What can be done to lower rates?

It’s important to note that rate increases shown are an average, and home hardening and other mitigation efforts can help lower costs, according to Laucher.

One neighbor may see a 10% rate increase while another neighbor just down the street could see a 36% increase.

Property owners who follow all recommended measures to harden their homes to make them safer from wildfire can receive “mitigation discounts,” Laucher said.

It is important to show proof of “all” the hardening measures — not just a few — to earn the greatest discounts.

Mitigation discounts can be earned if homes have a Class-A fire-rated roof, enclosed eaves, fire-resistant vents, multi-pane windows, and at least six inches of noncombustible vertical clearance at the bottom exterior of the building. Clearing vegetation and debris from under decks and within five feet of the home and sheds is also required, as well as metal fencing where attached to structures.

For a complete list of tips, select the “Get Prepared” tab at uphelp.org.

Determining fire risk

Insurers and folks at the FAIR Plan are using more granular methods to determine wildfire risk scores, including aerial imagery to determine property eligibility and premium costs.

Property owners should do their own search for aerial images using search engines such as Google to see rooflines and tree limbs hanging over their house that may impact their risk scores.

“Sometimes it gets it wrong,” Laucher said.

Laucher and his team at United Policyholders offer free advocacy when decisions of which homes to renew and which not to renew are made.

Also, because there are a lot of errors, there’s been legislation in the last couple of years requiring insurance companies to share their aerial imagery with customers, especially when they’re doing a non-renewal.

Negotiating what can be done to remedy problems can also be beneficial, according to Laucher.

Another small piece of good news came in July 2026, when Nevada County was added to the Wildfire Risk Reduction Community List as part of the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection.

It’s worth giving your insurance company or the FAIR Plan a call to make sure they are applying the discount to your rate.

“It’s not huge, a few percent,” Launcher said, “but every home in Nevada County is now on that list, so it’s something you should be asking agents for.”

If you are able to get coverage from a private insurer, consider increasing your deductible to save money, on the chance that you may never need to use it.

Another option is to move your auto insurance coverage to your homeowners insurer and ask for a package discount or other discounts.

Don’t delay if you are not renewed

If your insurance company drops coverage for your home or business, begin shopping for alternatives as soon as possible; your insurer must give a 75-day notice of the non-renewal and must allow you to appeal.

Property owners in Nevada County should talk to an agent and compare options, as things are “less bleak today than they were six months ago,” Cookson said.

Cookson and Laucher offered slightly different advice for selecting an insurance company in the current market.

People should be aware that there are “admitted insurers,” not only the well-known companies such as State Farm, Farmers, and Allstate, but hundreds of other small companies, according to Laucher.

In the very unlikely case that an admitted insurer becomes insolvent or goes broke, they are backed by the insurance guarantee fund.

“That is very important,” Laucher said.

If you end up with a non-admitted insurer, you want to make sure they have a strong financial rating, typically referred to as AM Best’s financial rating, of at least a B+ or an A company, according to Laucher.

“Make sure you’ve shopped that whole admitted marketplace, because that’s your strongest financial support in case there ever is a catastrophe in your community,” Laucher said. “Non-admitted carriers can basically charge whatever they want.”

Cookson shared that at his office, they “currently have one admitted carrier willing to underwrite certain homes in our area.”

“Still, once one admitted company jumps into the market in a certain area, others tend to follow,” Cookson said.

Cookson thought it is also worth investigating many of the un-admitted insurers that have been around for a long time.

“It really means they’re not admitted in the state of California,” Cookson said. Most are “real insurance carriers that are typically admitted in another state, and they are licensed to do business through a wholesaler.”

A lot of them are “really good insurance companies, who give really good products,” Cookson said. “They might be a little bit more expensive, but some of them might be a little bit less expensive than admitted.”

Approximately 90% of property insurance sold at Cookson’s office, Maven Risk Management & Insurance Brokers located in Grass Valley, are non-admitted carriers, but only in the B+ / A rating based on AM Best.

“An A / A+ rated carrier could have a really big financial backing difference,” Cookson said. He recommends consumers go on ambest.com and view the financial strengths for each insurer, in or outside of California.