Madbury, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Home · Flood · Condo · Renters · Umbrella · Madbury, New Hampshire

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states. We are the most-reviewed independent insurance agency in New Hampshire, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials across our two offices. We shop each Madbury home across 40+ carriers. Start with New Hampshire homeowners insurance, or read on.

Madbury at a glance

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 1,927 Madbury residents as of July 1, 2025 (1,910 in the 2020 census). The town’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2019, prepared with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission and FEMA-approved on September 6, 2019, used ACS figures of about 1,906 residents and described roughly 20.8% population growth since 2000. It says the town covers 12.2 square miles (11.6 of land and 0.6 of water).

The plan says Madbury’s surface water flows through the Bellamy River, Oyster River and Little Bay watersheds. The Bellamy and Oyster are the primary rivers; smaller tributaries include Beard Creek, Johnson Creek, Dube Brook and Gerrish Brook. Hicks Hill, a glacial drumlin at 331 feet, is the highest point. The plan notes large undeveloped areas, farms and stables, and UNH’s Kingman Farm as part of the town’s rural character.

Most Madbury homes are detached single-family houses on wooded or open lots. Carriers ask about wells, septic, distance to a hydrant or fire station, roof age and how the house is reached when a road floods.

Where you live in Madbury changes the policy

• Along the Bellamy River and Reservoir. The plan’s cover photo is the High Road Bridge during the Mother’s Day Flood of 2006 with the Bellamy Dam at full flow. It lists Nute Road over the Bellamy and Freshet Road over Johnson Creek among REDLIST bridges, and Route 155 crossings on the Bellamy as vulnerable transportation points.
• Oyster River and Little Bay side. Homes toward Durham and the Great Bay estuary sit in a different watershed than the Bellamy side. Ask us to pull the FEMA map for the exact parcel.
• Rural roads and wells. Many Madbury houses use private wells and septic. Tell us about outbuildings, barns and how far you are from a pressurized hydrant; the plan inventories cisterns and fire ponds on roads such as Long Hill Circle, Freshet Road and Evans Road.
• Near Route 155 and the rail line. The plan’s dam-failure discussion for the Bellamy notes that flooding would cross the rail line and affect stretches of Route 155 toward Dover.

Flood coverage in Madbury

The plan rates riverine flooding and extreme rain as a high overall risk. Madbury participates in the NFIP and, per the plan, applies its floodplain ordinance to lands mapped in FEMA’s Flood Insurance Study for Strafford County dated September 30, 2015. The ordinance prohibits new habitable buildings in the special flood hazard area. As of the FEMA Community Overview snapshot the plan cites (October 4, 2018), Madbury had zero NFIP policies in force and zero paid losses.

A zero-policy count does not mean zero flood risk. Roads and bridges still close, and surface water can enter a basement outside a mapped AE zone. A homeowners policy will not pay for a river over its banks or for surface water. Flood is its own policy. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

• 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.

Winter, wind and thunderstorms

Winter storms and severe thunderstorms / microbursts also rate high overall risk in the 2019 plan. Hurricanes and tropical storms rate moderate. Fallen trees, ice dams, frozen pipes and wind damage are generally homeowners claims, subject to your deductible and policy terms. Ask about your wind and named-storm deductibles before storm season.

Winter, trees and wind in Madbury

New Hampshire winters bring ice dams, frozen pipes and heavy snow loads, and storms bring down trees and limbs. These are generally homeowners claims, subject to your deductible and policy terms. A properly sized wind and all-perils deductible, and a roof in good shape, do more for most homeowners than any single add-on. Water damage from a burst pipe is usually covered when the home is heated and occupied; long vacancies can change that, so tell us if the house will sit empty.

Larger homes

Under about $2 million, most of our 40+ carriers are in play. In New Hampshire, Andover generally writes up to about $1.5 million, or closer to $1 million for homes far from a hydrant or fire station. Around $2 million to $3 million, Hanover is often a fit; above $3 million, Cincinnati; and at $5 million and up, Chubb. Each carrier underwrites the specific house, so these are starting points, not promises.

See high-value home insurance in New Hampshire.

Condos, rentals and older homes

Your HO-6 condo policy covers what the association’s master policy does not. See condo insurance in New Hampshire. If you rent out a house in Madbury, you need a dwelling or landlord policy; for New Hampshire landlord and habitational placements we work with Vermont Mutual, Andover, Safety, Concord Group and Providence Mutual. For an older farmhouse, carriers will ask about the roof, heating, wiring, plumbing, well and septic.

Renters and tenants in Madbury

If you rent in Madbury, 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 Madbury 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 Madbury

• 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 house near the Bellamy, Oyster or a mapped special flood hazard area
• A dwelling limit based on assessed value instead of rebuild cost on a rural lot with outbuildings
• Well, septic or outbuilding details left off the application

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 Madbury

• 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
• If you live near the Bellamy or a REDLIST bridge approach, photograph the basement and keep sump-pump maintenance records
• Know your plow and tree-crew contacts before the first nor’easter

Buying a home in Madbury

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. Ask whether any part of the lot is in a FEMA special flood hazard area, and whether the seller has an elevation certificate. For a rural lot, get well and septic details into the insurance file before closing. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Madbury 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 Madbury from Portsmouth

Our office is at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH 03801, and we work with Madbury clients by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Nearby, see our Durham, Dover, Portsmouth, Newington, Barrington and Lee pages.

Sources

• Town of Madbury, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2019 (Strafford Regional Planning Commission)
• 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 Madbury, NH?

Yes. We insure Madbury homes from our Portsmouth office at 601 Islington St, and by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020.

Does Madbury flood?

Riverine flooding and extreme rain rate as a high overall risk in the town’s 2019 hazard mitigation plan. It notes Bellamy River and Reservoir impacts (including the Mother’s Day Flood of 2006), REDLIST bridges on Nute Road and Freshet Road, and Route 155 crossings. The plan’s 2018 NFIP snapshot showed zero policies and no paid losses; the town prohibits new habitable buildings in the special flood hazard area. 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.