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Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 13, 2026

What homeowners insurance costs in Louisiana: average premium, 2023 $3,027 a year in Louisiana vs. $1,737 countrywide · 1st highest of 51 · All states (HO-3 policies; NAIC)

Louisiana's homeowners market right now

Rates are still rising, but more slowly. The Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) said in February 2026 that homeowners rates "continued to rise in 2025, but at a significantly slower pace than in prior years," and that homeowners insurers filed nine rate decreases in 2025, the first year since 2020 with more than three.

The commissioner added that most decreases came from "smaller regional insurers" and that he is "not satisfied with where rates are today." Homeowners premiums paid in Louisiana were rising by about $135 million for filings approved in 2025.

New companies are entering. By the end of April 2026, three more insurers had been licensed to write homeowners coverage in 2026, joining 14 licensed in 2024 and 2025, with four more applying. Rate changes still go both ways: LDI's April 2026 update listed one homeowners insurer with a 10% decrease and another with a 9.2% increase.

You can look up any insurer's approved rate changes with LDI's rate filing search tool. LDI's advice is to shop your policy with several agents and companies. [9][10][11]

How the state is pulling insurers back in

The Insure Louisiana Incentive Program, created by Act 754 of 2022, gives matching grants to property insurers that agree to write new policies in Louisiana. Its stated goals include increasing the availability of property insurance and reducing the business written by Louisiana Citizens.

Insurers in the program must write new policies that include wind and hail coverage, and at least half of the required new premium must be in the federal Gulf Opportunity Zone. LDI's program page lists the participating companies and links to the agents appointed by each one.

In 2024 the legislature also changed the three-year rule (see below). In October 2025 LDI reported that Louisiana Farm Bureau had begun writing more wind and hail coverage for homeowners and credited the three-year-rule changes. [12][13][14]

Last resort: Louisiana Citizens

Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state-created insurer of last resort. It runs two programs: the FAIR Plan (a FAIR plan is a state-backed pool for homes the private market won't insure) and the Coastal Plan for designated coastal areas.

To apply you must have been turned down by at least one insurer licensed in Louisiana, and the application asks you to name the companies that denied you. Citizens describes itself as "state-mandated to be more costly than private property insurance companies." Its coverage options include wind-and-hail-only policies for dwellings and commercial properties.

Full details, official links and recent rate changes are on our Louisiana Citizens page. [1][5][15][16]

If your insurer drops you

Notice before nonrenewal. For a homeowners policy, the insurer must mail or deliver written notice of nonrenewal at least 60 days before the policy expires, and the notice must include "the cause for which the insurer is failing to renew." This 60-day rule took effect July 1, 2026 (Act 182 of 2025); before that, the minimum was 30 days. If the notice is late, your coverage stays in effect until 60 days after the notice was mailed or delivered. No notice is required if the insurer or a company in its group offered to renew you, or if you told the insurer in writing you would not renew.

Ask for the reasons in writing. If any property insurer cancels or refuses to renew, you can ask in writing for the reasons, and it must answer in writing. Send the request within six months after the cancellation or expiration date.

Rules that still protect you:

• An insurer may not cancel, nonrenew or raise your premium "based solely upon a loss caused by an 'Act of God'" (a natural event with no human cause), except for an area-wide rate change at a new policy period.
• An insurer may not nonrenew because your rate is too low unless it first asked the commissioner for actuarially justified rate relief and was turned down.
• If an insurer stops renewing its homeowners policies to withdraw from the Louisiana homeowners market, it may not write homeowners coverage here again for five years unless the commissioner allows it.
• A nonrenewal "without cause" may not be kept in your file with that insurer or used to raise your rate for equivalent coverage.

Questions about a notice? Call LDI at (800) 259-5300 or file a complaint. Our nonrenewal guide covers what to do next. [2][6][9][17][18][19]

The three-year rule changed in 2024

Louisiana used to bar insurers from canceling or nonrenewing a homeowners policy that had been in effect and renewed for more than three years, except for reasons such as nonpayment, fraud, a material change in the risk, two or more claims in a set period, or a threat to the insurer's solvency. A 2024 law (HB 611) changed this. The statute now says:

• Policies issued after Aug. 1, 2024: the three-year protection does not apply.
• Policies in place for at least three years on or before Aug. 1, 2024: the protection still applies, but an insurer that files a plan with the commissioner may nonrenew up to 5% of its customers' policies per calendar year "for any reason." The commissioner may approve more than 5% on request.

