In Orange County, 53,946 homeowners policies were not renewed in 2023, 8.9% of those up for renewal, and FAIR Plan policies went from 3,495 in 2020 to 6,268 in 2023, by Department of Insurance counts. The pressure is concentrated in the canyon and foothill ZIP codes that have burned since 2007. California law gives you 75 days' written notice with the reason, and flood and earthquake are separate policies.
What the county numbers show
The Department of Insurance's county table for 2023 shows 554,557 homeowners policies renewed in Orange County and 53,946 not renewed, 8.9% of the policies that came up, a little under the 9.4% statewide share. The count mixes owners who sold or switched with insurers that chose not to continue.
FAIR Plan policies (new plus renewed) were 3,495 in 2020 and 6,268 in 2023. Against well over half a million voluntary-market policies that is small, which tells you the standard market still writes most of the county and the trouble is local: a street backing onto open space in the foothills is a different submission from a tract home in the flats. The ZIP lookup on this site shows the figures for one ZIP code.
Canyon and foothill wildfire
CAL FIRE's incident records for the county read like an underwriter's map of the Santa Ana Mountains:
- Santiago Fire, October 200728,400 acres in Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon.
- Silverado Fire, October 202012,466 acres off the 241 in the Irvine area.
- Bond Fire, December 20206,686 acres in Silverado Canyon, 31 structures destroyed.
- Coastal Fire, May 2022200 acres southeast of Laguna Beach, proof that a small fire on a coastal slope counts too.
- Airport Fire, September 202423,526 acres across Orange and Riverside counties from Trabuco Canyon, 160 structures destroyed and 34 damaged.
The Orange County Fire Authority explains that Fire Hazard Severity Zones are ranked Moderate, High and Very High and exist both inside city limits and on unincorporated land, and that a home being sold in a High or Very High zone needs what it calls a DSD (defensible space) inspection. The State Fire Marshal says the maps measure hazard, not risk, and ignore home hardening. Insurers run their own wildfire models, so the zone is where the conversation starts, not where it ends.
Notice rules and the Airport Fire moratorium
California Insurance Code section 678 requires a homeowners insurer to deliver or mail a notice of non-renewal at least 75 days before the policy expires, and the notice has to give the specific reason or reasons. If the notice goes out late, the policy stays in force on the same terms for 75 days from the day it was delivered or mailed. The notice must also tell you that the Department of Insurance can review the decision if talking to the insurer gets nowhere, and it must point you to the Department's Home Insurance Finder and to the FAIR Plan.
Insurance Code section 675.1 adds a one-year bar on cancelling or non-renewing a residential policy, solely because a wildfire occurred, in ZIP codes inside or next to the perimeter of a fire with a declared state of emergency. After the Governor's September 11, 2024 declaration, the Commissioner's Bulletin 2024-9 listed the Airport Fire ZIP codes, among them 92610, 92624, 92629, 92672, 92673, 92675, 92676, 92677, 92678, 92679, 92688, 92692, 92694 and 92808. That year ran from September 11, 2024 and has ended, so a notice dated now stands unless a new order names your ZIP code; as of November 2026 the Department's list shows none for Orange County. An owner whose home was a total loss in a declared disaster has a longer right: an offer of renewal for at least two annual renewals and no less than 24 months. How the moratorium works.
FAIR Plan, DIC and wildfire discounts
The California FAIR Plan describes itself as an insurer of last resort and a temporary solution when a traditional insurer will not write the home. It covers owner-occupied dwellings of one to four units, rentals and condominium unit owners, for fire and lightning, internal explosion and smoke, with vandalism as an option. It does not cover water damage, theft or liability, and it does not sell the difference-in-conditions policy that fills those gaps; that comes from another insurer through a broker. A Commissioner's order set the combined dwelling policy limit at three million in 2020, so larger foothill and coastal homes also need an excess layer. I place the pieces together so the dates and limits agree.
Before settling for that, look at the house. The Department's Safer from Wildfires list earns a discount for each step: a Class A roof (wood shake does not qualify), ember-resistant vents, enclosed eaves, a five-foot ember-resistant zone, six noncombustible inches at the base of the walls, multi-paned windows, defensible space and membership in a Firewise USA community. The FAIR Plan offers mitigation discounts as well.
Newport-Inglewood fault and coastal flood
Earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey's fault database describes the south Los Angeles Basin section of the Newport-Inglewood fault zone as running southeast from the Dominguez Hills to Newport Beach, and lists the 1933 magnitude 6.3 Long Beach earthquake among its historic events. A homeowners policy does not pay for earthquake damage. State law requires your insurer to offer the coverage, often as a California Earthquake Authority policy with a deductible of 5 to 25 percent of the dwelling limit, and CEA discounts premiums by up to 25 percent for older houses with a verified retrofit. Earthquake insurance in California.
Flood. Newport Beach warns that high tides combined with elevated water levels can flood streets and homes along Newport Harbor, on Balboa Island, Newport Island, the Balboa Peninsula, the Finley Tract and in West Newport. Huntington Beach names the Santa Ana River, three flood channels and the ocean as its sources, and notes that FEMA's March 21, 2019 maps placed Huntington Harbour and Sunset Beach properties in a Special Flood Hazard Area, zone AE or VE, where a federally backed mortgage requires flood insurance. Flood is never part of a homeowners or FAIR Plan policy. It is a separate policy, from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer, and NFIP coverage normally begins 30 days after purchase.
What I need to quote
The address, year built, square footage, roof material and age, updates to electrical, plumbing and heating, claims in the last five years, how title is held and the date coverage must begin. Include the non-renewal notice or renewal offer and the current declarations page. For a canyon or foothill home, add photos of the roof, vents, eaves and the ground within five feet of the walls; for a harbor or beach home, the elevation certificate if you have one.
Common questions
Who insures homes in Orange County canyons after a non-renewal?
Some admitted carriers still write hardened homes with good clearance, surplus lines insurers take others, and the California FAIR Plan with a difference-in-conditions policy is the fallback. The parcel, the roof and the defensible space decide which applies.
Why did my home insurance go up in Orange County?
Insurers price wildfire by location, and the foothill and canyon areas have burned repeatedly: the Silverado and Bond fires in 2020 and the Airport Fire in 2024. Ask your insurer for the reason in writing and for its wildfire mitigation discounts.
Is my Orange County ZIP code protected by a wildfire moratorium?
The Airport Fire moratorium covered ZIP codes including 92679, 92688 and 92808 for one year from September 11, 2024, and it has ended. As of November 2026 the Department of Insurance lists no newer order for Orange County.
How many days' notice must an insurer give to non-renew a California homeowners policy?
At least 75 days before expiration, in writing, with the specific reason. A late notice keeps the policy in force unchanged for 75 days from the mailing date.
Does the FAIR Plan cover everything my old homeowners policy did?
No. It covers fire, lightning, internal explosion and smoke. Liability, theft and water damage need a difference-in-conditions policy from a different insurer.
Do I need flood insurance on Balboa Island or in Huntington Harbour?
If the home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and has a federally backed mortgage, the lender will require it. Either way, a homeowners policy does not cover flood, so it has to be bought separately.
Do I need earthquake insurance in Orange County?
It is optional, but a homeowners policy excludes earthquake damage and the Newport-Inglewood fault zone reaches Newport Beach. Your insurer must offer you the coverage.
General information about home insurance in Orange County as of November 2026, not legal advice. Department of Insurance figures are county counts for 2020 to 2023; fire figures are CAL FIRE incident records. Moratorium orders, fire hazard maps, flood maps and carrier appetite change, and your policy wording controls what is covered. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.