California fair plan premiums rose about 29 percent in October, while a new wildfire moratorium pauses non-renewals for 50,000 homeowners in three counties.
DOVE FIRE MORATORIUM: REPORTED SCOPE
On November 10, 2026, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced a mandatory one-year moratorium following Governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency declaration for the Dove Fire. The California Department of Insurance (CDI) says the order covers approximately 50,000 policyholders in Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and Calaveras counties. The CDI announcement states that protection applies to eligible properties within the fire perimeter or adjoining ZIP codes, whether or not the property suffered a loss.
The twelve-month clock began on October 15, 2026, the date of the Governor's Dove Fire proclamation, according to Bulletin 2026-11, the order that identifies the affected ZIP codes. Protection for a property in a listed ZIP therefore runs to the one-year mark in October 2027. The same bulletin imposes a duty that the press release only implies: insurers must offer to rescind any wildfire-related cancellation or non-renewal notice issued on or after October 15, 2026 in those ZIP codes, and offer to reinstate or renew the policy.
The department-approved FAIR Plan increase has been reported at an average of about 29 percent and took effect for new and renewing policies on October 15, 2026. That percentage is reported, not a VerifiedAgent finding. Actual rate changes vary by territory, construction, and coverage. Policyholders should confirm the amount on their renewal quote with the FAIR Plan or their broker.
| WHAT THE MORATORIUM DOES | WHAT THE MORATORIUM DOES NOT DO |
|---|---|
| Blocks cancellation or non-renewal of an eligible residential policy for wildfire risk in a covered ZIP for one year from the Governor’s emergency declaration date. | Freeze or roll back premiums. |
| Applies whether or not the homeowner suffered a loss. | Undo a wildfire-related non-renewal notice issued before the declaration date. |
| Extends to certain commercial property policies under SB 547, including eligible policies with annual premiums under $25,000 and specified residential properties such as HOAs, apartments, student housing, and senior living facilities. | Bind the California FAIR Plan’s filed rates. |
| Protect a property outside the ZIP codes listed in the applicable bulletin. | |
| Prevent cancellation or non-renewal for a reason unrelated to wildfire risk, such as nonpayment or another underwriting reason. | |
| Requires insurers to offer to rescind a wildfire-related notice issued on or after October 15, 2026 and to offer reinstatement or renewal. | Freeze the length of the protection period beyond the twelve months that begin on the declaration date. |
The residential moratorium is authorized by Insurance Code section 675.1, enacted through SB 824. SB 547, which took effect January 1, 2026, extended the protection to certain commercial property policies. The moratorium period runs from the date of the Governor’s emergency declaration, not from the date a policyholder receives a notice.
HOW TO CHECK A ZIP CODE
CDI works with CAL FIRE and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to identify fire perimeters and adjoining ZIP codes. A county name alone does not establish eligibility. Bulletin 2026-11 lists fifteen ZIP codes: 95222, 95228, 95247, 95251, 95305, 95310, 95321, 95327, 95329, 95346, 95361, 95370, 95372, 95379, and 95383. CDI has said it may issue a supplemental bulletin adding ZIP codes, so the list should be confirmed again before a notice is answered.
- Use the CDI ZIP lookup tool. The CDI moratorium page links to the lookup tool.
- Read the Commissioner’s Bulletin for the Dove Fire. Confirm that the property’s ZIP code appears on the bulletin’s list.
- Contact CDI if a notice arrived anyway. Call 800-927-4357 or submit a Request for Assistance through the department. A policyholder in a covered ZIP with a wildfire non-renewal notice should ask the insurer to reinstate the policy; CDI can be contacted if the insurer refuses.
CALIFORNIA FAIR PLAN: COVERAGE AND LIMITS
The California FAIR Plan is the state’s insurer of last resort for property owners unable to obtain coverage through a regular insurance company. Despite its public purpose, it is a private association operated by insurance companies. It is not a state agency and is not taxpayer funded.
The FAIR Plan generally provides a limited fire policy, not a full homeowners policy. The CDI’s FAIR Plan consumer information lists these available features and limits:
- Residential limit: $3 million.
- Commercial limit: $20 million per location.
- Safer from Wildfires discounts: A discount may be available on the wildfire portion of the premium for qualifying property-hardening measures.
- Payment options: Monthly payments are available without a fee.
- Farm buildings: Included, subject to plan terms and exclusions.
Water damage, liability, and theft are not provided by the limited fire policy. A Difference in Conditions policy is needed to address those and other coverage gaps. Its availability, terms, and price should be confirmed separately. Applications may be made through a licensed property agent or broker, or directly with the FAIR Plan at 800-339-4099. The CDI page also provides access to a broker-finder tool.
TWO POLICYHOLDER EXAMPLES
September notice in Tuolumne County: A 58-year-old homeowner lives in a Tuolumne County ZIP adjacent to the Dove Fire perimeter. Her insurer sent a wildfire non-renewal notice in September 2026, before the Governor’s emergency declaration. The moratorium does not undo that earlier notice. She can ask the carrier to reconsider, seek quotes from admitted carriers, and consider the FAIR Plan only after shopping the available market. A licensed property broker can run a FAIR Plan quote and identify the cost of any separate Difference in Conditions policy. Her decision period is constrained by the notice’s stated non-renewal date; the moratorium does not restart the earlier notice timeline.
November notice in a covered ZIP: A homeowner inside a covered ZIP receives a wildfire-related non-renewal notice in November, after the declaration. The homeowner should confirm the ZIP against the Dove Fire bulletin and ask the insurer to reinstate the policy. If the insurer refuses, the homeowner can contact CDI at 800-927-4357 or file a Request for Assistance. The applicable one-year protection is measured from the declaration date.
SHOPPING AND VERIFICATION CHECKLIST
- Shop admitted carriers first.
- Ask each carrier to explain its wildfire risk score and identify any Safer from Wildfires discount.
- Confirm the property’s moratorium ZIP status before assuming protection applies.
- Obtain the FAIR Plan quote in writing, with the Difference in Conditions add-on priced separately.
- Confirm the agent or broker has an active California property license through the CDI license lookup.
- Keep every notice, quote, insurer response, and relevant date.
An agent’s credentials can be checked before sharing property or personal details; California insurance agent profiles provide a directory starting point.
POLICYHOLDER IMPLICATIONS
The moratorium and the reported FAIR Plan rate increase address different parts of the coverage problem. A one-year pause can prevent an eligible insurer from ending coverage because of wildfire risk, but it does not change the price of the current policy or the price of the fallback option. A pause in non-renewal and a higher fallback price can therefore apply at the same time. For a homeowner who needs another policy, the moratorium can provide time to compare options, while the FAIR Plan remains a limited last-resort alternative with its own premium and coverage conditions.
This is an analysis of the policy mechanics, not a statement by CDI. A ZIP-based moratorium protects qualifying addresses from a specific type of cancellation or non-renewal; it does not guarantee affordable coverage or a replacement policy. In practical terms, the one-year period is a shopping window. The time available depends on the declaration date and the policyholder’s circumstances, so a homeowner should not treat the date on a notice as the only relevant deadline or assume that the moratorium removes the need to seek replacement coverage.
CDI reports that twelve insurance groups have announced they are staying and growing in wildfire-affected parts of California. That announced activity is a supply-side counterweight: whether more coverage becomes available to individual households will affect whether the protected period is long enough to find a suitable policy. Individual carrier decisions and underwriting terms may differ. Available information should be confirmed with the insurer, a licensed property broker, or CDI.