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Educational notes for homeowners. Not an insurer, not an agent, and not advice about your policy.

CA · NAIC WESTERN ZONE

California homeowners insurance non-renewal notice requirements

Wildfire, and the admitted-market pullback that followed years of catastrophe losses, are the search behind most California nonrenewal questions.

NOTICE RULE

75 days before expiration

Cal. Ins. Code § 678(c)

For a nonrenewal of a policy that expires on or after 1 July 2020, the insurer must deliver or mail notice at least 75 days before expiration. The notice has to include the reason and the department contact information required in the statute. If the insurer misses the 75 days, the existing policy stays in effect, with no change in terms, for 75 days from the date the notice is delivered or mailed. A residential nonrenewal for a policy expiring on or after 1 July 2021 must also include the department’s statement pointing people to the California Home Insurance Finder and the California FAIR Plan. Mailing time under Code of Civil Procedure § 1013 applies when the notice is mailed on or after 1 July 2022.

Read the statute · NAIC department directory

2022 HO-3 AVERAGE

$1,492

Rank 23 in the Triple-I table of NAIC data. Not a 2026 price. The U.S. figure was $1,569.

2024 WESTERN ZONE

$1,600

Average premium per policy in the NAIC MCAS study. Company data are confidential, so this is not a California average.

ZONE NONRENEWALS

25.1 per 1,000 policies in 2024, the highest zone rate

The rate per 1,000 policies rose from 8.0 in 2022 to 25.1 in 2024. The full 2018–2024 percent change is inside the report’s 96% to 216% range and is not given as its own figure in the summary..

Premium trend

Triple-I notes that the California figure was provided by the California Department of Insurance.

From 2018 to 2024, inflation-adjusted premium per policy in the Western zone: 43.3% after inflation, the high end of the four zones. Nominal average premium per policy rose 74% from 2018 to 2024 in the Western zone, before the inflation adjustment. The 2024 average was $1,600.

The countrywide 2024 book was about $1,600 per policy across 103.3 million policies. Localized ZIP codes move faster than the zone. A March 2026 NAIC data call is collecting ZIP-level detail that this page does not have yet.

[22][19][21]

Insurer of last resort

California FAIR Plan. PIPSO counted 417,310 California habitational FAIR policies in fiscal year 2024, with $1.42 billion of direct premium written across habitational and commercial policies in the same table. The Department of Insurance requires nonrenewal notices to point insureds to the FAIR Plan. FAIR Plan coverage is not a standard homeowners package. Compare the perils, especially fire-only forms, before you treat it as a replacement. [22]

Plan site

Where to complain

California Department of Insurance takes complaints about notices, cancellations, and claim handling.California Department of Insurance If the site has moved, start from the NAIC directory. Department web addresses were not all re-checked on this review beyond the link above. Needs verification if the link fails.

What to do with the notice

  1. Find three dates: the date the notice was mailed, the date the policy expires, and the date the company says coverage ends.
  2. Read the reason. “Underwriting reasons,” with nothing under it, is not an explanation you can appeal or fix.
  3. Decide which letter you have. A nonrenewal, a mid-term cancellation, and a renewal that cuts coverage or raises the price are different notices, and states time them differently.
  4. Keep paying the current policy until a new one is bound. A gap can put a mortgage into force-placed insurance, which protects the lender first.
  5. Ask the company, in writing, for the declarations page, the replacement-cost estimate, and which rating factors changed.
  6. If a mortgage company is on the policy, tell them you are replacing coverage before the old policy ends.
  7. Shop admitted insurers. If you cannot find one, use the residual-market note on your state page. A FAIR plan or Citizens policy is often narrower than the policy you had.
  8. Compare deductibles before you accept a lower premium. A percentage hurricane or wind deductible is a share of the dwelling limit, not a flat $1,000.
  9. If the notice looks late or states no real reason, complain to the state insurance department and keep the envelope or the electronic-delivery record.
  10. Ask about a mitigation credit only where the company will put the discount in writing: a new roof, opening protection, or defensible space, depending on the peril.

Insurers people search in California

Questions people type

How many days’ notice does California require before a homeowners non-renewal?

75 days before expiration. Cal. Ins. Code § 678(c) For a nonrenewal of a policy that expires on or after 1 July 2020, the insurer must deliver or mail notice at least 75 days before expiration. The notice has to include the reason and the department contact information required in the statute. If the insurer misses the 75 days, the existing policy stays in effect, with no change in terms, for 75 days from the date the notice is delivered or mailed. A residential nonrenewal for a policy expiring on or after 1 July 2021 must also include the department’s statement pointing people to the California Home Insurance Finder and the California FAIR Plan. Mailing time under Code of Civil Procedure § 1013 applies when the notice is mailed on or after 1 July 2022. [2][3]

What is the average homeowners premium trend in California?

The 2022 HO-3 average republished by Triple-I from NAIC data was $1,492 in California, rank 23. That is not a 2026 price. California is in the NAIC Western zone, where the 2024 average premium per policy in the MCAS study was $1,600. Nominal average premium per policy rose 74% from 2018 to 2024 in the Western zone, before the inflation adjustment. The 2024 average was $1,600. [22][19][21]

What if I cannot find another homeowners insurer in California?

California FAIR Plan: PIPSO counted 417,310 California habitational FAIR policies in fiscal year 2024, with $1.42 billion of direct premium written across habitational and commercial policies in the same table. The Department of Insurance requires nonrenewal notices to point insureds to the FAIR Plan. FAIR Plan coverage is not a standard homeowners package. Compare the perils, especially fire-only forms, before you treat it as a replacement. File a complaint or ask for help through California Department of Insurance. If that site has moved, use the NAIC department directory. [22][27]

Sources reviewed 2026-10-14

Open the document. The sentence above is only as current as that reading.

  1. [2] Cal. Ins. Code § 678. California Legislative Information. Reviewed 2026-10-14. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=INS&sectionNum=678.
  2. [3] 2026 notice: significant California residential property insurance laws. California Department of Insurance. Reviewed 2026-10-14. https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/0300-insurers/0200-bulletins/bulletin-notices-commiss-opinion/upload/2026-Notice-Significant-California-Laws-Pertaining-to-Residential-Property-Insurance-Policies-Declared-State-of-Emergency.pdf
  3. [19] Examining Homeowner Property Insurance Market Dynamics, 2018–2024 (31 July 2026). NAIC Center for Insurance Policy and Research. Reviewed 2026-10-14. https://content.naic.org/sites/default/files/mcas-homeowners-property-insurance-market-dynamics-report.pdf
  4. [21] NAIC members by zone. National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Reviewed 2026-10-14. https://content.naic.org/membership-report/members-zone
  5. [22] Facts + statistics: homeowners and renters insurance. Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I). Reviewed 2026-10-14. https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-homeowners-and-renters-insurance
  6. [26] SERFF Filing Access. NAIC. Reviewed 2026-10-14. https://filingaccess.serff.com/sfa/home/
  7. [27] State insurance department directory. National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Reviewed 2026-10-14. https://content.naic.org/state-insurance-departments