Distance to Coast
Distance to coast is the shortest distance from a property to the nearest ocean or gulf shoreline, used to gauge wind and storm-surge exposure.
Insurers use distance to coast as a primary proxy for catastrophe exposure. Properties closer to the shoreline face higher wind speeds during hurricanes and greater risk of storm surge and coastal flooding, which directly affects premiums, deductibles, and whether a policy is written at all.
The measurement is usually taken as the shortest distance from the structure to the mean high-water line of the nearest coast. Many wind and homeowners programs define banded tiers (for example, under 1,000 ft, 1–5 miles, 5+ miles) that map to rating factors.
See Distance to Coast and the full picture for any address in one PerilGrid report — PDF and JSON included.
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