
In 2022, Sonoma County had more homes sales than at any time in the previous 15 years, increasing 25% over the previous year. Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Russian River and Sonoma all had double digit median price gains
According to the latest report from the National Forest Service we are about to enter the worst of the 2022 fire season in the Bay Area through September and October with both the East Bay and the North Bay having an above average danger for September while the entire region is at heightened risk during October. Regardless of the year on year risk, whether you own a home or are looking to purchase a home, fire risk assessment and best practice is an integral part of the home buying and selling process. Buyers often ask whether a particular area is at fire risk or is it possible to get fire insurance? Sellers need to understand the impact that fire risk has on the price of their home and whether a future buyer will be able to get insurance? Both buyers and sellers have obligations when it comes to minimizing the fire risk associated with a particular property.
Whenever I get asked about fire risk it is hard to know how to answer. I think anywhere in California is at risk and not just California, up and down the west coast. It is important to understand what is behind the question. Is it really an insurance question? Or a personal safety question? Or a concern for their material possessions? Or most likely all of the above.
From my perspective, I feel so many improvements have been made in overall fire safety infrastructure that the risk is greatly reduced from any personal danger. These include the ability to shut off power in much more discrete areas, to effective communication through Nixle alerts and apps like Watch Duty and the extensive vegetation management program.
Of course losing a home would be devastating but it is far more important that people are safe. To that end when thinking about fire risk it then becomes a case of whether you feel you could safely evacuate from your home once notified of pending danger and then secondarily can you get insurance to make sure that if you do lose your home you have sufficient coverage to replace the home and your personal possessions.
While I can’t help people decide how to determine their own fire risk tolerance levels, there are a number of resources that show which areas of the county have a higher potential fire risk. It is important to note that there is no direct correlation between the determination of fire risk from any of these resources and its likelihood to be able to get insurance. (I touch on this later but insurance keep their risk algorithms closely under wraps which is frustrating for consumers as well as their agents!)
Some of the most useful maps are the maps published by Calfire that show whether an area is in a moderate, high or very high fire risk area. These maps are fairly details and allows you to put in an address or APN and determine where it is located in relation to various fire risk areas.
In 2001, as part of directing funds to protect people and their property from wildfires, a federal register was established to identify communities that are at a high risk of damage from wildfire. The list of communities were published in 2001 and then update thereafter. These were identified as being at risk because of their location within the wildland-urban interface. The list has 1333 communities on it across the entire state. Looking down the list you can see that Healdsburg, Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Windsor are all on the list whereas Sebastopol and Sonoma are not on the list.
Finding a geographic area that has a lower risk is clearly one important factor but as well as the macro location, it is important to look at the individual attributes of a property.
Insurance used to be an afterthought for both buyers and sellers whereas now determining the insurability of a home is a fundamental part of both the buying and selling process. It is important for a seller to know if a buyer is going to be able to get insurance. It’s important to make sure that if a deal is agreed, the buyer is not going to cancel escrow because they are not able to get insurance or are not prepared to pay the cost. There are instances where sellers have had to give sizeable price reductions during escrow to cover the incremental cost of insurance over a 5 year period. For properties that are in higher risk areas, a buyer should always determine that they can get insurance prior to making an offer.
Unfortunately there is no way to know whether it is possible to get insurance without talking to different insurance quotes and getting them to run an address for which they will need the customer name, the property address and occupation. Not only does each carrier not provide any information on areas they cover or don’t cover but they give very little detailed information about the parameters that go into determining whether or not an address is insurable or not. (here is a more detailed post about insuring a home )
Talking to Erica Bishop at State Farm, “The mapping layers that we use to determine risk are constantly changing so even if we are able to insure a property today, in a couple of months, we may give a different answer for the same property. For example, we are continually assessing aerial footage and if it show that a lot of vegetation has been cleared out it can potential improve the insurability.”
Another factor in whether a home is insurable for a particular carrier is determined by its exposure to a particular neighborhood. For example, a carrier my have a certain numer of homes in a neighborhood or zip code and then when it reaches a certain threshold it stops taking new customers. That is why when a seller says my insurer and that of my neighbor is Company X, it means nothing when it comes to whether that same insurer will insure a new homeowner.
It is also interesting to note that just because a home is in an area that was impacted by fires, does not mean it will be impossible to get insurance. I recently spoke to Joseph Lehr of All State about a home that was deep into Mill Creek Road and one of very few homes that survived in this area of the Walbridge Fire. The home is surrounded by burned trees but as a concrete, glass and steel structure, the home was untouched. To my surprise this home was fine to get insurance.
According to Erica there are three factors that she urges people to consider when assessing whether a home is insurable, “The overall location, is it within 10 miles of a fire department and does it have access to water year round. We are currently having trouble with properties in Rincon Valley in Santa Rosa as well as areas such as Highland Ranch Road and Palomino Lakes in Cloverdale,” added Erica.
