Insurance Resources

Insurance companies have the authority to require changes to your property.

Private insurance companies can require changes to your property that are stricter than the local fire code in order to provide you with insurance, as they have the right to assess risk and set their own underwriting guidelines, which may include standards beyond the minimum local code requirements.

The goal of the Berkeley Fire Department is to provide resources to help you protect your property and neighborhood from the threat of wildfire. Berkeley Fire is not responsible for ensuring you qualify for an insurance policy, a renewal, or for the management or enforcement of any insurance policies since these are private agreements between policyholders and providers.

 
 

Berkeley Fire Department Offers Risk Reduction Programs

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fire Risk Reduction Community

The City of Berkeley is one of only 11 cities in California that the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has designated as a Fire Risk Reduction Community, meeting all criteria and best practices for local fire planning.

 

Defensible Space Inspections  

Berkeley Fire Department visits residential properties in the high severity fire zones to evaluate whether your home meets defensible space, vegetation management, and home hardening standards. Following the evaluation, you will receive a personalized online report with recommendations for improving your home’s ability to survive a wildfire. This evaluation determines if your property meets state and local requirements for defensible space.

 

Berkeley Fire Defensible Space Checklist 

The Berkeley Fire Department has created a self-checklist of recommendations for improving your property’s wildfire risk, which adheres to the required compliance with State and local defensible space regulations.

 

Resident Assistance Program  

The Resident Assistance Program (RAP) offers financial or logistical support to residents who face physical or financial challenges in addressing defensible space violations. The RAP funds contractors to help rectify these violations, ensuring safer and more compliant properties.

 

Home Hardening

The Berkeley Fire Department offers residents complementary metal mesh to cover home vents and free gutter guards to prevent gutter buildup. These home hardening measures significantly reduce the risk of embers igniting a house by blocking embers from entering the home through vents and preventing flammable debris from accumulating in gutters.

 

Chipper Program

Chipper Day offers free curbside pickup, chipping, and disposal of vegetation for all residential properties in the City of Berkeley. This service helps residents create and maintain defensible space around their homes. In 2023, 1,203 pickups were completed, removing a total of 2,920 cubic yards of flammable material.

 

Eucalyptus Understory Clean-up Program  

The Eucalyptus Understory Cleanup Program offers residents in Fire Zones 2 and 3 a free one-time service to clear the understory of eucalyptus trees on private property. This includes removing dead and dried leaf and bark litter, stripping shedding bark from tree trunks, and trimming the lower limbs of trees. These efforts significantly reduce the risk of wildfires spreading into the tree canopy.

 

Firewise

The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) has developed the FireWise program to help communities reduce wildfire risk through effective vegetation management and home hardening practices. Staff from the Berkeley Fire Department, Wildland Division present the FireWise criteria to neighborhoods and assist with the community application process.

 

More Resources

If you’ve received a non-renewal notice from your insurance provider, check out our resources to help you navigate this process.

  • When you contact your current insurance company and ask them if there are improvements you can make to your home that will qualify you for a renewal. If you bought your expiring policy through an agent, ask them to go to contact the company on your behalf.

  • Asking for your risk score and understand your score- A fire risk score used by insurance agencies assesses the likelihood of a property being damaged or destroyed by fire. This score is determined by evaluating various factors, including your property’s location, proximity to wildfire-prone areas, the surrounding vegetation, building materials, and local fire services. Insurance companies use this score to gauge a property’s potential risk and determine appropriate premiums for home and fire insurance policies. A lower fire risk score generally indicates a reduced likelihood of fire damage, potentially resulting in lower insurance rates. You have a right to this score.

  • You may be able to change your score; how? Work with your local fire department and meet defensible space requirements and home hardening standards.

    Contact your local fire department, Fire Safe Council, or elected officials and find out if there is an inspection, Fire Risk Reduction certification, or brush-clearing assistance program available in your area. 

  • If your insurance company still won’t work with you, find an experienced agent or broker to help you shop around and compare plans. Just because one insurer isn’t renewing doesn’t mean another isn’t willing. The help of a good broker will make the process much easier for you because they have the expertise and knowledge of the insurance market and have built relationships with multiple insurers. They can streamline the process by giving you personalized offers and advice.

  • Visit UPhelp.org

  • WRAP Resource Center Link

Wildfire Insurance Context

In order to understand the current state of wildfire and insurance policies, it is important to examine the context that has led to increased wildfire risk in the Berkeley Hills and how insurance policies have evolved in response to this growing threat.  

In 1991, the Oakland Firestorm struck in the Oakland and Berkeley WUI, killing 25 people and destroying 3,469 homes (FS.USDA). This catastrophic fire offers a glimpse into the size and severity of fire that could occur in the Berkeley Hills again.

Since 2015, 15 of the 20 most damaging fires in California have occurred. The 2017 Tubbs Fire remained active for 123 days, the 2018 Camp Fire resulted in 85 fatalities, and the 2021 Dixie Fire burned 963,309 acres (CAL FIRE Incidents).

With wildfire loss outpacing premiums, many insurance companies are now requiring residents adopt additional wildfire mitigations on and around their homes in addition to the local fire codes enforced by cities.

Your property may comply with the Berkeley Fire Code, but as private entities, insurance companies can require additional actions by homeowners in order to receive insurance discounts or to maintain coverage. In other words, residents might be compliant with their city’s local fire code but still have their policy non-renewed or fail to receive insurance discounts because they do not comply with the additional steps outlined by their private insurance companies.

California Insurance Commissioner Lara has released the “Safer From Wildfires” guidance that may help residents receive insurance discounts (CA Department of Insurance). Several of the 10 steps to being “Safer From Wildfire” are enforced in Berkeley’s fire code, such as clearing vegetation and debris from under decks and complying with local defensible space regulations. Additionally, the City of Berkeley is a Fire Risk Reduction Community.

We recommend that residents learn about and implement the 10 Steps to Being Safer From Wildfires. Many steps are not covered during the Berkely defensible space inspection., and therefore, may be hard to prove to insurance companies. However, according to Commissioner Lara, each of these 10 steps will qualify homeowners for insurance discounts. For additional information about the Safer From Wildfires guidance, read the full insurance regulation document.