National non-renewal guide

Fire Insurance Cancelled or Non-Renewed? Here's Your Playbook — Wherever You Live.

Wildfire-driven non-renewals started in California, but they've spread — Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington, and Idaho are all seeing the same pattern now. A notice is stressful, but it's not the end of your coverage. Here's what insurers can and can't do in your state, and the step-by-step path back to being covered.

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11 states

Notice periods and protections compared below

Not a cancellation

Non-renewal ≠ mid-term cancellation — different rules

6 of 11

States have a FAIR Plan last-resort insurer

CA only

Has a standing 1-year post-fire moratorium law

Your rights at a glance

Every state requires advance written notice before a non-renewal — 30 to 75 days depending on where you live.
An in-force policy can’t be cancelled mid-term except for non-payment, fraud, or increased hazard, almost everywhere.
California, Colorado, and New Mexico have some form of post-fire non-renewal protection; most other states don't yet.
You can appeal an improper notice to your state Department of Insurance — every state has a complaint process.

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Part 1

What insurers can — and can't — do

"Did my state cancel fire insurance?"

No state has cancelled anyone's insurance. Private insurers — State Farm and Allstate most visibly in California, but regional carriers in Oregon, Colorado, and Arizona too — have paused new policies and issued non-renewals in high-risk areas because of mounting wildfire losses and reinsurance costs. Several states have responded by expanding their FAIR Plan or passing new mitigation-credit and disclosure laws, not by restricting coverage further.

"Can they cancel me in the middle of fire season?"

Generally no. An in-force annual policy can almost never be cancelled mid-term for anything other than non-payment, fraud, or a material increase in hazard — not because it's summer. What you likely received is a non-renewal at term end, which requires advance notice everywhere, just for different lengths of time depending on your state.

Cancellation vs. non-renewal — they're not the same

Cancellation (mid-term)

Ends your policy before its expiration date. Tightly restricted nationwide — the NAIC's model standard permits it only for non-payment, fraud/misrepresentation, or a substantial increase in the hazard. Rare, and reversible if improper.

Non-renewal (at term end)

Honors your current policy to its end date, then declines to offer a new term. This is what most wildfire-affected homeowners get. Requires advance written notice — 30 to 75 days depending on your state (see below) — stating the reason.

If your notice is a mid-term cancellation for any reason other than non-payment, fraud, or a hazard increase, treat it as suspect and raise it with your state Department of Insurance.

Part 2

Non-renewal notice, moratorium & FAIR Plan rules by state

Every figure below is checked against the state's own statute or Department of Insurance. Rules change — always confirm specifics with your state regulator before relying on a deadline.

California

Notice: 75 days (Cal. Ins. Code §678)

Moratorium: 1 year, statewide trigger

FAIR Plan: CA FAIR Plan (fire only)

Colorado

Notice: 60 days (C.R.S. §10-4-110.7)

Moratorium: Federal disaster areas only

FAIR Plan: CO FAIR Plan (since 2025)

Oregon

Notice: Varies by policy (ORS 742.277 (disclosure))

Moratorium: Case-by-case DFR order

FAIR Plan: OR FAIR Plan

Washington

Notice: 60 days (RCW 48.18.2901)

Moratorium: Case-by-case OIC order

FAIR Plan: WA FAIR Plan

Texas

Notice: 60 days (Tex. Ins. Code §551.105)

Moratorium: None confirmed

FAIR Plan: Texas FAIR Plan (not TWIA)

Arizona

Notice: 45 days (A.R.S. §20-1652)

Moratorium: None (2025 bill died)

FAIR Plan: None — surplus lines

New Mexico

Notice: 30 days (N.M. Admin. Code 13.8.4.9)

Moratorium: Emergency-order authority

FAIR Plan: NM FAIR Plan (since 1969)

Montana

Notice: 45 days (Mont. Code Ann. §33-15-1105)

Moratorium: Advisory only (non-binding)

FAIR Plan: None — surplus lines

Idaho

Notice: Varies by reason (Idaho Code Title 41, Ch. 18)

Moratorium: None confirmed

FAIR Plan: None — surplus lines

Utah

Notice: 30 days (Utah Code §31A-21-303)

Moratorium: None confirmed

FAIR Plan: None — surplus lines

Nevada

Notice: 30 days (NRS §687B.340)

Moratorium: None confirmed

FAIR Plan: None (2025 bill died)