Joseph of All State on the other hand says that areas such as Fountaingrove, Mark West Springs Road, Montecito Heights are getting harder to insure.
The other challenge for homeowners is being dropped by a carrier or having premiums increase disproportionately. It is worth noting that an carrier has to get approval from the California Department of Insurance prior to hiking insurance premiums. There are some carriers that will acquire customers with low premiums and then will drop customers as they are over exposed. Companies like AllState, State Farm and Farmers Insurance will never be the cheapest quotes but in my experience they are also the one that will look after their customers in the event of a fire. That being said, I have had numerous customers try to get quotes from Farmers Insurance but have not been able to get quotes for properties that both All State and State Farm will insure.
The only way to really find out is to try to get multiple quotes from different carriers. If no carrier will provide insurance there is always the insurer of last resort, Fair Plan but this will cost more and you will also need a supplemental policy to cover everything that is not fire-related.
Just over a year ago, a new assembly bill, AB38, was passed by the California State legislature which requires a seller of a property located in a high or very high fire zone to get an inspection and provide the buyer with documentation stating the property is in compliance with the defensible space requirements. (see a more detailed blog post on this here) However, the law allows that if documentation cannot be obtained by the close of escrow the buyer and seller can enter into agreement to obtain documentation of compliance within one year.
The way to determine whether a property is in a high or very high fire zone is by using the CalFire mapping tool. This will not only confirm if it is in a high or very high fire area but it will also determine if it is in a state responsibility area or a local responsibility area. The reason this is important because if there is a local vegetation management ordinance, it may be to a higher standard than the state level so a property would have to comply with the local standard. The local standard will also determine where the responsibility sits with regard to ensuring the property is compliant at the point of sale, with the seller or the buyer. For example in Larkspur, Marin, every home is required to have a pre-sale inspection regardless of what the California or local fire risk designation. I am sure it is only a matter of time before properties in certain cities within Sonoma County are required to do the same.
As part of any real estate translation in Sonoma County, the seller needs to complete a disclosure called a Fire Hardening and Defensible Space Disclosure. This not only helps the seller identify their responsibilities but it also asks the seller to note in what ways the structure may be susceptible to fire. For example whether it has a roof made of combustible material or if there is vegetation close to the property that is a fire risk. These are all things which a home owner can address to make a home more resistant to fire.
One of the primary resources for homeowners is managing the fire risk of their property is published by Calfire. As par of this Calfire recommends maintaining a 30 ft perimeter around the house free from all branches overhanging the house, removing all dead vegetation, all plants from under decks and all plants and shrubs near windows. It also recommends maintaining a zone from 30 to 100 ft from the house where plants and trees are kept trimmed.
In addition to vegetation management there are also a lot of things a homeowner can do to retrofit a house so that risk from fire is greatly reduced. Here is a detailed checklist from CalFire that any homeowner can implement to make a big difference to their home. In addition the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Owners has also produced a detailed checklist for homeowners to help them protect their home against the dangers of wildfire.
A lot of the decisions for a homeowner or a buyer about whether they feel safe in a particular home or area comes down to common sense and your own personal risk profile. Like everything to do with homes, there are trade offs. It is hard to get spectacular views without being high up on a hillside or ridge but that brings a heightened intrinsic risk. The good news is that infrastrcuture for fire prevention and fire safety are continually improving. While the location of a home will determine whether it is in a moderate, high or very high fire risk area, there is a lot a homeowner can do to mitigate the impact of a fire should it occur. We all have an obligation to keep on top of ongoing fire prevention measures around our homes.
Erica Bishop, State Farm on 707 894 8800 erica.bishop.xea4@statefarm.com
Joseph Lehr, All State on 707 546 3700 or joelehr@allstate.com (as at the time of writing All State has temporarily stopped insuring properties in Sonoma County but will insure thorugh partner companies including its wholly owned North Light Specialty insurance)
The Bay Area is facing heightened fire risk through September and October in 2022, particularly in the East Bay and North Bay. This is crucial for buyers and sellers as it affects property values and insurability.
You can use resources like CalFire maps to determine whether an area is in a moderate, high, or very high fire risk area. However, insurability is not solely determined by these designations.
Determining insurability is complex and varies by insurance carriers. You'll need to request quotes from different insurers, and they will assess the property's eligibility based on factors such as location, proximity to a fire department, and year-round access to water.
California law may require sellers in high-risk fire zones to obtain an inspection and provide documentation of compliance with defensible space requirements. Both buyers and sellers should consider these obligations during the transaction.
Homeowners can reduce fire risk by maintaining defensible space around their homes, trimming trees and plants, and retrofitting their houses. Resources from organizations like CalFire and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Owners provide detailed checklists to help protect homes against wildfires.
Office
Essentials
Consumer Protection & Privacy
© 2025 All rights reserved
Created with Placester
Sign in with your email address
Enter your email address
Please wait...