For homeowners who just received a non-renewal or cancellation letter, or expect one. Practical order of operations, with the state rules that apply.
Non-renewal vs. cancellation, and the notice you are owed
The two letters look similar and are treated very differently under California law.
- Non-renewal means the insurer will not offer you a new term when the current one ends. This is the common case in wildfire areas. California requires the insurer to mail a non-renewal notice at least 75 days before the policy expires (Insurance Code §678, as amended in 2019). The notice must state the reason. If it arrives later than that, the policy generally continues under the same terms until 75 days after you do receive proper notice — raise it with the insurer in writing and keep the envelope.
- Cancellation means the insurer ends the policy mid-term. After the first 60 days a policy is in force, California only allows this for a short list of reasons (Insurance Code §676): non-payment, fraud or material misrepresentation, a physical change in the property that materially increases the hazard, and a few others. “We are reducing our wildfire exposure” is not one of them. If a mid-term cancellation cites wildfire risk alone, that is worth a complaint (below).
Read the reason line carefully. “Wildfire risk score” or “brush exposure” is a different situation from “roof condition” or “unrepaired damage” — the second kind can sometimes be fixed and reversed with the same carrier.
Post-emergency moratoriums: you may be protected for a year
Since 2019, Insurance Code §675.1 (SB 824) has stopped insurers from cancelling or non-renewing residential policies for one year after a wildfire state of emergency, for properties in or adjacent to the fire perimeter. After each declared emergency the Insurance Commissioner publishes a bulletin listing the ZIP codes covered; the list is on the Department of Insurance website (search “mandatory moratorium”) and is updated per event.
Two things to check: whether your ZIP is on a current list, and the dates — the year runs from the emergency declaration, not from your renewal date. If you are covered and still receive a non-renewal, the insurer must withdraw it; call the CDI hotline (below) with the notice in hand. The moratorium does not lower your premium and does not stop the non-renewal from arriving after the year ends, so use the time to shop.
The first 30 days
- Do not let coverage lapse. If you have a mortgage, the lender will “force-place” a policy that is far more expensive and covers the lender, not your belongings. If the expiration date is close, a FAIR Plan policy (below) can be bound quickly and replaced later.
- Ask the current insurer, in writing, what would change the decision. Some non-renewals are score-driven and final; some are conditional on a roof, vegetation clearance, or an inspection. Get the answer on paper.
- Get your wildfire risk score. Since 2023 California regulation (the “Safer from Wildfires” rules, 10 CCR §2644.9) requires insurers to tell you the wildfire risk score they used, what would improve it, and to let you appeal it. Ask for it explicitly.
- Call an independent agent or broker who writes in your ZIP. Captive agents can only sell one company. An independent agent can quote several admitted carriers, the surplus-lines market, and the FAIR Plan plus a wrap policy in one pass. Ask what they have bound in your ZIP code in the last 90 days.
- Use the CDI’s Home Insurance Finder (insurance.ca.gov) to see which admitted companies are writing in your area, and their consumer hotline for a complaint or a question about the moratorium.
- Photograph the mitigation you already have — roof, vents, the 0–5 ft zone, defensible space out to 100 ft. You will send these to every carrier and to the FAIR Plan.
Admitted market, surplus lines, and what the difference costs you
Admitted insurers are licensed in California, file their rates with the CDI, and are backed by the California Insurance Guarantee Association if they fail. This is where you want to land, and it is where the state’s 2024–2025 “Sustainable Insurance Strategy” is aimed: insurers that commit to writing in high-risk areas can use forward-looking catastrophe models and pass through some reinsurance costs in their rates. In practice this means admitted carriers have been re-entering some ZIP codes at higher prices rather than staying out entirely — worth re-shopping every renewal.
Surplus lines (non-admitted) insurers are legal and often the only private option in the hardest areas. Rates are not filed with the state, policies can carry higher deductibles and narrower wording, and there is no guarantee-fund backing. Read the wildfire deductible, the wording on smoke damage, and the ordinance-or-law limit before you sign. A good broker will explain each difference against your old policy.
The FAIR Plan as a backstop
The California FAIR Plan is the state’s insurer of last resort, funded by every admitted property insurer in proportion to market share. It covers fire, lightning, internal explosion, and smoke, with optional vandalism and windstorm; it does not cover liability, theft, water damage, or most of what a standard homeowners policy does. Most people pair it with a “difference in conditions” (DIC) policy from a private carrier to fill those gaps. Residential dwelling limits were raised to $3 million in 2024.
You do not have to prove you were declined elsewhere to apply. Premiums have risen sharply since 2021, and after the January 2025 Los Angeles fires the Plan assessed its member insurers $1 billion, so expect the price to keep moving. Treat it as a bridge: the Plan runs a Clearinghouse that shares policyholder data with admitted insurers looking to write policies, and many people leave it after a year or two of mitigation and shopping. Our companion piece compares the FAIR Plan with private coverage in detail.
Documenting mitigation: the discounts insurers must offer
Under the Safer from Wildfires regulation, every admitted insurer’s rate filing has to include discounts for specific mitigation measures: a Class A roof, ember-resistant vents, enclosed eaves, multi-pane windows, a 5-ft non-combustible zone around the house, defensible space, and cleared under-deck areas, plus community-level credits for a Firewise USA site or a Fire Risk Reduction Community. Insurers must also tell you which of these you already get credit for.
What moves the needle in practice: the 0–5 ft zone (nothing that burns touching the house), vents, and the roof. Keep dated photos and receipts, and ask each carrier and the FAIR Plan whether they accept a third-party inspection (some counties and Firewise coordinators offer them free) as proof.
When to complain, and to whom
The California Department of Insurance takes complaints online at insurance.ca.gov and by phone at 1-800-927-4357. Complain when: a non-renewal notice arrived with less than 75 days; a mid-term cancellation cites wildfire risk; your ZIP is under a moratorium; the insurer refuses to give you the risk score or the appeal path; or a claim from a recent fire is being delayed. Attach the notice, your policy declarations page, and any written answers from the insurer. Complaints are logged against the company and do get read.
What a complaint cannot do is force a company to renew you outside those rules. For that, the levers are mitigation, an independent agent, and the FAIR Plan bridge.
Awareness only. Follow local authorities for evacuations, and your insurer or agent for anything about your policy.
