Being dropped in a high fire zone doesn’t mean the home can’t be insured. Your current policy stays in force until its expiration date. Start shopping the day the notice arrives, because more time means more markets. If admitted carriers say no, surplus lines or a FAIR Plan policy paired with difference-in-conditions coverage can keep the home insured. Don’t let coverage lapse, especially with a mortgage.
What a non-renewal notice means
In California, an insurer that decides not to renew a homeowners policy generally has to send written notice at least 75 days before the policy expires, with the reason. Until the expiration date, your coverage continues as written.
Those 75 days are your shopping window. Underwriters in specialty and surplus lines markets often need inspections, photos or documents before they’ll quote, so a home that’s placeable with ten weeks of notice can be much harder with ten days.
Put the date on your notice into the 75-day action plan and it will give you the dated steps: when to shop admitted carriers, when to ask for a FAIR Plan quote, when to tell your lender, and the day coverage actually ends.
Check whether a moratorium applies
After a declared wildfire emergency, the California Insurance Commissioner can order a one-year moratorium on non-renewals for residential policies in ZIP codes within or next to the fire perimeter. If your ZIP code is covered, your insurer may not be allowed to non-renew for that period.
The California Department of Insurance publishes the affected ZIP codes and dates for each order. Check them before you assume the notice stands, and call me if you’re unsure whether one applies.
Your options, in the order I shop them
- Admitted carriers still writing in your area. Appetite varies by carrier, ZIP code, distance to brush, roof and construction. Documented mitigation can change the answer.
- Surplus lines and specialty markets. Nonadmitted insurers can write risks the admitted market won’t. California requires a diligent search of admitted insurers first, and surplus lines policies aren’t backed by the California Insurance Guarantee Association.
- The FAIR Plan with difference-in-conditions coverage. The state’s insurer of last resort covers fire, and a separate DIC policy fills most of what it leaves out.
What the FAIR Plan covers, and what it doesn’t
The California FAIR Plan is a basic, named-perils policy, not a full homeowners policy.
- CoversFire or lightning, internal explosion and smoke, with optional add-ons such as extended coverage and vandalism.
- Doesn’t coverPersonal liability, theft, or water damage from plumbing and appliances.
- Dwelling limitUp to $3 million for a residential property, which can leave larger homes needing excess coverage.
- With a mortgageLenders commonly accept it as hazard coverage when limits meet their requirements. Confirm with yours.
What difference-in-conditions coverage adds
A DIC policy is written to sit alongside a FAIR Plan policy and cover what it excludes, typically personal liability, theft, water damage, and broader coverage for belongings and additional living expenses. The two policies have separate premiums, deductibles and renewal dates, and they need to be coordinated so there are no gaps between them. How I set up a FAIR Plan and DIC policy together.
What makes a home easier to place
- Roof class and age, with the invoice or permit to prove it.
- Defensible space and ember-resistant features, such as vents, gutters and clearance around the structure, documented with dated photos.
- Updated systems on older homes: electrical, plumbing and heating, again with paperwork.
- A clean, known claims history. You can request your own property claims report from LexisNexis for free once a year and see what underwriters see.
- Mitigation discounts. California’s Safer from Wildfires rules require insurers to recognize qualifying mitigation with discounts. Ask for them.
If you have a mortgage
Your loan requires continuous hazard insurance. If a policy lapses, the servicer can buy force-placed coverage and charge you for it. That coverage usually costs more and protects the lender’s interest, not your belongings or your liability. Send your lender or servicer evidence of the new policy as soon as it’s bound.
A working timeline
- The week the notice arrives: gather your declarations page, roof and update records, mitigation photos and claims history.
- Weeks two to six: quotes from admitted and specialty markets, inspections if required.
- Weeks six to nine: choose and bind. If it’s FAIR Plan plus DIC, bind both with matching dates.
- Before expiration: confirm the new policy is in force and your lender has evidence of insurance.
General information about California homeowners insurance as of September 2026, not legal advice. Coverage depends on the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Programs, limits and regulations change; confirm current details before relying on them.