California Homeowners Impacted by Recent Wildfires Will Receive Policy Renewals
State Farm, California’s largest insurer, has announced it will renew residential policies for homeowners impacted by the devastating wildfires across Los Angeles County. The decision, revealed Wednesday, reverses plans to drop thousands of policies in areas including Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and Monte Nido.
In July, the insurer had discontinued approximately 1,600 policies in Pacific Palisades and more than 2,000 in neighboring ZIP codes including Brentwood and Monte Nido neighborhoods, according to Michael Soller, spokesperson for the California Department of Insurance.
State Farm’s new policy shift will not apply to policies that lapsed before the beginning of the fires in Los Angeles, on January 7.
The renewed policies will cover homeowners, owners of rental dwellings, and residential community associations, including condominium associations.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara praised the move and announced free, two-day insurance support workshops to assist wildfire survivors. The workshops, scheduled for January 18-19 in Santa Monica and January 25-26 in Pasadena, aim to help policyholders understand their insurance coverage, navigate the claims process, and access resources for rebuilding and recovery.
Commissioner Lara added, “Insurers need to do the right thing and stand by their customers. We will keep working to ensure everyone’s claims are paid fairly, quickly, and completely.” He also announced a one-year moratorium that bars insurers from issuing new cancellation or non-renewal notices. The moratorium applies to all policies in the state of California, regardless if the police holders live in affected communities.
Affected residents can call 800-927-4357 to schedule one-on-one appointments with Department of Insurance experts.
The decision marks a significant shift in the company’s policy approach and comes as residents across Los Angeles work to recover from the state’s recent wildfire disasters.
State Farm will be using its extensive catastrophe response network to assist customers. As of Wednesday morning, Jan. 15, 2025, the company has reached 90% of its affected customers and has received over 7,400 home and auto claims. Tens of millions of dollars have already been disbursed, with the numbers expected to grow as residents assess damage.
Catastrophe Customer Care sites are open to provide on-the-ground support:
- The Home Depot parking lot: 12975 2800 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Former Volvo parking lot: 1999 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Immediate Support for Affected Customers
State Farm has outlined several ways to assist customers impacted by the wildfires:
- Filing Claims: Customers can file claims through local agents, by calling 1-800-SF-CLAIM, using the State Farm mobile app, or visiting statefarm.com.
- Premium Payment Extensions: Agents are available to provide financial relief through premium payment extensions.
