May 21, 2025
How to Get the California FAIR Plan
Dropped by your Home Insurer?
Missed a Payment and Your Insurer wont Re Activate your Policy?
Need the California FAIR Plan?
Marindependent can help you gain access to the California FAIR plan. Its an Easy to complete process.
How to Get the California FAIR Plan:
There are several ways to gain access to the CA FAIR plan. One of them is to Email Marindependent with the following information:
Names and DOBs of All Titled Owners [Trusts or Corporations Included]
Physical and Mailing Address
Age of the Structure, Age and Type of Roof
Square Footage, Number of Floors, and Other Structures on the Property
Use of the Property and Occupancy
Last Insurer and 5 Year Claims History
One Outside Photo showing the House Number and One Showing the Roof [time and date stamped]
Information should be emailed to sales@marindepent.com . Complete information only, please.
Thats it. At least to start. If you wish to procure the California FAIR plan we can start off with this basic information and gain more data as we go. If one of the admitted options shows interest, we can come back and ask for more information. If a nonadmitted insurer may be an option – we will ask you those questions as well. [We do NOT just shop the FAIR plan.]
The CFPNet website states that the process to procure the California FAIR plan is as Follows: “01 – Find a Broker” – “02-Determine Your Eligibility” – “03-Find the Right Coverage.” There are details for each one of these steps – but frankly they lack much in useful specifics. They do note that Brokers need to complete a diligent search effort, which we at Marindependent always do.
In years past it seemed as if consumers were able to apply to FAIR themselves, but that no longer seems to be the case. Although this is speculation. Regardless its likely in your best interest to confirm with a broker and or agent if you are a good candidate for the California FAIR plan.
About the California FAIR Plan:
The California Fair plan is the state’s insurer of last resort. It is exclusively meant for those that cannot get any other insurance. Originally created in the 1960s to assist with insuring urban properties – it is now often used for properties in wildfire areas. Starting around 2018 the FAIR plan started to become a much more frequently used option. With the insurance crisis starting in 2023 – the FAIR plan has started to be used with houses all throughout the state, regardless of their condition and wildfire concerns as more and more insurers have stopped issuing policies. The CA FAIR plan was never meant to be a long term solution. The California FAIR plan is an association of insurers. Its financial situation is murky at best.
What Does the California FAIR Plan Cover you For:
The FAIR plan is a limited named peril policy coverage form. It only provides coverage for specific named perils. [If it does NOT list the peril – there is no coverage for that.] This is very different than most consumer insurance policies.
The FAIR plan can provide coverage for: Fire, Lightning, Internal Explosion, and Smoke Damage. The extended coverage options include coverage for Windstorms, Hail, Explosions, Riots or Civil Commotion, Aircraft, Vehicles, and Volcanic eruptions . An additional optional coverage is offered for Vandalism or Malicious Mischief as well.
The FAIR plan has select coverages for: the main Dwelling, Other Structures, Personal Property, Fair Rental Value, Ordinance or Law, Debris Removal, Extended Dwelling Coverage, Dwelling Replacement Cost, Inflation Guard, Personal Property Replacement Cost, Fences, Plants, Shrubs and Trees, Awnings, Signs, and a few other options. Other Structures coverages has a long list of types and kinds of structures offered coverage for. It should be noted that Cottages or Outbuildings with cook units typically need their own FAIR plan policy. [In other words if you have a main house and a cottage and that cottage has a cook unit – you are potentially looking at two policies.]
The California FAIR plan as of 2025 has a Total Insurance Value cap of $3,000,000. The math to compute this can often be more complicated than it looks. However the basic rule is that you have to add up all of the coverages, including the “Extended Dwelling Coverage” and “Ordinance or Law Coverage” amounts. A key note here is that both these coverages are typically a percent of the Dwelling amount and hence have predetermined dollar figures. [Moving one chess piece, moves two others.]
California FAIR – Two Types:
There are several different types of FAIR plan policy coverage forms available. However the two main types are the Personal Lines FAIR plan and the Commercial Lines FAIR plan. They are both very different. For the purposes of this article we are referring to personal FAIR insurance policies. These are for dwellings with less than 5 units: 4 Units and Under. The ownership of the property can also determine determine if it is a personal or commercial policy.
