California bill aims to require insurance coverage for fire-hardened homes

State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez proposes legislation to guarantee homeowner policies for properties meeting wildfire safety standards.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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A new state Senate bill in California introduced by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez aims to ensure homeowners insurance protections for properties that have been upgraded to meet wildfire safety standards, such as home-hardening upgrades and defensible space requirements. The legislation would authorize the state insurance commissioner to bar noncompliant insurers from participating in both the home and auto insurance markets for five years if they refuse to offer or renew policies for homes that meet the fire-resilience standards.

Why it matters

The bill follows concerns raised by wildfire survivors who fear they could lose coverage after rebuilding their homes to the highest fire-resilience standards. This is an important issue as California has faced a deepening property insurance crisis in recent years due to a series of catastrophic wildfires, with insurers closing the door to new policies and canceling existing ones.

The details

The safety standards outlined in the bill include home-hardening upgrades like sprinklers and closing off the eaves under a roof, as well as defensible space requirements designed to reduce fire risk. If enacted, the legislation would authorize the state insurance commissioner to bar noncompliant insurers from participating in both the home and auto insurance markets for five years if they refuse to offer or renew policies for homes that meet the fire-resilience standards.

  • The bill was introduced in the California State Senate in February 2026.

The players

Sasha Renée Pérez

A Democratic state senator representing Pasadena who has worked to bring more transparency to the insurance claims process for survivors of recent wildfires in California.

Eaton Fire Survivors Network

A group co-sponsoring the legislation that represents wildfire survivors rebuilding their homes to be more fire-safe.

Consumer Watchdog

A Los Angeles-based nonprofit advocacy organization that is also co-sponsoring the bill, arguing that wildfire mitigation efforts are often overlooked in insurance underwriting decisions.

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What they’re saying

“To help fire survivors return home, we need assurance that newly built, wildfire resilient homes will receive insurance coverage. Homeowners who meet or exceed safety standards should not be met with coverage denials.”

— Sasha Renée Pérez, State Senator (Daily News)

“Survivors are rebuilding stronger and safer. But if our community cannot access insurance even after making our homes fire-safe, our housing market will crater.”

— Joy Chen, Executive Director, Eaton Fire Survivors Network (Daily News)

“Wildfire safety measures can reduce communities' fire risk by half, yet too often these steps are ignored when insurance companies decide who to cover. Homeowners deserve to know that when they invest in wildfire protection and make their home safer from wildfires, they will be able to insure it.”

— Carmen Balber, Executive Director, Consumer Watchdog (Daily News)

What’s next

The California State Senate will consider the bill in the coming months, and if passed, it would then move to the State Assembly for further consideration.

The takeaway

This proposed legislation aims to address a critical issue facing California homeowners who have invested in making their properties more fire-resilient - ensuring they can still obtain and maintain insurance coverage even after taking these important steps to protect their homes and communities from wildfires.