LDI described the change as removing "the three-year rule for new policies." If you have an older policy and get a nonrenewal, you can ask the insurer for its reasons in writing (see above) and call LDI if you think the rules weren't followed. [6][13]

Discounts for a stronger roof

Louisiana law requires every insurer that files rates with the commissioner to give an "actuarially justified" discount or other premium reduction if you build or retrofit your home to the FORTIFIED standards of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), a roof and home construction standard for high winds. The home must be inspected and certified by an IBHS-certified inspector, and you must show the certification to the insurer before the discount starts. The discount applies only to policies with wind coverage.

Insurers must also give a discount for other wind-mitigation upgrades such as roof-deck attachment, secondary water barriers, roof-to-wall connections and opening protection. LDI's wind mitigation page explains how to get a Louisiana wind mitigation survey done and sent to your insurer.

How big are the FORTIFIED discounts? LDI publishes each insurer's filed FORTIFIED Roof discount every year. In its 2026 report (list as of July 1, 2026), filed discounts ranged widely: from 1% on some condo and landlord programs to over 50% in the highest-risk zone for a few programs, with 15% to 30% common. LDI notes that most insurers apply the discount to the wind and hail part of the premium. Louisiana Citizens listed 24.3%, 17.1% or 7.2% depending on zone. Discounts change, so confirm with your insurer.

New benchmark discounts start Jan. 1, 2027. LDI adopted Regulation 136, which requires insurers to give premium discounts for homes with an IBHS FORTIFIED designation, set using a Louisiana benchmark table developed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Insurers must apply them to new and renewed residential policies issued on or after Jan. 1, 2027. LDI's FORTIFIED benchmarks page lists these discounts on the hurricane portion of the premium:

The South zone is the parishes in Louisiana's legal Coastal Zone; LDI's page has a map of all three zones. Ask your insurer how the discount will apply to your policy at renewal.

Louisiana law also requires insurers to offer a FORTIFIED endorsement, which helps pay to rebuild a damaged roof to the FORTIFIED standard after a covered loss. See our FORTIFIED roof guide. [3][20][21][22][23]

Grants: Louisiana Fortify Homes Program

The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP), run by LDI, pays up to $10,000 of construction costs to upgrade a roof to the FORTIFIED Roof standard. The money goes directly to the contractor. You pay the evaluator's fees, permits, inspections and any cost above the grant.

How it works: grants are awarded by lottery in registration rounds. You create a profile on the LFHP site, register during an open period, and wait to be selected before hiring anyone. If you hire a contractor and start work before you are accepted, you lose eligibility.

Who qualifies: your primary residence with a homestead exemption, in an eligible parish, covered by a policy with wind coverage (plus flood insurance if you are in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area). New construction, condominiums and mobile homes are not eligible. You must replace the whole roof covering, not patch it, and disclose your homeowners claims from the past five years.

Status as of Oct. 13, 2026: the most recent round offered 3,000 grants and took registrations June 1 to June 19, 2026, with selection emails from June 22. LDI has not announced a newer round in its news releases, so no registration period was open when we checked. Homeowners who were not picked in an earlier round must register again. You can sign up for LFHP announcements.

Eligible parishes (2026 list): Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion and Washington.

Funding: a 2026 law (HB 1187) let Louisiana Citizens move $50 million in additional Katrina and Rita bond assessment funds to the program. Together with $30 million from taxes and fees on insurance entities, LDI said the program would receive $80 million in 2026.

Paying yourself? Act 404 created a state income tax credit for resident homeowners who pay for a FORTIFIED roof: up to $10,000 of qualified expenses, for costs on or after July 1, 2025, capped at $10 million a year statewide, first come first served, and not available if you got a grant for the roof. Ask the Louisiana Department of Revenue for details. [4][7][8][20][24]

Flood is separate

Louisiana law requires every homeowners policy to tell you in writing whether you have flood coverage and that flood insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program. Louisiana Citizens policies do not include flood insurance. For flood zones and flood policies, see our sister site FloodHawk. [25][26]

Where to get help

• LDI consumer hotline: (800) 259-5300 (main line (225) 342-5900).
• Complaints: file online. LDI investigates complaints against companies, agents and adjusters, but it can't give legal advice or recommend one company over another.
• Find agents: LDI's producer and company search shows which agents are appointed with each insurer.
• Wrong FORTIFIED discount? LDI says to call its Office of Consumer Services at (800) 259-5300.

[9][19][21][27]

Questions people ask