State	Non-renewal notice	Post-fire moratorium	FAIR Plan
California	75 days Cal. Ins. Code §678	1 year, statewide trigger	CA FAIR Plan (fire only)
Colorado	60 days C.R.S. §10-4-110.7	Federal disaster areas only	CO FAIR Plan (since 2025)
Oregon	Varies by policy ORS 742.277 (disclosure)	Case-by-case DFR order	OR FAIR Plan
Washington	60 days RCW 48.18.2901	Case-by-case OIC order	WA FAIR Plan
Texas	60 days Tex. Ins. Code §551.105	None confirmed	Texas FAIR Plan (not TWIA)
Arizona	45 days A.R.S. §20-1652	None (2025 bill died)	None — surplus lines
New Mexico	30 days N.M. Admin. Code 13.8.4.9	Emergency-order authority	NM FAIR Plan (since 1969)
Montana	45 days Mont. Code Ann. §33-15-1105	Advisory only (non-binding)	None — surplus lines
Idaho	Varies by reason Idaho Code Title 41, Ch. 18	None confirmed	None — surplus lines
Utah	30 days Utah Code §31A-21-303	None confirmed	None — surplus lines
Nevada	30 days NRS §687B.340	None confirmed	None (2025 bill died)

"Varies" means the state requires advance notice but ties the exact length to the cancellation reason or policy type rather than one fixed number — check your notice letter and your state DOI for the figure that applies to you.

Part 3

You may be protected

If a fire was just declared near you, your notice might be invalid

California has the strongest protection in the country: under Insurance Code §675.1(b), once the Governor declares a wildfire state of emergency, insurers are barred from cancelling or non-renewing residential policies for one year for any home in a ZIP code within or adjacent to the fire perimeter — even homes that didn't burn. The Department of Insurance publishes the covered ZIP codes in a bulletin for each declared fire.

Other states protect you differently, and it's worth knowing the difference before you assume you're covered:

·Oregon and Washington have no standing moratorium statute. Instead, their regulators have issued temporary, event-specific emergency orders after major fires — for example, Washington's Insurance Commissioner ordered extended notice periods after the 2023 Gray and Oregon Road Fires near Spokane. These apply only to the declared area and expire on a set date.
·Colorado has a narrower, standing law (C.R.S. §10-4-110.9) that bars refusing to issue or renew fire insurance in a federally-designated disaster area — a higher bar than California's state-declared trigger. (Note: Colorado's HB22-1111, sometimes cited for this, is actually a claims-handling reform law and does not create a moratorium.)
·New Mexico's insurance superintendent has general statutory authority (NMSA §59A-2-8) to order temporary postponement of cancellations and non-renewals during a governor-declared emergency, and used it after the 2022 Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.
·Arizona, Texas, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada have no confirmed moratorium mechanism at all as of this writing (an Arizona bill that would have created one died in 2025).

If you're inside a declared emergency area and got a non-renewal, check with your state Department of Insurance before assuming the notice stands — it may be invalid.

Part 4 · Your move

The 6-step playbook when you're dropped

1
Don’t panic — and don’t go uninsured
A non-renewal notice is not a same-day cutoff. Most states require 30–75 days' notice before coverage actually ends (see the table above for your state). Never let a policy lapse — even a short gap can make you harder to insure and can violate your mortgage terms.
2
Read the notice — cancellation or non-renewal?
They’re legally different (see below). The notice must state the reason. If it’s a mid-term cancellation for a reason other than non-payment, fraud, or a material increase in hazard, it may be improper — flag it to your state Department of Insurance.
3
Shop specialists immediately — not just the big names
The carriers pulling back in wildfire areas (State Farm, Allstate, and others regionally) aren’t the whole market. High-value carriers (Chubb, PURE), membership carriers (USAA, AAA), and regional wildfire-focused MGAs still write many homes others drop. Start quotes the day you get the notice.
4
Harden your home and document it
A Class-A roof, ember-resistant vents, and a clear 5 ft Zone 0 around the house change both eligibility and price. Photos and receipts of mitigation are what get a "yes" from a wildfire-cautious underwriter — and several states now require insurers to credit it.
5
Use your state's FAIR Plan as a backstop — not a destination
Nine of the eleven wildfire-prone states covered here have a FAIR Plan or similar last-resort insurer guaranteeing basic fire coverage (see the table above — Arizona, Montana, Utah, and Nevada currently don't, so those homeowners rely on the surplus-lines market instead). Pair a fire-only FAIR Plan policy with a Difference-in-Conditions (DIC) policy for liability, theft, and water, then keep re-shopping the admitted market.
6
Know your appeal and complaint rights
If you believe a cancellation broke the rules — or a moratorium should protect you — every state Department of Insurance takes consumer complaints and can investigate an unjustified non-renewal. Regulators do reverse improper notices.

