Wildfire · Checklist · Reviewed July 14, 2026

Wildfire home and insurance check

What the fire maps say about your parcel, and the proof insurers respect. Work the checks in order.

The short version

Start at the walls, then work to 100 feet

For a covered home, California's yard rule usually reaches 100 feet from the building or stops at the property line. The house itself is the other half: check the roof, vents, windows, eaves, deck, and bottom of the walls. Then the insurer can say what proof will earn a credit on that policy.

What changes the answer: California law names the first five feet as an ember-resistant zone. The statewide regulation that will spell out the detailed duties and start dates is still in draft rulemaking as of this review. Use the safety guidance now, and check the Board of Forestry and local fire authority for the rules that apply today.

Official: Safer from Wildfires

Fire-country math shows up twice: once in the yard work, and again in the insurance file. Owners who keep proof of the work have an easier conversation with the insurer, and a safer house either way.

How it works

The working zones begin at the building

Zone 0 covers the first five feet around the home and attached decks in current safety guidance. Zone 1 then reaches 30 feet. Zone 2 reaches from 30 to 100 feet, or stops at the property line. The goal is less fuel and better spacing, not a bare lot.

Remove dead leaves, needles, weeds, and other dry material from roofs, gutters, decks, and the yard. Trim branches at least 10 feet from a chimney. Space plants and fuels so fire has a harder path to the house. Never clear across a neighbor's line without the proper permission.

The five-foot zone is in the law; the detailed rule is still pending

California law names an ember-resistant zone within five feet of a covered structure. The duty does not start under the statewide law until the Board finishes the implementing regulation and guidance. Its June 2026 page still calls the text a draft. The start date for existing structures comes later than the start date for new structures.

A city rule, fire order, insurer request, sale rule, or safety plan may already use five feet. Those paths can apply before the final statewide regulation takes effect.

Use the first five feet as the place to clear things that can burn. This includes wood mulch, stored goods, leaves, furniture, and a wood fence tied to the home. Check with the fire and planning offices before cutting large plants, trees, habitat, or coastal plants.

Hardening closes the places embers enter

Safer from Wildfires names the main house steps. They include a Class A roof, fire-safe vents, closed eaves, and double-pane windows or shutters. Use material that will not burn on the bottom six inches of outside walls. Vent screens should use metal mesh from one-sixteenth to one-eighth inch.

The same plan calls for a clean space under decks and less fuel in the yard. Move a shed or other building that can burn at least 30 feet away when the lot allows it. A small lot may make that hard. Take photos, ask what else the insurer will accept, and use advice from the local fire office.

The insurer owes a usable risk explanation

An insurer's fire score is not the CAL FIRE hazard map. Ask for the home's score and the facts behind it. You can ask when you apply, before a renewal or nonrenewal, or after doing safety work. The reply should show ways to lower the score and what they may save.

If the score uses old or wrong facts, appeal it to the insurer. Send dated photos, receipts, permits, fire checks, or proof of work by the whole area. If the insurer says no, ask the Department of Insurance for help. Keep shopping while the policy clock runs.

Each listed action can earn a discount

CDI says each Safer from Wildfires action can earn a discount. Each insurer sets its own amount and mix. The FAIR Plan also has safety discounts. The insurer may ask for papers or a visit before it gives the credit.

Suppose an owner replaces wood chips at the walls, installs accepted vent screens, and sends dated photos before renewal. The insurer should explain the discounts tied to those completed steps. CDI says the savings generally appear at the start of the next policy period, not as an instant refund.

A hazard-zone color does not set the premium

Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps show long-term fire conditions. They look at fuel, land shape, fire weather, and embers. The maps guide plans, home sales, building, and yard work. The Department of Insurance says they do not set prices or make a company insure the home.

An insurer can use its own model and a visit to the home. It may look at the roof, vents, nearby buildings, roads, water, and work by the whole area. Use the state map for fire rules. Use the insurer's written score for the policy. Neither one replaces a local fire check.

First moves

1
Look up the fire hazard zone, but treat it as a planning and safety map, not an insurance quote.
2
Walk the first five feet around the home, deck, porch, steps, and attached fence.
3
Move or flag mulch, leaves, firewood, furniture, trash cans, sheds, and deck clutter that sit too close.
4
Check the roof, gutters, vents, eaves, windows, decks, siding, and the bottom of outside walls.
5
Ask each insurer what Safer from Wildfires steps count and what proof they want.
6
Ask for the insurer's wildfire risk score, the facts behind it, the available discounts, and the appeal path after work is done.
7
For a coverage search or nonrenewal, use the separate home-insurance fallback steps. Keep this work focused on the property and proof.
8
Before big tree, brush, fence, or habitat work, ask the local fire office and planning office.

Watch for

1
Fire maps help with planning. The Insurance Department says CAL FIRE hazard maps do not set insurance prices or decide who gets a policy.
2
Insurance, sale papers, local fire rules, defensible space, and home hardening are related but separate.
3
Discounts depend on the insurer and the proof it asks for. A cleanup does not promise a policy.
4
CDI says completed mitigation may need documents or an inspection, and the discount generally begins with the next policy period.
5
Zone 0 rules and local timing can change. Use the Board of Forestry and local fire office for current rules.
6
Current guidance uses five to 30 feet for Zone 1 and 30 to 100 feet for Zone 2, stopping at the property line.
7
The 100-foot state rule still has property-line limits. Ask before clearing land you do not control.
8
Protected trees, coastal rules, habitat rules, and HOA rules can affect what you may remove.

Official sources

Where to confirm this

Use the source that matches the step you are on. Current forms, fees, deadlines, and agency decisions can change after this page is reviewed.

Safer from Wildfires California Department of Insurance insurance mitigation framework Wildfire discount and score questions California Department of Insurance risk score, appeal, proof, discounts, and timing Hazard maps and insurance California Department of Insurance what fire maps do and do not decide FAIR Plan questions California Department of Insurance when regular insurance is hard to find Defensible space guide CAL FIRE Zone 0, Zone 1, Zone 2, and chimney clearance Home hardening guide CAL FIRE roof, vents, windows, decks, and walls Zone 0 updates Board of Forestry and Fire Protection ember-resistant zone rulemaking Fire hazard maps Office of the State Fire Marshal state and local fire hazard severity zones Defensible-space law California Legislative Information 100 feet and property-line language

Use this as a map. It does not decide your rights, tell you what to file, or say someone broke the law. If a deadline, denial, eviction, firing, injury, tax bill, permit fight, or insurance dispute is on the line, use the official source or a licensed professional.

How to use California Porch safely

Directory paths

Keep moving through the directory.

Use the nearby shelf when this is the right lane, or jump back to the full directory if the task changed names.

ShelfHome risk checksWildfire, insurance, coast, earthquake, and retrofit checks.DirectoryPaperwork & MoneyReturn to the full tools shelf.Nearby toolHome insurance fallback checkWhen coverage gets hard to find, there is still a path. Walk it in order, from new quotes to the FAIR Plan.Nearby toolHome insurance claim record checkA clean paper trail for a home claim that is late, underpaid, disputed, or denied.A-ZFind another California pathUse the directory index when the task has a different name.