California Issues 1-Year Moratorium on Homeowner Insurance Cancellations And Non-Renewals

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Monday ordered insurance companies to preserve residential insurance coverage for more than 325,000 policyholders who have been affected by Northern California wildfires across 22 counties.

Lara in early September issued similar orders following emergency declarations by California Gov. Gavin Newsom

The order protects those living within the perimeter or adjoining ZIP Code of a declared wildfire disaster regardless of whether they suffered a loss, including the Dixie, Caldor, River, Tamarack, Antelope, McFarland, Monument, Fly and Cache fires.

Lara’s ability to issue moratoriums is a result of a California law he authored in 2018 while serving as state senator in order to provide temporary relief from non-renewals to residents living within or adjacent to a declared wildfire disaster.

The latest moratorium includes Newsom’s July 23, Aug. 5, Aug. 10, Aug. 17, Aug. 30, and Sept. 7 declarations affecting parts of Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Glen, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba counties.

The order protects 325,000 policyholders and is in addition to 25,000 policyholders who were protected in the moratorium order following the July 23 wildfire emergency in Lassen, Plumas, and Siskiyou counties.

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association has been reached out to for comment.

Related:

• California Commissioner Issues Another Non-Renewal Moratorium to Aid Policyholders Affected by Wildfires
• California Commissioner Issues Non-Renewal Moratorium to Aid Policyholders Affected by Wildfires
• California Wildfires Are Exhausting 10,000-Strong Army Fighting Them