Your insurer won't renew. Here's the playbook.

It's happening to a lot of people: about 8% of insured California homes are now on the FAIR Plan, 2.8× the number in 2021. You have time and options. Work through this in order.

1. Check the dates on the letter

California requires insurers to send a non-renewal notice at least 75 days before the policy ends. Count the days from the date you received it; if it's less, call the Department of Insurance (800-927-4357). Your coverage continues until the end date, so you are not uninsured today.

2. Ask your current insurer two questions

1. "Is this non-renewal because of the property or because you're leaving the area?" If it's the property (roof, brush, claims), ask exactly what would make it renewable. Some will keep you if you fix one thing.
2. "Will you write a renewal if I complete wildfire mitigation?" Since 2022, every California insurer must offer discounts for specific mitigation (see step 5) and must tell you what your score is and how to improve it.

3. Shop the private market first, and fast

• Use the state's Home Insurance Finder: it lists companies and agents that say they'll quote in your ZIP code. Our list of licensed companies shows which ones told the state they're only renewing.
• Call an independent broker who writes in your county; they can check many companies at once, including "non-admitted" carriers that write when standard ones won't. Non-admitted policies are legal but aren't backed by the state guarantee fund; ask.
• If your ZIP code is a state-designated distressed area, several large insurers have committed to write new policies there in exchange for rate approvals. Your ZIP code page says if yours is one.

4. If nobody will write it: the FAIR Plan plus a companion policy

The California FAIR Plan is the state's insurer of last resort. It can't turn you down for location, but it covers fire only (plus a few extras), so most people pair it with a "difference in conditions" (DIC) policy for water damage, theft, liability and the rest. Any licensed agent can place a FAIR Plan policy; the FAIR Plan itself doesn't sell direct. Expect the two together to cost more than your old policy; your ZIP code page shows the average FAIR Plan premium nearby.

Keep the FAIR Plan as a bridge, not a destination: re-shop the private market every year. Insurers are re-entering some areas under the state's new rules. Note that FAIR Plan rates rose about 29% on average for policies starting October 15, 2026 (the first statewide increase since 2023; higher-risk homes saw more, some saw decreases).

If you're on the FAIR Plan, these 12 steps cut the wildfire part of your premium by up to 16.4% (the FAIR Plan's own discount list, effective November 2025; ask your broker to apply them):

• Around the house: clear vegetation and debris from under decks; nothing combustible within 5 feet of the house, including mulch, fences and gates; sheds more than 30 feet away; trees trimmed and defensible space per state law.
• The structure: Class A roof; enclosed eaves; ember-resistant vents; multi-pane windows or shutters; 6 inches of non-combustible material at the base of exterior walls.
• All ten of the above earns an extra completion discount; living in a Firewise USA site or a Fire Risk Reduction Community earns a community discount.

5. Lower the price: the mitigation that insurers must credit

Under the state's "Safer from Wildfires" rules, every insurer must offer a discount for these. Do the cheap ones first; keep receipts and photos.

• Class A fire-rated roof (asphalt shingle, tile, metal)
• 5-foot ember-resistant zone around the house: no mulch, wood fences touching the house, or plants against the wall
• Ember-resistant vents (1/8-inch mesh or rated vents)
• Enclosed eaves
• Multi-pane windows
• 6 inches of non-combustible material at the base of exterior walls
• Defensible space cleared per state law (100 feet)
• Community level: living in a Firewise USA community or a Fire Risk Reduction Community (ask your county)

An insurer that gives you a wildfire risk score must tell you the score and how to improve it, and must reconsider once you've done the work.

6. Don't let coverage lapse

A gap makes the next policy harder to get and can violate your mortgage. If you're close to the end date without a new policy, bind the FAIR Plan now and keep shopping.

Where to get help

• Department of Insurance hotline: 800-927-4357, for complaints and questions about the notice.
• United Policyholders (non-profit) runs free workshops on exactly this; search for their California "insurance help" page.
• Your ZIP code page shows who's writing, what neighbors pay and the FAIR Plan trend: look up your ZIP code.

Insureability is not an insurance company, agency or broker and doesn't recommend insurers. This page describes public rules and common practice; your policy and the Department of Insurance are the authority.