Why did my insurer drop me?

Almost always because of modeled wildfire risk for your parcel, not anything you did. Insurers use catastrophe models that update annually; a bad fire year regionally can trigger non-renewals for whole zip codes.

How much notice does an insurer have to give?

In California, at least 75 days before the end of your policy period for non-renewals related to wildfire risk. Most other states require 30-60 days. The letter must state the reason.

What is the FAIR plan?

The Fair Access to Insurance Requirements plan — a state-mandated insurer of last resort. It covers fire but usually not liability, water damage, or theft, so most owners pair it with a Difference in Conditions (DIC) policy from another carrier.

Can I appeal a non-renewal?

Sometimes. If the non-renewal cites specific mitigation gaps, fixing them and providing photo evidence can reverse the decision. General 'zip code risk' non-renewals are much harder to reverse.

Do defensible space and home hardening actually lower my premium?

Increasingly, yes. California's Safer from Wildfires framework requires insurers to offer discounts for verified mitigation. Ask your broker for the specific discount schedule.

Wildfire insurance non-renewal: what to do if dropped.

What to do in the 75 days after you get the letter — appeal, shop, and, if you have to, land in the FAIR plan without losing coverage on everything else.

What just happened

Wildfire non-renewal letters have become routine in California, Colorado, Oregon, and increasingly parts of the Southwest. In California alone, insurers non-renewed hundreds of thousands of policies from 2019 to 2024. Almost none of it is personal — the driver is a catastrophe model, updated annually, that tells the carrier your parcel's expected loss is above their tolerance. A bad fire year regionally can trigger non-renewals for whole zip codes.

You have (usually) 75 days. Here's the sequence.

Step 1: Read the letter carefully

The non-renewal must state a reason. Categories matter:

"Risk exposure" or "wildfire risk" with no specifics. Model-driven; hard to reverse without moving to a different carrier.
Cites specific property conditions (wood roof, no defensible space, missing vent screens). These are fixable — see Step 2.
Cites loss history. Rare for wildfire; more common for water damage.

Step 2: If specific conditions were cited, fix and appeal

If the letter cites gaps you can close, you have leverage. Fix them, document with dated photos, and formally appeal — usually to the insurer's underwriting department in writing, referencing the letter's specifics. Common wins:

Replace a wood roof with Class-A composition or metal.
Screen vents with 1/8" metal mesh.
Clear Zone 0 (5-foot non-combustible perimeter). See our defensible space guide.
Move firewood and propane 30+ feet from the house.
Trim tree branches away from the roof.

Include a written statement, photos, and any receipts. Appeals succeed more often than most homeowners expect.

Step 3: Shop admitted carriers first

Work with an independent broker, not a captive agent, and ask them to quote every admitted carrier still writing in your zip code. Admitted carriers are regulated by your state's insurance department and backed by state guaranty funds. Even at higher premium, admitted coverage is worth pursuing before non-admitted (surplus lines) or the FAIR plan.

Ask specifically about the state's mitigation discount schedule.
Provide documented Zone 0, defensible space, roof type, vent type, and window type.
Bring the photos and receipts from Step 2.

Step 4: Surplus lines

Non-admitted or surplus-lines carriers can write higher-risk properties, but they aren't backed by the state guaranty fund and premiums run 2-4x admitted rates. Common surplus-lines options: Lloyd's syndicates, Nationwide E&S, Scottsdale, and specialty wildfire carriers. Use them if admitted is closed to you but before falling back to FAIR.

Step 5: The FAIR plan (last resort)

The FAIR plan is a state-mandated pool that must cover you. It's genuinely a last resort:

Fire coverage only, typically. It does not cover liability, theft, or most water damage.
Most owners pair it with a Difference in Conditions (DIC) policy from another carrier that fills the gaps.
Coverage limits may be capped below your rebuild cost — check the sublimits.
Premium is often high; the FAIR plan is not a bargain.

Talk to your broker specifically about the FAIR+DIC combination. Getting DIC right is where households get in trouble.

Step 6: Document mitigation as an insurance file

Build and keep a "mitigation folder" — before/after photos of Zone 0, roof type documentation, vent replacement receipts, tree-work invoices, defensible-space inspection reports. Every renewal, and every time you shop carriers, you'll use it. Insurers respond to specifics, not to general assurances.

Step 7: Watch your address's risk profile

Wildfire risk models update annually and are trending up in most of the Western US. Understanding your address's exposure helps you time the market — buying admitted coverage while it's still available, or knowing when to invest in the highest-impact mitigation. Our homeowner demo shows a scored wildfire profile plus 20-year outlook for any US address.

State-specific notes

California. 75-day notice, mandatory mitigation discounts under Safer from Wildfires, active reforms as of 2024-2026 to expand FAIR and reset admitted-market pricing.
Colorado. Fair Access via the FAIR plan enacted in 2023; growing surplus-lines market post-Marshall.
Oregon and Washington. Non-renewals rising; FAIR-equivalent pools smaller than California's.
Southwest (NM, AZ, UT). Fewer non-renewals so far but tightening; admitted carriers pulling back in high-elevation and WUI zones.

Wildfire insurance non-renewal.