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California FAIR Plan

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 13, 2026

What the California FAIR Plan is

This website is not the California FAIR Plan and is not affiliated with it. For your policy, payments or claims, use the plan's own site, cfpnet.com, or call (800) 339-4099.

The FAIR Plan ("Fair Access to Insurance Requirements") is California's "insurer of last resort." The Legislature created it in August 1968 under Insurance Code sections 10090 and following. It is not a state agency and gets no taxpayer money. It is a pool of all insurers licensed to sell property insurance in California. Each member shares in its profits, losses and expenses based on its share of the state's market. A governing committee runs it, and the California Department of Insurance (CDI) oversees it.

The plan calls itself "a temporary safety net": it is there until a regular insurer will cover you again. [7][12][13][14]

Who is eligible

The FAIR Plan is for people who can't get coverage from a regular insurer. Under Insurance Code section 10093, it serves people who, "after diligent effort," have been unable to get basic property insurance "through normal channels from an admitted insurer or a licensed surplus line broker."

In practice, your broker does a "diligent search" of the regular market first. The plan says: "If coverage is available in the traditional marketplace, the California FAIR Plan is not right for you."

Homes it insures (dwelling policy): owner-occupied 1-4 unit dwellings, seasonal rentals, 1-4 unit rentals, renters' personal property, and condo unit owners' property and improvements.

Commercial policies: apartment buildings with 5 or more units, hotels and motels, shops, manufacturing, offices, buildings under construction, and farms and wineries (not crops or livestock).

State law provides for an inspection of the property when you apply. [2][4][15][16]

What it covers and what it doesn't

The FAIR Plan's Dwelling Fire Policy is a "named peril" policy: it pays only for damage from the causes of loss listed in the policy. The basic perils are:

• Fire or lightning
• Internal explosion
• Smoke (sudden and accidental, including airborne or wind-driven soot and ash; not smoke from fireplaces, fire pits, barbecues and similar sources)

If you choose "extended coverages," the sample policy adds windstorm or hail, explosion, riot, aircraft, vehicles and volcanic eruption. Vandalism and malicious mischief is another option at extra cost.

Limits: CDI says the plan offers up to $3 million for homes; the Plan of Operation attached to CDI's Stipulation and Order No. 2026-2 (March 2026) sets the maximum for Division I fire and allied lines policies at "$3 million at one Location." The Commissioner ordered that limit in 2019, doubling the old one. For commercial property, CDI approved a "high-value" option of up to $20 million per building and $100 million per location, available from July 26, 2025, and set to end in 2028.

Not covered: the plan says water damage, theft and liability coverage are "not available through the California FAIR Plan." State law's required FAIR Plan notice also warns that FAIR Plan policies "may not cover liability, theft, or water damage, among other things." Flood and earthquake need separate policies.

Wildfire discounts: for policies effective Nov. 15, 2025 or later, the plan offers up to 12 wildfire-hardening discounts. Dwelling policyholders who get all 12 "may see a discount of up to 16.4%" off the wildfire portion of the premium (13.8% for commercial). In March 2025, CDI described the discount as "up to 20 percent"; the plan's current discount sheet says 16.4%, so confirm with your broker.

The plan does not estimate your home's value or rebuilding cost; it says that is up to you and your broker. [2][3][4][7][8][10][14][17][18][19]

Filling the gaps: difference in conditions (DIC) policies

A difference-in-conditions (DIC) policy is sold by some private insurers. It covers things the FAIR Plan doesn't, such as water damage, theft and liability. The plan says DIC policies "are designed to combine with a California FAIR Plan policy to provide coverage similar to that in a comprehensive homeowner's policy."

The FAIR Plan does not sell DIC policies. CDI keeps a list of insurers that sell DIC policies to pair with a FAIR Plan policy. Our difference-in-conditions guide explains more.

For years CDI has pushed the plan to offer a fuller homeowners-style policy. As of Oct. 13, 2026, CDI's FAIR Plan page says that option is "currently in progress," so for now you still need a separate DIC policy for those coverages. [3][7][18][20][21]

How to apply

1. Find a licensed broker. The plan says its customer service staff "legally cannot provide you advice on your coverages or limits – a licensed broker can." Not all brokers are registered with the FAIR Plan. There is "no additional cost for having an insurance broker." Search for one with CDI's license lookup.
2. Let the broker search the regular market. If a regular insurer will cover you, the FAIR Plan is not for you. You can ask more than one broker.
3. Apply for the FAIR Plan policy and a DIC policy if you want broader coverage. CDI says you may also contact the FAIR Plan directly at (800) 339-4099, but it recommends a broker registered with the plan.

