CDI Guidelines Require Insurers to Reward Firewise homeowners for wildfire preparation.
The following excerpt from California Department of Insurance regulations became effective on October 14, 2022, dictating that insurers are required to offer state residents discounts for both community-level fire mitigation, such as a Firewise designation, and for meeting the specific requirements listed below for each individual home.
No insurer shall use a rating plan that does not take into account and reflect the following mandatory factors:
(A) Community-level mitigation designations: The rating plan shall reflect, and the rate offered to the applicant or insured shall be based in part on, the reduced wildfire risk associated with each and every community-level mitigation-designation listed below in this subdivision(d)(1)(A)that is applicable to the community in which the Building Being Evaluated is located. Community-level mitigation designations include:
- Fire Risk Reduction Community listed by the Board of Forestry pursuant to Public Resources Code section 4290.1; and
- Firewise USA Site in Good Standing.
(B) Property-level mitigation efforts.
The rating plan shall reflect, and the rate offered to the applicant or insured shall be based in part on, the reduced wildfire risk resulting from each and every property-level wildfire risk mitigation effort listed in subdivisions (d)(1)(B)l.a. through (d)(1)(B)l.e. and (d)(1)(B)2.a. through (d)(1)(B)2.e., below, that is undertaken with respect to an individual 3 property being assessed for risk. Individual property-level wildfire risk mitigation efforts include:
1. Measures addressing the immediate surroundings of the Building Being Evaluated, including:
a. Clearing of vegetation and debris from under decks,
b. Clearing of vegetation, debris, mulch, stored combustible materials, and any and all movable combustible objects, from the area within five (5) feet of the Building Being Evaluated,
c. Incorporation of only noncombustible materials into that portion of any improvements to the property on which the Building Being Evaluated is located, including fences and gates, which is situated within five (5) feet of the Building Being Evaluated,
d. Removal or absence of combustible structures, including sheds and other outbuildings, from the area within thirty (30) feet of the Building Being Evaluated or, in the event that the applicant or insured does not control the entirety of the area extending thirty feet from the Building Being Evaluated, removal of combustible structures from as much of such area as is under the control of the Applicant or policyholder, and
e. Whether the property upon which the Building Being Evaluated is situated complies with Section 4291 of the Public Resources Code, and any applicable local ordinances, governing defensible space; and
2. Building hardening measures, including provision of the following:
a. Class-A Fire Rated Roof,
b. Enclosed Eaves,
c. Fire-Resistant Vents,
d. Multipane windows, including dual pane windows, or functional shutters, which when closed, cover the entire window and do not have openings, and
e. At least six (6) inches of noncombustible vertical clearance at the bottom of the exterior surface of the building, measured from the ground up.
(C) No later than one hundred eighty (180) days following the date this section is filed with the Secretary of State, each insurer shall file a rate application that incorporates a rating plan that includes the factors described in subdivision (d)(1) of this section.
The 180-day deadline passed in April, 2023. Although more insurers have published discounts, the state is still working through the rate applications with other insurers.
To get started see how your home can qualify, click Home Assessment Request Form – Oak Park Fire Safe Council (opfsc.org) for a free home wildfire assessment.