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Part 5

Why this is spreading beyond California

It's economics, not a vendetta against any one state. After years of catastrophic wildfire losses, insurers and their reinsurers face surging costs, and catastrophe models now price wildfire risk more precisely — and more conservatively — than they used to. Analysts at S&P Global and Moody's, and a 2025 U.S. Senate Budget Committee report, all document the same pattern taking hold outside California: Colorado homeowner premiums rose roughly 58% from 2018–2023 with several carriers pulling back from mountain towns like Evergreen and Conifer; Oregon insurers have retreated sharply around Bend, Sisters, and La Pine, with one homeowner quoted a jump from $1,800 to $5,800 before being called "uninsurable"; Arizona homeowners in Gila and Navajo counties have been rejected by 20+ insurers before finding coverage; and Idaho non-renewed roughly 3,100 homeowner policies in 2023 alone. Understanding this helps you shop smarter: the answer isn't to chase the carriers that left, but to find the ones still writing your kind of home.

Fire insurance non-renewal FAQ

Is wildfire insurance being pulled everywhere, or just California?

It started in California but is no longer limited to it. Independent reporting from S&P Global, Moody's, Cotality, and a 2025 U.S. Senate Budget Committee analysis all document rising wildfire-linked non-renewals in Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, and parts of Washington. Colorado premiums rose roughly 58% from 2018–2023; Oregon insurers have pulled back sharply around Bend, Sisters, and La Pine; Idaho non-renewed about 3,100 homeowner policies in 2023 alone. If you're outside California and just got a notice, you're not imagining a trend — it's real and growing.

Can my insurer cancel my fire insurance during fire season?

Generally no — not an in-force annual policy. Nearly every state limits mid-term cancellation to specific reasons: non-payment of premium, fraud or material misrepresentation, or a substantial increase in the hazard you control. Insurers can't simply cancel an active policy because it's fire season. What they can do is non-renew you at the end of your policy term, with advance written notice — the required period ranges from 30 days (Nevada, Utah, New Mexico) to 75 days (California); see the table above for your state.

What's the difference between cancellation and non-renewal?

Cancellation ends a policy mid-term, before its expiration date, and is tightly restricted almost everywhere — the national model standard (via the NAIC) permits it only for non-payment, fraud/misrepresentation, a substantial hazard increase, or a few other narrow reasons. Non-renewal means the insurer honors your current policy to its end date but won't offer a new term — this is what most wildfire-affected homeowners actually experience, and it requires advance written notice stating the reason.

Is there a law that stops insurers from dropping me after a nearby fire?

It depends heavily on your state. California has the strongest protection: under Insurance Code §675.1, once the Governor declares a wildfire state of emergency, insurers are barred from cancelling or non-renewing residential policies for one year for homes within or adjacent to the fire perimeter — even homes that didn't burn. Oregon and Washington don't have a standing law like this; instead their regulators have issued temporary, fire-specific emergency orders after major fires (for example, Washington's 2023 order after the Gray and Oregon Road Fires). Colorado's protection is narrower still — it only applies inside a federally-declared disaster area. Arizona, Texas, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada have no confirmed moratorium mechanism at all. Check your state Department of Insurance for the current status where you live.

Does my state have a FAIR Plan?

California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Texas, and New Mexico all have a FAIR Plan or equivalent last-resort insurer. Arizona, Montana, Utah, and Nevada currently do not — homeowners there who can't find standard coverage typically go through the surplus lines (excess & surplus) market via a licensed broker instead. Coverage and limits vary a lot: California's FAIR Plan is fire-only up to $3 million residential; Colorado's newer plan (launched April 2025) covers standard fire-policy perils up to $750,000; Texas has two separate residual-market entities — the Texas FAIR Plan Association covers fire, while TWIA covers wind/hail only in coastal counties and explicitly excludes fire.

My fire insurance was dropped — can I still get covered?

Almost always, yes — though it may cost more. Start with specialist and high-value carriers and a broker who places wildfire homes, harden your home and document it, and use your state's FAIR Plan (if it has one) plus a DIC policy as a guaranteed backstop. Being non-renewed once does not make you uninsurable; it means you need to shop the right markets.

Next steps

Am I insurable? Get your score & action plan →Appeal your insurer’s wildfire score →Carriers that still write high-risk homes →Insurance in high fire-risk areas How FAIR Plans work, state by state →Harden your home (and unlock discounts)Check your address’s wildfire risk score →

This guide is general information, not legal or insurance advice, and statutes, notice periods, and regulatory orders change frequently — figures above are summarized for orientation only and were verified against primary state sources as of July 2026. Confirm current rules with your state Department of Insurance and verify all coverage with licensed carriers. FireRisk.ai is independent and not affiliated with any insurer named here; we may be compensated when you request quotes through a partner.