Homeowners in ‘very high fire hazard' zones brace for higher insurance premiums

Yahoo

29-03-2025

SAN ELIJO HILLS, Calif. — After more than a decade, Cal Fire released a new fire hazard severity zones map.
For the first time, some San Diego county residents may find themselves living in one of these hazardous zones, raising concerns about higher insurance premiums.
The lush green hills and canyons make San Elijo Hills a desirable place to live for its beauty.
'That's why we all live here,' Ed Philbrick said about the neighborhood he's lived in for more than 20 years.
But, it's also a hazard during fire season.
'It has some chaparral and potential burnable fuel,' he said, looking over the canyon near his home.
For the first time, Philbrick says his neighborhood falls into the very high fire hazard severity zone.
'When people look at the maps and they may be comparing from previous to now. It looks a lot different. It looks like there's a lot more people in it because there are,' Cal Fire Deputy Director Frank Bigelow said.
These San Diego areas now considered 'very high fire hazard' zones by Cal Fire
The fire maps include the moderate and high zones for the first time.
Plus, Bigelow says while the landscape has changed since the maps were developed in 2007, improved data allowed officials to better determine what areas have the greatest risk.
'You could build your home in a manner that is completely concrete with a metal roof with no vegetation around it. You still live in a very high hazard severity zone, but the likelihood of your home burning down is pretty much zero,' he said, explaining that living in one of the severity zones, doesn't necessarily mean your home is at a higher risk of burning down during a fire.
So, residents like Philbrick mitigate that risk and brace for higher insurance premiums.
'I trim my tree, and I'm ready for them to come by unannounced,' he said.
If it's not higher prices, Philbrick says he's concerned to get dropped by his insurance company, something that's happened before.
'We've already seen the departure of many insurance companies,' said Ken Kaplan, a local real estate analyst.
Homeowners who get dropped can always fall back on the California Fair Plan, but it comes with some disadvantages.
'It may cost you more, and it may not necessarily be as good as what you've got now,' Kaplan said.
So, buyer beware. Kaplan warns homeowners to look at the deductible, exclusions, and what's covered under the plan.
He also encourages homeowners to know how much it may cost you to rebuild and how much time construction could take before you sign the dotted line.
'If you end up on the fair plan, it's extremely expensive so you hope you can find another carrier,' Philbrick said.
It's also worth noting, homeowners who fall in the very high zones for the first time will now have to pay for inspections for fire hardening and defensible space along with the work called out by inspectors, which adds up quickly.
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