Could La Verne's New Wildfire Designation Lower Your Homeowners Insurance?
The answer may be yes—but it depends on your insurance company and the wildfire mitigation steps you've taken.
La Verne's new Fire Risk Reduction Community designation could do more than recognize the City's wildfire preparedness efforts.
It may also help some homeowners qualify for insurance discounts under California's Safer from Wildfires regulation.
But whether you save money depends on your insurance company and the steps you've taken to reduce wildfire risk.
Under the regulation, insurance companies are required to offer discounts for qualifying wildfire mitigation measures and explain how those discounts are calculated, according to Candace Goodale, deputy press secretary for the California Department of Insurance.
The program shifts some of the focus from where a home is located to what homeowners and communities are doing to reduce wildfire risk.
That's particularly relevant in La Verne, where more than one-third of the City falls within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and the City recently became one of California's newest Fire Risk Reduction Communities.
How Does Safer From Wildfires Work?
California is the first state to require insurers to provide wildfire mitigation discounts.
The program, developed through a partnership between Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and state emergency preparedness agencies, encourages homeowners and communities to reduce wildfire risk before disasters occur.
Goodale said insurers evaluate wildfire mitigation in three categories:
- The home itself.
- The area immediately surrounding the home.
- The surrounding community.
Each qualifying improvement can contribute to a discount, although the amount varies by insurer and property.
Which Insurers Participate, and How Do I Find Out What I Qualify For?
There isn't a single statewide search tool that lists every company's discounts. Instead, insurers are required to explain a property's wildfire risk and any available wildfire mitigation discounts, Goodale said.
She recommends homeowners contact their insurance company or agent and ask for their property's wildfire risk score and which discounts may apply. Because discounts vary by insurer, Goodale also encourages homeowners to shop around if they haven't reviewed their coverage recently. Residents looking for coverage can search for insurers and agents through the California Department of Insurance's Home Insurance Finder.
La Verne's recent Fire Risk Reduction Community designation may qualify some homeowners for an additional discount, but it does not automatically lower insurance premiums.
Goodale encourages homeowners to contact their insurance company or local agent and ask for their property's wildfire risk score, which insurers are required to explain under the regulation. She also recommends asking specifically about discounts for living in a Fire Risk Reduction Community or Firewise USA neighborhood.
How Much Could Homeowners Save?
There is no standard discount.
According to Goodale, homeowners have received discounts ranging from about 4% to 40%, depending on their home's characteristics and the wildfire mitigation measures they've completed. She said those savings are cumulative over the life of a policy, meaning even modest discounts can add up over time.
I reached out to several insurance providers to ask about their wildfire mitigation discounts. State Farm was the only company to respond before publication.
A State Farm spokesperson said eligible California customers may qualify for discounts for property-level wildfire mitigation measures and, in some cases, for living in a recognized Fire Risk Reduction Community, as required under California's Safer from Wildfires regulations. The spokesperson described the community-level discount as modest and encouraged homeowners to contact a local State Farm agent to learn which discounts they may qualify for.
State Farm also offers separate discounts of 15% or 18% on the wildfire portion of a premium for eligible homes certified through the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety's Wildfire Prepared Home program.
What Improvements Qualify?
The Department of Insurance has identified 10 actions that may qualify homeowners for wildfire mitigation discounts.
Among them are:
- Installing ember- and fire-resistant attic vents.
- Enclosing eaves.
- Maintaining defensible space around the property.
- Living in or participating in a recognized Fire Risk Reduction Community or Firewise USA community.
➡️ See the complete list of actions
For homeowners just getting started, Goodale recommends confirming the home has a Class A roof—most California homes already do, though it's worth checking inspection documents or asking a roofing contractor—and creating the 5-foot noncombustible zone around the structure by removing combustible vegetation and landscaping.
Community-level discounts typically begin small but can increase as more neighbors take steps to harden their homes and reduce wildfire risk, Goodale said.
Where Can Homeowners Get Help?
Homeowners who aren't sure where to begin can schedule a free wildfire home assessment through the Los Angeles Regional Fire Safe Council's Wildfire LA program, which serves Los Angeles County, including La Verne.
The assessments help homeowners identify the wildfire mitigation projects that could have the greatest impact on protecting their homes.
For Goodale, the message is simple: A home in a wildfire-prone area doesn't have to mean higher insurance costs with no options.
Under California's Safer from Wildfires regulation, the steps homeowners take to protect their property are the same steps insurance companies are required to recognize through available wildfire mitigation discounts.
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Staci Baird
Staci Baird
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