The 2026 Guide to Fire Insurance in Arnold and surrounding areas: Is it still possible to buy?

The big question on everyone's mind is fire insurance. Without a doubt one of the main questions to ask when you start considering a property in our area is if you will need fire insurance and if you can get fire insurance or more importantly if you can afford fire insurance. A majority of the highway 4 corridor is located in a High or Very High Fire Severity Zone.

Chances are unless you are purchasing a condo that includes insurance you will need both fire insurance in addition to your wrap around policy. Fire insurance is still achievable mainly through the CA Fair Plan and once in a blue moon through a private insurance provider. While we are seeing some private companies return to California new policies are like purple squirrels because they do not often appear in nature. Most private insurance companies require fully fire hardened properties including defensible space clearance and concrete siding and metal or concrete roofs and fire resistant baffle vents and trex or composite decking and more.

While we are on the subject some communities are located in Firewise communities. These communities often benefit from their certification in turn receiving reduced premiums. If you are not sure if the home you are looking for is in a Firewise community you might go straight to the source which is the Firewise website with deets below. The main purpose of this post is to remind you it is still possible to obtain fire insurance and not nearly as catastrophically expensive as the dooms day articles suggest. If you do not believe me reach out to one of the pros listed below.

Firewise.org

Tom Souza , Farmers Insurance, tom@tsouzainsurance.com, (925) 435 5526

Rich Martin, Sierra Select Solutions, rich.martin@sierraselectins.com, 408-888-3813