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Who in Los Angeles County ends up on the FAIR Plan?
Two groups: homeowners whose carrier sent a non-renewal letter, and homeowners whose address now falls inside a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) that admitted carriers will not write. The second group grew sharply in 2025. On March 24, 2025, CAL FIRE's Office of the State Fire Marshal issued the 2025 Local Responsibility Area (LRA) Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for Los Angeles County — the first update since 2011 — and LAist reported that "Very High" acreage in the county's local jurisdictions rose by more than 30%, pushing the zone north of Ventura Blvd in the San Fernando Valley, deeper into Santa Monica, and across more of Altadena and Pasadena. State law gave each city and the county 120 days to adopt the maps by ordinance.
The result shows up in the FAIR Plan's own numbers. Per the California FAIR Plan's Key Statistics page, policies in force reached 696,562 as of June 2026 — up 157% since September 2022 — with $768 billion in total exposure. Across our three California offices we serve more than 4,500 active customers and wrote 2,080 new policies in 2025, and the LA County homeowners calling us now fall into three patterns: hillside and canyon homes (Altadena, La Cañada, Topanga, the Santa Monica Mountains, the foothills from Sylmar to Glendora), older homes with wood-shake or aged roofs anywhere in the county, and homes with a prior fire or smoke claim.
What the FAIR Plan covers — and what it does not
Definition: the California FAIR Plan (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) is an association of every admitted property insurer in the state, created in 1968 under California Insurance Code §10090 and following, to provide basic fire coverage to property owners the voluntary market will not insure. It is not a government agency and it is not a full homeowners policy.
The FAIR Plan dwelling policy covers fire, lightning, and internal explosion on the structure, plus smoke and other named perils under the optional Extended Coverage endorsement, (and, optionally, contents). It does not cover water damage from a burst pipe or appliance, theft or vandalism, personal liability if someone is hurt on your property, medical payments to guests, or loss of use — the hotel and rent while your home is rebuilt. Our detailed breakdown is at What the FAIR Plan does not cover in California.
What a DIC wrap adds
Definition: a DIC (difference in conditions) policy is a private homeowners policy written to sit alongside a FAIR Plan policy and supply exactly the perils the FAIR Plan excludes. Layered together, the two approximate a standard HO-3.
| Coverage | FAIR Plan alone | FAIR Plan + DIC wrap |
|---|
| Fire, wildfire, lightning, smoke | Covered | Covered (FAIR Plan) |
| Water damage — burst pipe, appliance leak | Not covered | Covered (DIC) |
| Theft and vandalism | Not covered | Covered (DIC) |
| Personal liability and medical payments | Not covered | Covered (DIC) |
| Loss of use / temporary housing | Not covered | Covered (DIC) |
| Earthquake | Not covered | Separate policy required |
| Lender acceptance | Fire requirement usually met; no liability, water, or theft | Accepted in our experience as the full package |
Two policies means two deductibles, two premiums, and two claim numbers if a single event touches both — a fire that also causes water damage, for example. We match the DIC's dwelling limit to the FAIR Plan's so there is no gap between them.
How FAIR Plan + DIC are priced in LA County
Neither policy has a flat rate, and we do not quote numbers on a page — the same home can price very differently one street apart. The factors that move the premium, roughly in order of weight:
- Dwelling replacement cost — rebuild cost per square foot in LA County is the base of both premiums; an inflated figure is the most common reason a quote comes back high.
- Fire Hazard Severity Zone tier — Moderate, High, or Very High under the 2025 maps, plus the wildfire risk score each carrier runs on the parcel.
- Roof — Class A (composition shingle, tile, metal) versus wood shake; age of the roof.
- Brush distance and defensible space — distance to native vegetation, slope, and whether the 100-foot defensible space in Public Resources Code §4291 is actually maintained.
- Year built, construction type, and prior claims.
- Deductible — raising it is the first lever we pull before ever trimming coverage.
One date to know: KQED reported that the California Department of Insurance approved a FAIR Plan dwelling rate change averaging 29.1%, effective October 15, 2026, for new and renewal policies (the FAIR Plan had requested 35.8%). It applies at each policy's renewal, the wildfire component drives most of it, and lower-risk homes can see a decrease. If your renewal lands after that date, ask us to re-shop the admitted market first — some homes now qualify to move back to one regular policy.