State law requires an agent or broker to help a person seeking a FAIR Plan policy, either by submitting the application, giving the plan's website and toll-free number, or finding a policy from another insurer. [2][4][7][18]

Paying your bill, policy changes and claims

• Pay online: Make a Payment. The plan has no online account login for policyholders; its "Broker Portal Login" is for brokers. There is no processing fee for ACH (bank) payments. A third-party vendor charges 3.5% for credit or debit card payments.
• Payment plans: full pay, three payments (40%, 30%, 30%), or 11 monthly payments. The plan's payment page says Dwelling Fire policies on installment plans pay a $4.50 fee per installment, and a returned payment costs $25. (CDI's FAIR Plan page describes "monthly payments without a fee"; go by the plan's current fee list and confirm with the plan.) Autopay is available for eligible policies if you opt in to emailed billing and autopay notices. A 2025 law (AB 290) required the plan to accept automatic payments by April 1, 2026, and bars it from cancelling or non-renewing a policy solely because you are not enrolled in autopay.
• Check status: payment status or policy status.
• Claims: use the 24/7 online claim form or call (213) 487-0111 or (800) 339-4099, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Policy changes and coverage questions: the plan says to contact your broker.

[1][5][6][7][22]

Rates, the 2025 assessment and recent changes

Growth. As of June 2026, the plan had 696,562 dwelling and commercial policies and $768 billion in total exposure, up 157% and 250% since September 2022. Its written premium was $2.04 billion. CDI reported on Aug. 3, 2026 that growth slowed to 1.9% in the second quarter of 2026.

The 2025 assessment after the Los Angeles fires. On Feb. 11, 2025, the plan asked the Insurance Commissioner to approve a $1 billion assessment (a charge on its member insurers) to keep paying claims from the Palisades and Eaton fires. CDI announced the Commissioner's approval the same day (Order No. 2025-1). Under an earlier agreement, insurers were responsible for half the assessment and could ask CDI's approval to pass the rest to their own customers as a temporary fee. CDI says the median fee for homeowners was $28 per year, approved for two years. On June 30, 2026, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected a lawsuit challenging the Commissioner's rules on how insurers may pass assessment costs to customers. The plan had assessed member insurers before: in 1993 after fires in Altadena and Malibu, and in 1994 and 1995 after the Northridge earthquake, $260 million in all.

New laws. AB 226, in effect Jan. 1, 2026, lets the plan, with the Commissioner's approval, use catastrophe bonds, loans and lines of credit to pay claims. On Sept. 30, 2026, CDI announced that the Governor signed AB 1680, the "Make It FAIR Act," which CDI says requires the plan to carry out corrective actions from CDI examinations and improves claims handling and financial accountability.

Smoke claims. CDI has taken legal action against the plan over denied smoke damage claims from the Los Angeles fires; as of February 2026, CDI said the case was set for hearings before an administrative law judge.

Rates. The plan says it "typically has higher rates than those set by voluntary insurers," because of the laws governing how it sets rates and its high-risk exposure. This page does not list rate-change percentages because we could not confirm them from CDI or the plan as of Oct. 13, 2026; ask your broker what your renewal premium will be. [9][11][21][23][24][25][26][27]

Getting back to the regular market: the clearinghouse

State law (Insurance Code section 10095) requires the FAIR Plan to run a "clearinghouse": a program that lets regular insurers review FAIR Plan policies and offer homeowners policies to those policyholders, through your listed agent or broker. The law also required a commercial clearinghouse by July 1, 2024.

The plan may share your personal information with clearinghouse member companies so they can consider making you an offer. You can opt out of clearinghouse sharing on the plan's site.

CDI also says FAIR Plan policyholders should "shop the market regularly," contact multiple agents and brokers, and ask about companies writing new policies in their area. Under CDI's Sustainable Insurance Strategy, participating insurers commit to write more policies in wildfire-distressed areas. [9][13][28][29]

Earthquake coverage through the FAIR Plan

If you have a FAIR Plan dwelling policy, the plan also offers earthquake coverage from the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) as a separate policy. You must have an active FAIR Plan policy; the plan does not sell stand-alone earthquake coverage. For flood insurance, see our sister site FloodHawk. [2][30]

Where to get help

• The FAIR Plan: (800) 339-4099 or (213) 487-0111, cfpnet.com.
• California Department of Insurance: consumer hotline (800) 927-4357, or file a complaint.

More on the state's rules: Homeowners Insurance in California. [6][31]

Questions people ask