A composite homeowner with no fire damage receives a nonrenewal notice after a declared wildfire emergency and reads the statute that governs the moratorium

What happened

What information mattered

• Insurance Code section 675.1(b)(1) provides that an insurer shall not cancel or refuse to renew a policy of residential property insurance for a property located in any ZIP Code within or adjacent to the fire perimeter, for one year after the declaration of a state of emergency, based solely on the fact that the insured structure is located in an area in which a wildfire has occurred [1].

• Under section 675.1(b)(2) the fire perimeter is determined by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in consultation with the Office of Emergency Services, and the commissioner then issues a bulletin to inform insurers which ZIP Codes are subject to the subdivision [1].

• The Department of Insurance states that the one year protection applies to all residential policyholders within the affected areas who suffer less than a total loss, including those who suffer no loss, and that it lasts one year from the date of the Governor's emergency declaration [2].

• Section 675.1(d) provides that policy of residential property insurance has the meaning described in subdivision (a) of section 10087, so the section's affirmative scope is residential property insurance as defined there [1].

• Section 678 requires an insurer to deliver or mail either an offer of renewal or a notice of nonrenewal at least 45 days before expiration, and for a policy expiring on or after July 1, 2020 it requires a notice of nonrenewal at least 75 days before expiration; a notice of nonrenewal must contain the specific reason or reasons for the nonrenewal [3].

• Under section 678, if the required notice is not given in time, the existing policy with no change in its terms and conditions remains in effect for 45 or 75 days measured from the date the offer or notice is actually delivered or mailed [3].

The insurance question

What was decided, and by whom

• No authority decided this. It is illustrative only. The statutory text and the Department of Insurance description of the moratorium are real; the homeowner, the notice, and the fire in the scenario are invented.

What cannot be generalized from this

• Moratorium coverage is emergency specific. Each declared emergency has its own perimeter, its own commissioner bulletin identifying ZIP Codes, and its own one year window, so nothing here tells anyone whether a particular address is included [1] [2].

• Section 675.1 as read on 2026-08-31 speaks to policies of residential property insurance as defined in section 10087(a) [1]. What governs any other line has to be found in the statute that actually addresses that line; the sources read here do not say.

• Subdivision (b)(1) is directed at action based solely on the stated wildfire ground [1]. It does not tell anyone what follows when an insurer states a different ground, and other statutes govern cancellation and nonrenewal generally.

• Nothing here is a determination that a particular notice was valid or invalid, or that a policy will remain in force. That is decided by the insurer, the Department of Insurance, or a court.

• Statutes and bulletins change. Confirm the current text of sections 675.1 and 678 and the current bulletins before relying on the periods and deadlines recorded here.

Source ledger

3 sources. Every citation number above resolves to a record below. Nothing here sits behind an account.

1. [1]

   California Insurance Code Section 675.1 (post-disaster cancellation and nonrenewal limits for residential property insurance)(opens the original record on California Legislative Information, Office of Legislative Counsel)

   California Legislative Information, Office of Legislative CounselPrimary lawPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Amended by legislation, and the operative facts change with each emergency proclamation; re-check leginfo and the current CDI moratorium ZIP code lists before each publication cycle.ID ca-ins-code-675-1

   What this source supports (7)

   • California Insurance Code Section 675.1 provides that an insurer shall not cancel or refuse to renew a policy of residential property insurance for a property located in any ZIP Code within or adjacent to the fire perimeter, for one year after the declaration of a state of emergency, based solely on the fact that the insured structure is located in an area in which a wildfire has occurred.
   • Where a total loss to the primary insured residence results from a disaster as defined in subdivision (b) of Civil Code Section 1689.14 and was not caused by the policyholder's negligence, Section 675.1 requires the insurer to offer renewal for at least the next two annual renewal periods, but no less than 24 months of coverage from the date of the loss.
   • Section 675.1 requires insurers, following a total loss to the primary insured residence, to adjust coverage limits, issue additional policies, or attach endorsements reflecting changes in exposure, and bars cancellation during rebuilding except for specified statutory reasons or based solely on the damaged condition of the property.
   • The Section 675.1 protections do not apply where the named insured commits willful or grossly negligent acts or omissions materially increasing any of the risks insured against, where unrelated losses render the risk ineligible, or where physical or risk changes make the property uninsurable.
   • The page carries the note 'Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 618, Sec. 1.5. (SB 894) Effective January 1, 2019.'
   • Section 675.1(b)(2) provides that the fire perimeter is determined by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in consultation with the Office of Emergency Services, that the department provides the commissioner with perimeter data, and that the commissioner then issues a bulletin to inform insurers which ZIP Codes are subject to the subdivision.
   • Section 675.1(d) provides that for purposes of the section, policy of residential property insurance has the meaning described in subdivision (a) of Section 10087.

   Merged with the duplicate record ins-675-1 on 2026-09-06. That record covered the same section and added two facts this one lacked: how the fire perimeter is fixed under subdivision (b)(2), and the definition cross-reference in subdivision (d). Both are appended above; everything else it held was already recorded here. Effective: 2019-01-01

   Active
2. [2]

   Mandatory One Year Moratorium on Non-Renewals (consumer page)(opens the original record on California Department of Insurance)

   California Department of InsuranceRegulatorPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Updated by the Department as new wildfire emergencies are declared and new moratorium bulletins are issued.ID cdi-moratorium

   What this source supports (5)

   • The Department of Insurance states that the one year moratorium on insurance cancellations and non-renewals is authorized under California Insurance Code section 675.1.
   • The Department states that the protection from cancellation or non-renewal lasts for one year from the date of the Governor's emergency declaration.
   • The Department states that this one year protection applies to all residential policyholders within the affected areas who suffer less than a total loss, including those who suffer no loss.
   • The Department states that it coordinates with CAL FIRE and the Governor's Office of Emergency Services to identify wildfire perimeters and adjacent ZIP Codes within the mandatory moratorium areas.
   • The page describes residential property insurance policies and does not describe commercial policies.

   Active
3. [3]

   California Insurance Code Section 678 (offer of renewal or notice of nonrenewal)(opens the original record on California Legislative Information, Office of Legislative Counsel)

   California Legislative Information, Office of Legislative CounselPrimary lawPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Amended by legislation; re-check leginfo before each publication cycle.ID ca-ins-code-678

   What this source supports (6)

   • California Insurance Code Section 678(a) requires an insurer, at least 45 days before the policy expiration, to deliver to the named insured or mail to the named insured at the address shown in the policy either an offer of renewal of the policy contingent upon payment of premium as stated in the offer, or a notice of nonrenewal.
   • The renewal offer under Section 678 must state the premium and must disclose any reduction of limits or elimination of coverage.
   • Section 678(b) provides that if the insurer fails to give the required notice, the existing policy, with no change in its terms and conditions, remains in effect for 45 days from the date the offer to renew or the notice of nonrenewal is delivered or mailed.
   • For policies expiring on or after July 1, 2020, Section 678(c) requires the notice of nonrenewal to be delivered or mailed at least 75 days before the policy expiration, with a corresponding 75-day continuation of the existing policy if the notice is not timely given.
   • The page carries the note '(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 424, Sec. 8. (SB 1242) Effective January 1, 2023.)'
   • Section 678 requires that a notice of nonrenewal contain the specific reason or reasons for the nonrenewal.

   Merged with the duplicate record ins-678 on 2026-09-06. The only fact it held that this record did not is the requirement that a nonrenewal notice state its specific reasons, which is appended above. Effective: 2023-01-01

   Active

Questions this example illustrates