The third option: surplus lines when no admitted carrier will write the home
Some LA County homes get declined by the FAIR Plan too — unmitigated brush against the structure, a roof past its life, an unrepaired prior loss — or the owner needs limits or coverages the FAIR Plan does not offer. The route then is a surplus lines (non-admitted, "E&S") carrier. A non-renewal is a routing problem, not a dead end. Two things you must understand before signing: a non-admitted carrier's rates and forms are not reviewed by the California Department of Insurance, and its policies are not protected by the California Insurance Guarantee Association if the carrier fails. California Insurance Code §1764.1 requires you to receive and sign a written surplus lines disclosure stating exactly that. Many DIC wraps are themselves surplus lines policies, so the same disclosure often applies to the wrap.
How Via Rapida places it remotely for all of California
We have no office in Los Angeles County. Our licensed team works from Stockton, San Jose, and San Rafael and places FAIR Plan, DIC, and surplus lines homeowners policies for every county in California by phone, WhatsApp, email, and e-signature — servicio remoto en todo California. Here is the process:
- Call or WhatsApp 209-670-1556. Ten minutes: address, year built, square footage, roof type and age, construction, whether you have a lender, and what happened with the prior policy.
- Send six things by text or email: the non-renewal letter (if any), your current declarations page, photos of all four sides of the house and the roof, your lender or escrow contact, a government ID (ITIN and matrícula accepted), and any mitigation receipts.
- We quote the FAIR Plan and the DIC wrap together and, if the home qualifies, the admitted market as a comparison. You get two options and a plain explanation of what each one does and does not cover.
- E-sign and pay. When the property qualifies and payment is received during business hours, both policies can typically bind the same business day; the FAIR Plan may inspect the property after binding and require corrections.
- Evidence of insurance goes to your lender, typically the same business day, and we set the DIC renewal to track the FAIR Plan so the pair stays aligned.
Mitigation levers that change the outcome
Three things move a Los Angeles County home from "declined" to "written," and often lower the price: an IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designation (Class A roof, ember-resistant vents, 5-foot noncombustible zone around the structure, enclosed eaves); documented defensible space under Public Resources Code §4291 — 100 feet, with the Zone 0 ember-resistant rules for the first 5 feet set by the Board of Forestry (check the current adoption status); and a Class A roof replacing wood shake. California's Safer from Wildfires framework requires admitted insurers to recognize these steps with discounts, and the FAIR Plan offers mitigation credits as well. Bring photos and receipts — we submit them with the application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have an office in Los Angeles County?
No. Our offices are in Stockton, San Jose, and San Rafael. We place FAIR Plan and DIC policies for Los Angeles County homes remotely — by phone, WhatsApp, email, and e-signature at 209-670-1556 — the same way we serve the rest of California.
Will my mortgage lender accept FAIR Plan + DIC as homeowners insurance?
Yes. The FAIR Plan covers fire on the dwelling and the DIC wrap supplies the liability, water, theft, and loss-of-use coverage lenders expect. We send evidence of insurance for both policies to your lender or escrow the day they bind.
Can I buy the FAIR Plan alone without a DIC wrap?
You can, but it leaves you with no liability, water, theft, or loss-of-use coverage; lenders generally accept it for the fire requirement, but not as a full homeowners policy. The FAIR Plan is fire-only by design; the DIC wrap is what makes the pair function like a standard homeowners policy.
Is the FAIR Plan going up in price?
Yes. The California Department of Insurance approved a FAIR Plan dwelling rate change averaging 29.1% effective October 15, 2026, per KQED. It applies at each policy's renewal; homes with higher wildfire scores see larger changes and some lower-risk homes see decreases. Mitigation and a correct replacement-cost figure are the two levers you control.
Reviewed by Santo Militello, California-licensed Property & Casualty agent (CA License #1737723) and owner of Via Rapida Services — CA Insurance License #6003045. Our licensed team brings more than 70 years of combined insurance experience. Physical offices in Stockton, San Jose, and San Rafael; Los Angeles County and the rest of California are served remotely by phone, WhatsApp, and e-signature. FAIR Plan policy counts come from the California FAIR Plan Key Statistics page (June 2026); fire hazard zone figures from CAL FIRE / Office of the State Fire Marshal (March 24, 2025) as reported by LAist; the October 15, 2026 rate change from KQED (August 2026). Surplus lines policies are not covered by the California Insurance Guarantee Association. Every policy varies by carrier, limits, and property. Last reviewed: 2026-09-21.
