My insured is covered by an HO3 10/00. At the rear of his home he has a large boat dock complete with a boat lift and metal canopy. My reading of the form would indicate that this dock would not be insured for damage (collapse) caused by weight of ice or water but would be covered for weight of snow. At first I thought snow might be considered "ice." However, snow is omitted from the limitations to docks under the collapse peril, even though it is listed separately as a covered peril under Coverage C perils insured against. Do you agree?

Ohio Subscriber

Snow and ice, while both consisting of water, are two different things. By definition, according to Merriam Webster, "snow" is "precipitation in the form of small white ice crystals formed directly from the water vapor of the air at a temperature of less than 32°F (0°C) while ice is frozen water, or a substance resembling ice; especially: the solid state of a substance usually found as a gas or liquid." The physical structures are different as is the formation. Weight of ice, snow, or sleet is a coverage C named peril. The restriction for docks under collapse does not include b.(1), the coverage C perils. The freezing, thawing, or pressure of water or ice exclusion does not apply to snow. If the dock is damaged by snow that fits the parameters of the collapse coverage, there is coverage.