Glossary

Wildfire risk score

A number a modeling vendor assigns to a property to estimate its exposure to wildfire, which insurers use to accept, price or decline coverage.

Also called: wildfire score, wildfire hazard score, wildfire risk rating, FireLine score

A wildfire risk score is a number from a vendor's model that estimates how exposed a specific property is to wildfire. Inputs generally include surrounding fuel, slope, distance to wildland, road access, fire and weather history, and in newer versions features of the building. Verisk, Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) and ZestyAI are among the vendors. Each uses its own scale, one running roughly 0 to 30 and another 1 to 100, and the scales are not linear, so numbers cannot be compared across products.

Insurers use scores three ways: to decide whether to accept an application, to set the wildfire portion of the rate, and to decide on renewal. Each company picks its own cutoffs, so the same house can be eligible at one and declined at another.

Ask your agent which score your insurer uses and what yours is. In California, regulation (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 10, section 2644.9) requires insurers that rate for wildfire to share the score with policyholders and allow an appeal. Check the inputs for mistakes, such as the wrong roof type or brush you have cleared. The wildfire risk scores and how insurers use them guide explains how carriers apply them, and defensible space and home hardening are the changes that may help.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Defensible space The managed buffer of trimmed, thinned and cleared vegetation around a house that slows a wildfire and gives firefighters room to defend the structure. Home hardening Upgrades to a house's roof, openings, vents and materials so it resists a specific hazard such as wind, hail or wildfire embers, not just insures against it. Catastrophe model Software that simulates thousands of possible hurricanes, quakes, wildfires and storms to estimate the losses an insurer's policies could suffer. Underwriting guidelines An insurer's internal rules for which homes it will write, which it will decline, and what conditions, limits or surcharges apply to the ones it accepts. Nonrenewal An insurer's decision to end coverage at the end of the policy period by declining to offer another term, as opposed to ending it partway through. Mitigation credit A premium discount for building features shown to reduce storm or wildfire damage, such as a reinforced roof, impact windows or defensible space.

Related guides

Aerial imagery: how insurers inspect roofs from the sky How insurers use aircraft, satellite and drone images to judge roofs, where they mislead, what states have ruled, and how to contest a nonrenewal based on one. AI in home insurance: the rules on underwriting and claims What rules apply when home insurers use AI and algorithms to underwrite policies and handle claims, including the NAIC model bulletin, and what you can ask. The California FAIR Plan explained What the California FAIR Plan covers and leaves out, how to pair it with a DIC policy, how it is funded, and how to move back to a regular insurer. California's home insurance crisis Why California homeowners lost coverage, how the FAIR Plan became a major insurer, and what to do if you are dropped. Facts as of October 2026. California's Sustainable Insurance Strategy What the Sustainable Insurance Strategy changes in California: wildfire models, reinsurance costs in rates, the 85% writing commitment and what you can expect. How catastrophe models shape your premium Catastrophe models estimate yearly losses from hurricanes, wildfires and storms. How that output reaches your rate, who checks the models and what you can fix.

Related insurers

AAA - CSAA Insurance Group Walnut Creek-based AAA insurer, a reciprocal exchange, selling home, condo and renters policies to members of partner AAA clubs in 23 states and D.C.

Related states

Arizona Arizona home insurance: a competitive market led by State Farm, below-average premiums, wildfire and monsoon risk, no FAIR plan and a one-year suit deadline. Montana Montana has no FAIR plan. State Farm and Liberty Mutual lead, premiums rose 74% from 2018 to 2024, and wildfire nonrenewals hit Ravalli and Flathead counties. Nevada Nevada home insurance: State Farm leads a low-premium market, wildfire drives declines, a 2026 law allows wildfire exclusions, and there is no FAIR plan. New Mexico New Mexico home insurance: State Farm leads, wildfire and burn-scar floods drive nonrenewals, and the FAIR plan now covers homes up to $750,000 at cash value. Oregon Oregon home insurance: premiums rank among the lowest in the U.S., but wildfire is reshaping the market and earthquake coverage must be bought separately. Wyoming Wyoming has no FAIR plan. State Farm and Farmers lead, hail and a near-record 2024 fire season push prices up, and natural-cause claims get renewal protection.