Insurance
Getting paid for the work Zone 0 requires
The measures Zone 0 requires are almost exactly the measures California requires insurers to discount for. One set of work, one photo file, two purposes — and a right most homeowners have never used.
Start here: make them price it first
Under 10 CCR 2644.9(k), whenever an insurer provides your wildfire risk score it must also give you a detailed written explanation referencing the specific characteristics of your property — including which mitigation measures would reduce the score, and the dollar amount by which your premium would be reduced under the rating plan then in effect.
That is a priced list of what each measure is worth on your specific house, before you spend anything. Ask for it in writing.
When you can demand the score
Section 2644.9(h) sets four moments when the insurer must provide it, in writing, without you having to argue:
- Within 15 days of a completed application
- At least 45 days before renewal
- At least 75 days before nonrenewal
- Within 30 days of your request after you complete a mitigation measure
That last one matters. Finish the work, request a rescore, and they have 30 days.
Appealing the score
Under 2644.9(i) you may appeal directly to the insurer. They must acknowledge in writing within 10 calendar days and decide within 30. If you go through a broker, 2644.9(j) requires the broker to forward within 5 days and the insurer to acknowledge within 5.
If an appeal is denied, the Department of Insurance consumer hotline is 1-800-927-4357.
The twelve measures
The regulation splits them into two community-level designations and ten property-level efforts.
Community — 2644.9(d)(1)(A)
- Fire Risk Reduction Community, as listed by the Board of Forestry under PRC 4290.1
- Firewise USA Site in Good Standing
Check both even if you assume the answer is no. Firewise sites can be as small as eight dwelling units. Many Californians live in a recognised site and have never been told.
Immediate surroundings — 2644.9(d)(1)(B)1
- Clearing vegetation and debris from under decks
- Clearing vegetation, debris, mulch, stored combustible materials and all movable combustible objects from within five feet
- Only noncombustible materials in improvements within five feet, including fences and gates
- Removal or absence of combustible structures including sheds and outbuildings within 30 feet
- Compliance with PRC 4291 and applicable local defensible space ordinances
A carve-out nobody publishes. The 30-foot outbuilding measure says that if you do not control the entire 30-foot area, you need only remove combustible structures from as much of it as is under your control. Small-lot owners are not automatically disqualified.
Building hardening — 2644.9(d)(1)(B)2
- Class-A fire rated roof
- Enclosed eaves
- Fire-resistant vents
- Multipane windows, or functional shutters that when closed cover the entire window with no openings
- At least six inches of noncombustible vertical clearance at the bottom of the exterior surface, measured from the ground up
The FAIR Plan schedule
If you are on the California FAIR Plan there is a separate published schedule of wildfire hardening discounts, applying to the wildfire portion of premium for policies effective 15 November 2025 or later.
| Policy type | Maximum discount | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Dwelling Fire | Up to 16.4% | Twelve discounts across four categories |
| Commercial | Up to 13.8% | Same structure |
The four categories are immediate surroundings (5 discounts), structure (5 discounts), a property-level completion bonus for meeting all ten, and a community discount. Qualifying under both community programs earns more than either alone.
Sequencing consequence. Because of the completion bonus, the tenth measure is worth more than the ninth. If you are close to finishing all ten, finishing is worth disproportionately more than stopping at nine. Plan the order accordingly.
Discounts are inspected. Properties receiving these discounts are subject to inspection to confirm eligibility, and discounts can be removed if the property does not qualify when inspected. Document conditions as they actually are, not as you intend them to be — and keep the file current. A credit claimed in March and withdrawn in October is worse than one never claimed.
How this overlaps with Zone 0
Substantially, but not perfectly. The insurance measures ask for the first five feet cleared and for noncombustible improvements including fences within that five feet. Zone 0 asks for the same things, with more detail on what planting is permitted and where.
Two differences worth noting. Insurance credits sheds at 30 feet; Zone 0 regulates outbuildings within the five feet and requires them to be noncombustible. And the insurance list includes building hardening — roof, windows, eaves, vents, six-inch clearance — that Zone 0 does not require at all.
Practically: doing Zone 0 gets you most of the immediate-surroundings discounts. The hardening discounts are separate money for separate work.
What you cannot change
Section 2644.9(e) permits insurers to use optional factors including fuel, slope, access, aspect, structural characteristics and wind. None of those respond to anything you do. If your score stays high after good mitigation, this is usually why — and it is worth asking which factors are driving it, since 2644.9(k) entitles you to an explanation referencing your specific property.
One more lever
Under 2644.9(f), rating plans and wildfire risk models submitted to the Commissioner are available for public inspection notwithstanding any claim that they are confidential, proprietary or trade secret. If an insurer tells you their model is a black box, that is not the legal position.
Sources: 10 CCR 2644.9 as adopted, OAL matter 2022-0901-05, effective 14 October 2022; California Department of Insurance, Being Safer from Wildfires Can Help With Your Insurance; California FAIR Plan, Wildfire Hardening Discounts for Dwelling Fire and Commercial Policies, revised November 2025. Discount schedules and rating plans change — confirm current terms with your insurer or the FAIR Plan in writing.