As our life styles change and additional forms of recreation become popular, the items used for recreation seem to be more valuable and as such the need for insurance coverage has increased.

In most cases anything that has a license or a DNR (Department of Natural Resources) permit will need its own separate insurance coverage for physical damage as well as the potential liability exposure that it might have.

Although Minnesota law does not require any coverage for snowmobiles since they are not licensed for road use, we strongly encourage our clients to look at obtaining a specially designed policy for the snowmobile as exposures similar to licensed vehicles exist for snowmobiles. Trail riding and general use on your property creates exposure to similar types of losses which can occur while operating other recreational vehicles or even automobiles.

In some cases the units can be added as an endorsement to a homeowners policy with coverage for liability as well as damage to the unit (physical damage coverage). It is, however, extremely important to have both coverages endorsed to the homeowners policy so that no voids in coverage occur. Mortgage loan companies sometimes object to this type of coverage especially if they are paying the homeowners insurance policy through an escrow account. As we have indicated for other recreational units, we typically will recommend that you purchase a separate more specialized policy for the snowmobile to improve your coverage provisions and avoid a claim situation on your home equity insurance policy.

Individual policies can be provided and coverages similar to those included on an automobile policy can be included for the snowmobile. Some of the more popular coverages typically included on a snowmobile policy include:

• Liability 
  • This coverage protects you for the legal liability you incur due to an accident that involves injury or damage to property
• Physical damage 
  • Comprehensive
    • This covers your snowmobile in the event of damage caused by fire, theft, vandalism, or animal
  • Collision
    • This covers your snowmobile in the event of damage caused when you collide with another object such as other motorized vehicles, trees, and a variety of other items.
• Medical payments 
  • Medical bills related to a snowmobile accident would be paid up to the coverage limit if this coverage is selected
• Uninsured/Under Insured Motorists 
  
  • This coverage is paid to the policy holder for lost wages and medical treatments you would have received from the other party if they would have had a policy in force. This usually occurs when the other party in the accident is legally liable due to their actions.
• Other optional coverages applicable to the specific unit covered

Although medical payments and uninsured/underinsured motorists coverage are not required for Minnesota snowmobile insurance policies, we feel these are some of the most valuable parts of the policy and we strongly encourage our clients to include them.

Custom parts and equipment
This coverage is applicable to equipment, devices, accessories, enhancements and changes other than those which the original manufacturer installed, which alter the appearance or performance of the unit. This includes:

• Electronic equipment such as radios or communication devices which are permanently installed on the unit.
• Trailers designed to be pulled behind the unit.
• Custom parts
  • Safety riding apparel, including helmets, will only be covered for a collision loss as theft is not included.
  • Windshields, custom cab units, luggage racks, wench units, custom seats, as well as other custom items.
  • Custom paint or chrome