How to Round out the CA FAIR Plan:
The California FAIR plan should not be purchased by itself. For Consumers – Whenever possible it should be purchased with a DIC/Companion policy or at the very least with a CPL policy. CPL stands for Comprehensive Personal Liability policy.
The DIC Companion Option adds back in [Most] of the coverages that you might have on either a Landlord or a Homeowners policy. These include but are not limited to: Theft, Limited Internal Water Damage, and Personal/Premise Liability. There are other coverages as well.
The CPL only provides you with liability protection. Leaving you with no theft and no internal water damage. And other gaps of coverage.
Neither Option provides you with any coverage for the types of things that homeowners insurance doesn’t cover you for to begin with: Earthquake or Landmovement, Flood, War, Pollution, Etc. [Other Exclusions Exist]
Cal FAIR and Mortgages:
Most mortgages that we have seen accept the California FAIR plan for their insurance requirements. There is of course, no guarantee of this. Consumers should speak with their own mortgaage company to confirm.
How Much Does the California FAIR Plan Cost?
The premium cost for the FAIR plan is varied. Although numerous media reports state the California FAIR plan is expensive, that is sometimes NOT the case. Trust us. However in general it should be expected that the CA FAIR plan will cost more for less coverage than most admitted insurance policies.
Notes on the California FAIR Plan:
In order to get a California Fair Plan Quote, we must first confirm that we have no other admitted options for your location. However with the information that you provide, we will check those markets.
What are the Common Reasons Folks Purchase the FAIR Plan:
Based on our experience there are several reasons clients purchase the FAIR plan. Here are few examples:
Homes in higher wildfire areas.
Homes in poor condition.
Dwellings with unique building characteristics. [Open Pier, Wood Shake Roof, Older Wiring, etc]
Clients with gaps of insurance coverage or no insurance cover.
Data on Cal FAIR:
The California FAIR insurance program contains lots of data on its’ own website. We have plucked some of this data direct from it. [Some numbers rounded and data from April 2025.]
FAIR Plan Total Exposure: March 2025 $599 Billion
FAIR Plan Total Exposure: Sept 2024 $458 Billion
Poicies in Force by Bay Area County, Residential and Commercial [09/20024] Alameda 6774, Contra Costa 6541, Marin 2885, Monterey 4231 Napa 2424, San Francisco 1353, San Mateo 2259, Santa Cruz 7993, Solano 718, Sonoma 6304,
March 2025 Total Written FAIR Premium: 1.74 Billion
Marin County Zip Codes California Residential FAIR plan policy count as of September 2024:
94901 158
94903 124
94904 86
94912 No Data
94913 No Data
94915 No Data
94920 50
94924 21
94925 85
94930 179
94933 49
94937 270
94938 43
94939 86
94940 18
94941 565
94942 No Data
94945 110
94946 38
94947 124
94948 38
94949 101
94950 No Data
94956 51
94957 29
94960 127
94963 18
94964 No Data
94965 331
94966 No Data
94970 31
94971 3
94973 52
94974 No Data
94976 No Data
94977 No Data
94978 No Data
94979 No Data
All of this data too was pulled off of the FAIR website. Subject to change without notice.
Marin County Commentary on FAIR Zip Codes:
What these policy county numbers mean is how many homes are covered by the FAIR plan by personal lines policies. What this data lacks is how many homes are in each one of these zip codes. The Marin County Zip code that has the most policies is 94941 – which is Mill Valley. There is no surprise there as Mill Valley has been challenging to write for over 10 years now. Some Zip codes have no data, which may mean that there are no policies in that zip or perhaps just a handful. This is unclear. Some of the zip codes, such as 94942 is a PO Box zip code.
94937, Inverness comes in second place and there are far less homes out in West Marin. This is also not a real surprise as West Marin is also pretty challenging to write. 94971, Tomales though, comes in with only three FAIR plans. Tomales is also out in West Marin County and this low number is a bit surprising.
