Wildfire
Wildfire home and insurance check
First checks for fire maps, yard work, home hardening, discounts, and FAIR Plan questions.
Why it matters
A home can look affordable until fire work and insurance questions show up. Check the map, house, yard, insurer, and local fire rules one at a time.
Directory shelf
Home risk checks
Wildfire, insurance, coast, earthquake, and retrofit checks.
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
If coverage is hard to find, ask a licensed broker to shop the regular market first. Then ask about the FAIR Plan.
- 7
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
Zone 0 rules and local timing can change. Use the Board of Forestry and local fire office for current rules.
- 5
The 100-foot state rule still has property-line limits. Ask before clearing land you do not control.
- 6
Protected trees, coastal rules, habitat rules, and HOA rules can affect what you may remove.
Go deeper
Wildfire defensible space around the home
Start here before clearing plants, moving firewood, changing mulch, or checking whether a home is in a wildfire hazard zone.
Outdoor weather and hazard checks
A last-check guide for weather, smoke, fire, heat, surf, rivers, snow, roads, earthquakes, and the live sources to trust before you leave.