Bills Would Help Homeowners Harden Homes, Reduce Wildfire Risk
Posted: May 5, 2026
California lawmakers are advancing a package of wildfire-focused legislation aimed at helping homeowners better protect their properties while stabilizing a strained homeowner's insurance market. The effort follows years of destructive fires and insurer pullbacks that have left many residents struggling to find or afford coverage. The legislation recognizes that reducing wildfire risk at both the property and community level is one of the most effective...
Bill Would Expedite Wildfire Smoke Damage Claims
Posted: February 24, 2026
California lawmakers are considering new legislation that could make it easier for homeowners to file and collect insurance claims for smoke damage after wildfires. Assembly Bill 1795 was introduced in response to reports of insurers and the California FAIR Plan denying or limiting claims for testing and cleanup of heavy smoke and soot damage after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. As a result, many families...
Wildfire Disclosure Rule for Home Sales Takes Effect
Posted: October 14, 2025
If you're selling a home in a high-risk wildfire area of California built before 2010, you now face stricter disclosure requirements under new rules that took effect this summer. The new rule requires sellers to tell buyers not only that the property is in a fire-prone zone, but also features that make the home more susceptible to wildfire and what steps they have taken to...
Preparing for Rolling Blackouts During Wildfire Season
Posted: July 1, 2025
As wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense due to rising temperatures, utilities in high-risk areas are increasingly using public safety power shutoffs to prevent fires sparked by electrical equipment, one of the leading causes of wildfires. These proactive outages can leave communities without power for hours — or even days — especially during dry, windy conditions. If you live in an area that is...
State Working on New Wildfire Defensible Space Rules
Posted: June 3, 2025
The state is working on new regulations that will toughen enforcement of defensible space around homes in areas at risk of wildfires. The current round of rulemaking by the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection is on Zone 0 — the area that stretches from the physical building out to five feet — a critical zone for wildfire defense. Under legislation passed in 2022, the...