not the same as what the house would sell for or the town’s assessment. Framing, finish carpentry, roofing and permits all have to be paid at today’s labor costs, so we base Coverage A on an estimate of what reconstruction would run and look at extended replacement cost where a carrier offers it.

Colonials and capes from the 1970s and 1980s

Census figures show Merrimack’s owner-occupied housing grew fastest in the 1970s and 1980s. At 35 to 55 years old, these houses are past the point where original components can be assumed to be fine, and underwriters ask about them directly:

• The roof. Carriers want the year the current roof went on. An older asphalt roof can narrow the field of carriers or lead to roof claims being settled at depreciated value instead of full replacement.
• Plumbing materials. Gray polybutylene supply lines went into some homes built from the late 1970s into the 1990s, and some carriers ask whether any remain. Copper or PEX replacements, and new washer and dishwasher hoses, help.
• Electrical service. Panel brand and amperage, and whether the house has had a service upgrade for a finished basement, a hot tub or an EV charger.
• Heat and hot water. The age of the furnace or boiler and water heater, the location and age of any oil tank, and whether a wood or pellet stove was professionally installed.
• Basements. Many of these homes have finished lower levels. When a sump pump quits or a floor drain backs up, the resulting water damage is left out of the base policy; water backup coverage is the add-on that brings it in, and the limit should match what is down there.

Our homeowners insurance page explains the standard coverages, and the New Hampshire homeowners overview covers statewide issues such as ice dams and winter water damage.

Townhouses and association homes

Census figures show about 1,700 Merrimack owners living in attached single-family homes, a large number for a town of this size. Many sit in associations where the master policy covers some or all of the building. Before choosing a form, read three things in the association documents:

• Who insures the structure. If the association covers walls, roof and exterior, a condo (HO-6) policy for your interior, belongings and liability is usually the fit. If you own the full unit and the land under it, a homeowners form may be.
• Where the master policy stops. Some master policies cover only the bare walls; others include original fixtures and finishes. Upgrades you added, like a remodeled kitchen, are often yours to insure.
• The master deductible. Associations can pass a share of a large deductible to owners after a claim. Loss assessment coverage on your own policy can help with that bill.

Our New Hampshire condominium insurance guide goes through master policy types in more detail.

PFAS, private wells and what insurance does not do

In 2016, PFOA was found in a tap water sample at the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant on the Daniel Webster Highway in Merrimack, and the investigation that followed reached private wells in Merrimack, Litchfield, Bedford and nearby towns. According to NHDES, drinking water from about 2,600 properties has been sampled and nearly 1,200 exceeded state standards. Properties with exceedances get bottled water first, then a point-of-entry treatment system or a public water connection approved by NHDES. Water main extensions in parts of Merrimack and Bedford began in July 2024 and were substantially complete in 2025, and treatment systems had been installed at 860 properties as of summer 2026.

For insurance, the practical points are these:

• A homeowners policy excludes pollution and contamination, so it does not pay for testing, a treatment system, a new water line or any drop in property value.
• If you are buying a home on a private well in the sampling area, look at the well test history and ask whether the property is enrolled in the alternate water program.
• A treatment system is equipment in your basement. Tell your carrier it is there, and ask whether a sudden mechanical failure, or water damage from a leaking unit, would be covered under the policy or an equipment breakdown endorsement.
• Wells elsewhere in town face drought too. The 2026 hazard plan records severe drought in Hillsborough County from June 2024 into May 2025 and low water in dug wells in earlier dry spells. A well that runs dry is not a covered loss; lightning damage to the well pump often is.

Flood zones along three waterways

The 2026 hazard plan puts roughly 11.4 out of every 100 acres of Merrimack in mapped floodplain. About two-thirds of that land carries a one-in-a-hundred yearly flood chance, and the remainder a one-in-five-hundred chance. The floodplains sit mainly along the Merrimack River, the Souhegan River and Baboosic Brook, and the plan lists Island Drive, Wire Road, Brenda Lane, the McGraw Bridge area, parts of Baboosic Lake Road and the Pineburgh Road bridge among the places prone to flooding.

The plan’s flood insurance figures are worth knowing. Merrimack joined the National Flood Insurance Program on July 16, 1979, and its current flood maps took effect September 25, 2009. The town has 95 NFIP policies in force and 51 paid flood losses on record, and every one of its 8 repetitive loss properties is a single-family home. Set against the number of homes near those waterways, 95 policies suggests many owners are relying on a homeowners policy that does not cover flooding.

Our new NFIP flood policies are written through Selective, and we can also compare private flood options from Flow Flood and Beyond Floods. Type your street address into FEMA’s online flood map viewer, then see our flood insurance page for how the coverage works. A new NFIP policy usually takes 30 days to begin, so it is not something to buy the day before a storm.

Lightning, wind, snow and brush fires

The same plan gives a local record of the weather that turns into homeowners claims:

• Lightning. Severe thunderstorms on August 14, 2025 brought lightning strikes on homes and power outages, and lightning hit Fire Station No. 1, knocking out power and internet. Lightning damage to the house and its wiring is a covered peril; a whole-house surge protector reduces how often electronics are lost.
• Wind. The July 16, 2024 microburst centered on Milford brought 95 mph winds, about 150 downed trees and damage to 7 homes in Milford and surrounding towns. Wind and falling-tree damage to the house is covered; tree removal limits vary by carrier.
• Heavy snow. The March 13–15, 2023 storm dropped nearly three feet of heavy, wet snow with strong gusts. Collapse from the weight of snow and ice is generally covered, while a leak from an ice dam turns on the policy language about how water got inside.
• Brush fires. The plan notes a sharp rise in brush fires during the late-2024 drought, eight separate fires along the Everett Turnpike in the fall of 2023, and a May 2015 fire in wooded Fidelity Investments property that grew past 14 acres. Keeping brush and firewood away from the house matters on wooded lots.

