Are Wildfires Covered by Homeowners Insurance?
- Standard policies cover wildfire damage to your home, belongings, and additional living expenses.
- Landscaping, vehicles, and certain outdoor structures are usually not covered.
- In high-risk areas, insurers may limit coverage, raise costs, or require extra fire protection steps.
Does homeowners insurance cover wildfires?
Yes — most homeowners insurance policies cover wildfire damage to your home and belongings, along with extra living costs if you’re forced to evacuate. But if you live in a high-risk wildfire area, insurers may add limits, require extra protection steps, or even offer coverage through a state-run plan instead. Knowing how your policy works (and understanding what options exist if you live in a fire-prone area) helps you stay protected.
What will homeowners insurance cover?
If your policy includes wildfire coverage, your insurance will help pay to repair or rebuild your home and any detached structures, like garages or sheds. It also covers many of your belongings inside.
It’s important to set your coverage limits high enough to fully rebuild your home if it’s destroyed. After a major wildfire, construction and labor costs often surge because many homes in the area need rebuilding all at once. Without the right limits — or an endorsement like extended or guaranteed replacement cost — your payout may fall short of what you actually need.
You can add extra protection to your homeowners policy to help if your standard limits aren’t enough to cover damages.
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Extended replacement cost: Raises your dwelling coverage limit by 25% or 50%.
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Guaranteed replacement cost: Covers the full cost to rebuild, even if construction prices go up.
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Personal property: Helps replace belongings inside your home—like furniture or clothing—up to your policy limit. This is often set at 50% of your dwelling coverage, but you can increase it if you own many valuable items.
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Loss of use: Pays for temporary living expenses if your home is unlivable after a covered loss. This often includes hotel stays, rent, and sometimes food or gas, depending on your policy.
Even small actions add up. Simple habits—like clearing debris, spacing trees and shrubs, and choosing fire-resistant plants—can make your home safer. Regular upkeep also gives firefighters a better chance of defending your property.[1]
What are fire protection classes?
A fire protection class is a rating that measures how well your area is equipped to fight fires. The closer you are to a fire station or hydrant, the lower your risk of a total loss — and the lower your insurance premium may be.
Classes range from 1 to 10:
- Class 1 = excellent fire protection
- Class 10 = little to no fire protection
Ratings are set by an independent organization and are based on things like:
- Number of fire trucks and firefighters
- Response times and available equipment
- Water supply and pumping capacity
- Distance to hydrants and fire stations
👉 Why it matters: Your home’s fire protection class can directly impact your insurance costs and the level of coverage available to you.
Does Home Insurance Cover Natural Disasters?
Your home insurance coverage after a natural disaster depends on your location. Most natural disasters, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes are not covered by homeowners insurance.
How to get wildfire coverage
If your current policy doesn’t cover wildfire damage, but you live in a high-risk area, you still have options. Some insurers offer add-on coverage or separate wildfire policies. Keep in mind that premiums may be higher, but the added protection can give you peace of mind.
FAIR Plans
What they are:
State-run programs that give homeowners in high-risk areas access to insurance when private companies won’t provide coverage.
Provides coverage in areas where insurance is hard to find
Tailored to risks in each state (e.g., wildfires in California, windstorms in Florida)
Offers peace of mind for homeowners in vulnerable regions
Often more expensive than standard homeowners insurance
May offer less coverage for the price
Coverage limits can vary by state (e.g., $1.5 million cap in California)
Alternative insurance companies: Premier and surplus lines
If your home is valued at over $1 million, you may qualify for coverage from a premier insurance carrier. These companies specialize in protecting high-value homes and often include unique benefits, like access to private firefighting services, loss prevention programs, and broader coverage for risks like wildfires.
Another option is surplus lines insurance, which provides coverage for risks that standard insurers won’t take on.
Examples of premier carriers: Chubb, PURE, and Cincinnati Insurance.
Broader and more customizable coverage
Extra services like private firefighters and loss prevention
Designed for high-value homes or unusual risks
Usually more expensive than standard homeowners insurance
May have stricter eligibility requirements
Surplus lines policies are less regulated, which can affect consumer protections
Need better home insurance? Start right here.
Be proactive to reduce fire risk
Wildfires are unpredictable, but taking a few steps can lower your risk of damage. Focus on building with fire-resistant materials and keeping your property clear of hazards:
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Use non-flammable materials for roofing, fencing, decks, and vents
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Cover vents and eaves with non-combustible screens
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Remove dead brush and trim low-hanging branches
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Clean gutters and rooftops regularly
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Maintain a “defensible space” around your home (at least 100 feet in California) by clearing vegetation and spacing out plants and trees
Does Car Insurance Cover Wildfires?
In the event of a forest fire, is your car covered? Check out recommendations on how to ensure you're insured for every scenario.
Do rates increase after a wildfire claim?
A fire claim on your record can be quite impactful; on average, rates were hiked by 22% after a fire claim. Fires cause the highest increase in premiums nationally. See the table below to see data on up to two fire claims. Or, if you're curious, see our page discussing the average annual cost of homeowners insurance.
Updating data...
| Claims history | Avg. Annual Premium |
|---|---|
| No claims | $1,623 |
| 1 claim | $1,789 |
| 2 claims | $1,842 |
Source: The Zebra
The Zebra’s Dynamic Insurance Rating Tool data methodology
The Zebra’s Dynamic Insurance Rating Tool for home and auto insurance rates utilizes the latest ZIP code-level rate filings from across the U.S., sourced from Quadrant Information Services and S&P Global. These filings, typically updated annually or biennially by insurers, are verified through Quadrant’s QA process and then integrated into The Zebra’s estimator.
The displayed rates are based on a dynamic home and auto profile designed to reflect the content of the page. This profile is tailored to match specific factors such as age, location, and coverage level, which are adjusted based on the page content to show how these variables can impact premiums.
For a comprehensive understanding, see our detailed methodology.
If you’ve filed a wildfire claim, finding affordable homeowners insurance can be challenging. The rates in the table above give a general idea of post-claim costs, but your unique rating factors mean your actual rates may vary.
The best way to find coverage within your budget is to compare quotes from multiple insurers. Shopping around helps you see your options clearly and choose the policy that works best for your needs.
Compare home insurance rates and start saving today.
Real help, right here.
Home insurance and wildfires FAQs:
Dwelling Property Types Covered. California FAIR Plan
Defensible Space. CAL FIRE
About The Zebra
The Zebra is not an insurance company. We publish data-backed, expert-reviewed resources to help consumers make more informed insurance decisions.
- The Zebra’s insurance content is written and reviewed for accuracy by licensed insurance agents.
- The Zebra’s insurance editorial content is not subject to review or alteration by insurance companies or partners.
- The Zebra’s editorial team operates independently of the company’s partnerships and commercialization interests, publishing unbiased information for consumer benefit.
- The auto insurance rates published on The Zebra’s pages are based on a comprehensive analysis of car insurance pricing data, evaluating more than 83 million insurance rates from across the United States.