How Do I Find My Wildfire Risk Score?
Free sites like Risk Factor score your address by searching it. Your insurer may list its own score on the renewal notice.
Free to compare
Where insurers get it
Insurers buy wildfire scores from catastrophe modeling companies, not the free public sites. The score behind your premium weighs slope, vegetation, fire history and distance to fuel. It isn't printed in most states, though some insurers note a risk tier on the renewal letter.
Why the score moved
A worse score after a nearby fire or a dry season isn't about anything you did. It reflects conditions around your house. If your price jumped or you got a non-renewal notice, the letter should say why. The state's insurance department can explain what insurers must disclose.
What lowers it
Clearing brush within five feet of the house, swapping a wood roof for a fire-rated one, and enclosing eaves can all reduce risk in an insurer's model. Some insurers give credit for these changes if you tell them directly, since the score may not reflect recent work.
What the score controls
A high wildfire score can mean a higher premium, a higher deductible for wind or fire, or a nonrenewal in the worst cases. It does not change what your policy covers once a fire happens. Your declarations page still lists dwelling, contents and living expense limits regardless of the score.
A high score doesn't have to mean one price
Insurers weigh wildfire risk differently, so one nonrenewal or price jump isn't the market's final word. Comparing quotes shows what other insurers make of your address and the work you've done on the house.
What happens if the fire actually reaches your house
Everything above is about the number insurers use to set your price before anything burns. Once a wildfire damages your house, the score stops mattering and your policy terms take over. Dwelling coverage pays to rebuild the structure, up to the limit on your declarations page. Contents coverage pays for what was inside, usually a percentage of the dwelling limit unless you bought a separate amount. Smoke damage without flames reaching the house is still covered under most policies, since smoke is a named peril, but the insurer will want to see the damage, not just hear about it.
If the house is unlivable, a standard policy includes loss of use coverage, sometimes called additional living expenses. This pays the extra cost of living somewhere else while the house is repaired or rebuilt. That can mean a hotel or rental, meals above what you'd normally spend, laundry, and storage for salvaged belongings. It is not unlimited. There's a dollar cap and often a time cap too, both listed on the declarations page. Keep receipts for everything from the day you're displaced, since insurers reimburse against documentation, not estimates.
The claims process after a wildfire usually starts with an adjuster inspecting the property, often alongside a public inventory of what's salvageable and what isn't. For a total loss, this takes longer than a kitchen fire or a burst pipe. The insurer has to settle on a rebuild cost for the whole structure, not just a repair. Ask early whether your policy pays actual cash value or replacement cost for the dwelling and for contents. Those are different numbers, and the letter you get may use the terms without defining them. If you don't have a home inventory from before the fire, insurers typically accept a written list with estimated values along with whatever receipts or photos you can still find, including from a phone backed up off-site.
A wildfire claim can also affect what happens at your next renewal, separate from any score. Insurers in high-risk areas sometimes limit how many wildfire claims a property can have before declining to renew, and state rules on this vary. If you get a non-renewal notice after a claim, the letter has to state why. The state insurance department can tell you what notice period applies and whether the decision can be appealed.
Does filing a wildfire claim mean you lose coverage next year
A paid wildfire claim can make renewal harder even if the house is rebuilt and the risk around it hasn't changed. Insurers look at claims history on a property, not just the current wildfire score, and a total loss or a large smoke damage payout stays on that record for a few years. This is separate from the modeled score discussed above. It's about what already happened, not what might.
Whether a single claim triggers non-renewal depends on the insurer and the state. Some will renew after one wildfire claim, especially if the rebuild included fire-resistant materials or defensible space the insurer can note in its file. Others set a threshold, like two claims in a set number of years, before they decline to continue the policy. State insurance departments regulate how much notice an insurer must give before non-renewing. That notice period is listed in the letter itself, not something to guess at.
If a non-renewal notice does arrive after a wildfire claim, the letter has to state a reason. In many states, the reason can't be that the house caught fire once. If the stated reason looks wrong, like citing a risk factor the rebuild already fixed, the state insurance department can explain whether that decision can be appealed and what it takes to request a review. Some states also run a FAIR Plan, a last-resort insurer for properties that standard companies won't write, and a non-renewal letter should mention it if it applies.
Rebuilding with the next renewal in mind helps regardless of what any letter says. A Class A fire-rated roof, ember-resistant vents, and five feet of noncombustible material around the foundation are the kinds of changes insurers ask about on applications after a claim. Keeping records of what was used to rebuild, including contractor invoices and material specs, gives the next insurer something concrete instead of a blank risk estimate. None of this guarantees a renewal or a particular price, but it gives an underwriter a reason to say yes instead of no.
One thing to check now
Pull up your declarations page and confirm the dwelling, contents, and loss of use limits, along with whether your policy pays actual cash value or replacement cost. That distinction matters most the day you actually need it.
