As of September 30, 2026 the California FAIR Plan counted 28,134 policies in El Dorado County, 19,053 in Placer County and 1,860 in Sacramento County. A foothill home that was non-renewed gets at least 75 days of notice under state law; I use them to shop admitted and surplus lines carriers before the FAIR Plan. A valley home behind a levee needs a separate flood policy, and a National Flood Insurance Program policy normally takes 30 days to start.
What the FAIR Plan's own numbers show
The FAIR Plan publishes policy counts by county (residential, commercial and business owner's policies together), as of September 30 each year:
- El Dorado15,454 in 2022, 28,134 in 2026
- Nevada13,269 in 2022, 23,911 in 2026
- Placer10,201 in 2022, 19,053 in 2026
- Amador4,041 in 2022, 6,175 in 2026
- Sacramento362 in 2022, 1,860 in 2026
Two things stand out. The foothill counties nearly doubled in four years, and El Dorado County alone holds about fifteen times as many FAIR Plan policies as Sacramento County. But the foothill growth has stopped for now: El Dorado and Placer were flat from 2025 to 2026, and Sacramento County's count fell. The FAIR Plan says its own goal is attrition, meaning policyholders moving back to regular insurers, so a home that went to the FAIR Plan two years ago is worth taking back to market.
The fires behind the foothill notices
The Caldor Fire started on August 14, 2021 south of Grizzly Flats in El Dorado County and burned 221,835 acres across El Dorado, Alpine and Amador counties before it was contained on October 21, 2021. CAL FIRE counts 1,005 structures destroyed and 81 damaged, and the fire sits on the agency's list of the twenty most destructive in state history. The Commissioner issued moratorium bulletins for the Caldor Fire in August 2021 (covering El Dorado first, then Alpine, Amador and Placer counties) and for the Mosquito Fire after the September 8, 2022 emergency declaration.
Those orders came under Insurance Code section 675.1, which bars insurers from cancelling or non-renewing residential policies for one year in ZIP codes inside or next to a fire perimeter solely because a wildfire happened there. Both ran out long ago. As of November 2026 the newest order on the Department's list is for the August 2026 Gann Fire in Calaveras County, so a foothill owner should check the moratorium list for the ZIP code before assuming a notice stands or falls. The State Fire Marshal is also updating the State Responsibility Area fire hazard map in 2026, with public comment open as I write; for a parcel in the State Responsibility Area that is the map that sets its zone (moderate, high or very high), and I check it before I pick markets.
How a foothill home gets insured
In the order I try them:
- Admitted carriers. The Department's Safer from Wildfires list is what they score: Class A roof, a five-foot ember-resistant zone, ember-resistant vents, six inches of noncombustible material at the base of the walls, enclosed eaves, multi-pane windows, clear ground under decks, sheds moved thirty feet out, and defensible space. The Department says every step qualifies for a discount, and a Firewise USA community counts too.
- Surplus lines. For homes the admitted carriers decline; terms and deductibles vary by insurer, so I compare them line by line.
- FAIR Plan plus DIC. The FAIR Plan dwelling policy names fire, lightning, internal explosion and smoke, and nothing else unless you add the vandalism option. It has no liability, theft or water damage cover, so I pair it with a difference-in-conditions policy from another insurer. The FAIR Plan gives its own discount on the wildfire part of the premium for the same hardening work.
Natomas, the Pocket and the levees
The Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency calls Sacramento the most at-risk city in the country for riverine flooding, with more than half a million people in the floodplain behind roughly 106 miles of levees and channels. The Natomas Basin is ringed by 42 miles of levee. In 2006 the Army Corps of Engineers found the basin had less than a 100-year level of protection because of deep under-seepage; the agency and the state rebuilt 18.3 miles by 2013, and the Corps started on the remaining 24 miles in 2019. That work is still under way, with a Garden Highway closure now pushed to 2027. The City of Sacramento notes that the basin is mapped as flood zone A99 and that new FEMA rules took effect there on July 1, 2024. South of the American River, about 12 miles of Sacramento River levee between downtown and Freeport protect the Pocket, Land Park and the rest of the city west of Highway 99.
None of that is in a homeowners policy, and it is not in a FAIR Plan policy either. Flood is a separate policy, from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer. I quote both; the differences between them matter most on limits and on the waiting period.
What the notice has to say
Insurance Code section 678 sets the rules. A non-renewal notice must be delivered or mailed at least 75 days before the policy expires. It must give the specific reason, the insurer's phone number for complaints, and a statement that you can ask the Department of Insurance to review the decision, at 800-927-4357. It must come with a notice about the Department's Home Insurance Finder, the FAIR Plan and difference-in-conditions policies. If the insurer sends the notice late, the policy continues unchanged for 75 days from the day it was sent.
A cancellation in the middle of the term is different. Once a policy has been in force 60 days, section 676 limits cancellation to non-payment, fraud or material misrepresentation, a conviction that increases the hazard, grossly negligent acts, or physical changes that make the property uninsurable. If your letter says cancellation and gives a reason like brush or roof age, that is worth a call to the Department.
What I need to quote
The notice and the current declarations page, the address, year built and square footage, roof material and year, distance of brush and trees from the walls, photos of the vents, eaves and deck if you have done hardening work, any defensible-space inspection report, and the date the policy ends. For a valley-floor home I also need to know whether the lender requires flood cover and whether there is an elevation certificate. The notice and declarations page are enough to start.
Common questions
Who insures homes in El Dorado County and Placer County after a non-renewal?
Admitted carriers may write a hardened home, surplus lines insurers are the next stop, and the California FAIR Plan with a difference-in-conditions policy is the fallback. El Dorado County had 28,134 FAIR Plan policies in September 2026, so the last route is common, but it is not the first one I try.
Why did my home insurance get non-renewed in the Sacramento foothills?
Almost always wildfire exposure: the home's fire hazard zone, slope, brush distance, or the insurer reducing its count in the area after fires like Caldor. The notice has to state the specific reason under Insurance Code section 678.
How much notice does a California insurer have to give before non-renewing?
At least 75 days before the policy expires. If the notice is late, the existing policy stays in force for 75 days from the date the notice was sent.
Does homeowners insurance cover a levee failure in Natomas or the Pocket?
No. Flood is excluded from homeowners policies and from the FAIR Plan policy; it takes a separate flood policy from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer.
How long before a flood policy takes effect?
A National Flood Insurance Program policy starts 30 days after purchase, with exceptions such as buying it with a new, increased or renewed mortgage.
Can I leave the FAIR Plan if I harden my home?
Often, yes. The FAIR Plan describes itself as a temporary safety net, and the Department of Insurance says every Safer from Wildfires step qualifies for a discount, so I re-shop FAIR Plan homes after the work is done.
Is the wildfire moratorium still protecting my ZIP code?
Each order lasts one year from the Governor's emergency declaration. The Caldor and Mosquito orders have expired; the Department of Insurance lists current orders and their ZIP codes.
General information about home insurance in Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer counties as of November 2026, not legal advice. FAIR Plan counts are the FAIR Plan's own county figures as of September 30 of each year and include commercial policies; levee work, flood maps, fire hazard maps, moratorium orders and carrier appetite change. Check your flood zone with your city or county floodplain office. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.