Carriers we use for Merrimack homes

In Merrimack and across New Hampshire, our home markets are Vermont Mutual, Concord Group, Hanover, Andover, Plymouth Rock, Cincinnati, Chubb, Liberty Mutual, Safety, Stillwater, Providence Mutual, Openly, National General, Foremost Signature and Patriot. Patriot’s New Hampshire homes go up to $3 million, subject to underwriting. For a larger home with fine art, jewelry or other collections, Cincinnati and Chubb include coverage features suited to valuable collections, and both go on the comparison with the New England mutuals.

Homes far above the Merrimack median are covered on our high-value homes in New Hampshire page. For a second home, our seasonal and second home page applies, and our New Hampshire umbrella insurance page explains how to add liability on top of home and auto.

Nearby pages

Our Merrimack insurance agency page lists the other coverage we write in town. Neighbors can see homeowners insurance in Bedford, our Amherst, Litchfield and Nashua agency pages, or our older and historic home page for houses that predate the subdivisions.

Request a Merrimack homeowners quote

Send us the basics about the house, its roof and its systems, and mention anything special, such as a treatment system on the well, a finished basement or an association. Your home gets quoted across 40+ carriers; we don’t charge any fees; and if a claim happens, our team sees it through to payment. Request a quote. There’s no obligation to buy. The form below takes the details, our quotes page works as well, and the phone line is (603) 431-4020, staffed 9 to 5 Monday–Thursday and 8 to 4 Friday, Eastern. Merrimack neighbors and other clients share their experiences on our client feedback page.

Renting instead of owning? Read about renters insurance in Merrimack, NH, or compare coverage next door with homeowners insurance in Amherst, NH.

Frequently asked questions

Which coverages come with a typical Merrimack homeowners policy?

Most policies here are written on a broad form that protects the house and attached garage, separate structures like a shed or detached garage, your personal belongings, additional living expense if you have to move out during repairs, and personal liability plus small medical payments to guests. Rising floodwater, earthquake, wear and tear, and contamination are the main things left out.

Our private well tested above the state PFAS standard. Will homeowners insurance pay for treatment?

Generally no. Homeowners forms exclude pollution and contamination, and a filtration system or a new water line is treated as an upgrade, not a sudden loss. In the Saint-Gobain sampling area, NHDES oversees a program in which the company provides bottled water and then a treatment system or a public water connection to eligible properties. Once a treatment system is installed, ask your carrier whether a sudden breakdown of that equipment would be covered under your policy or an equipment breakdown endorsement.

I own a townhouse in a Merrimack association. Do I need a homeowners policy or a condo policy?

It depends on how the association is set up and what its master policy covers. If the association insures the buildings, you usually need a condo (HO-6) policy for interior finishes, your belongings and your liability. If you own the whole structure and the land under it, a regular homeowners policy may be the right form. Bring us the declarations and bylaws and we will match the coverage to what you own.

Is my house near the Souhegan River or Baboosic Brook in a flood zone?

Start by searching your street on FEMA’s online flood maps. The town’s 2026 hazard plan says about one-ninth of Merrimack lies in mapped floodplain, mostly along the Merrimack River, the Souhegan River and Baboosic Brook. Even outside the mapped zones, a homeowners policy does not cover rising water, so a separate flood policy deserves a look if you live near any of them.

What makes one Merrimack home cost more to insure than another?

Carriers weigh the cost to rebuild, the age of the roof, wiring, plumbing and heating, past claims, the deductible you pick, and features such as a pool, a wood stove or a home business. Pairing the house with your car policy is often worthwhile. Because each carrier weighs these differently, we put several quotes side by side for you.

Can you insure my lake house or ski condo too?

Yes. Plenty of Merrimack families own a second place up north, and we can often put it with the same carrier as the primary home. A home that sits empty for long stretches has its own underwriting questions about heat, monitoring and who checks on it, which our seasonal home page walks through.

What should I have ready for a Merrimack homeowners quote?

Have the address, year built, living area, roof age, heating type and fuel, any updates to wiring or plumbing, details on a pool, a wood stove or a dog, everyone who lives in the home, and your current declarations page. Request a quote. There’s no obligation to buy. Send it through the form, to insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com, or by phone at (603) 431-4020.

Sources

• Merrimack median home value where owners live, Census Bureau ACS five-year data 2020–2024 (B25077)
• Merrimack median income (B19013)
• Merrimack tenure (B25003)
• Merrimack units in structure (B25024)
• Merrimack tenure by units in structure (B25032)
• Merrimack tenure by year built (B25036)
• Merrimack owner home values by range (B25075)
• Town of Merrimack, Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2026 (Nashua Regional Planning Commission)
• NHDES, Saint-Gobain site investigation history and alternate water
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center

This page is general information for homeowners in Merrimack, NH. It is not legal advice and it does not alter any contract: coverage always comes down to your actual policy form, its endorsements and the insurer’s underwriting. Town plans, state programs and Census estimates are revised periodically. For a question about your own house, phone us at (603) 431-4020.