Zone Zero insurance discount: what California insurers give

Is there a Zone 0 insurance discount in California?

Yes, though the state does not call it Zone 0. The California Department of Insurance (CDI) runs it as Safer from Wildfires. The regulation behind it is 10 CCR 2644.9, “Consideration of Mitigation Factors; Wildfire Risk Models”, filed and operative on 14 October 2022.

It applies to insurers whose rates vary with a policyholder’s wildfire risk (subdivision (a)(1)). Subdivision (d)(1) bars those insurers from using a rating plan that does not “take into account and reflect” a list of mandatory mitigation factors. Factor (d)(1)(B)1.c is the “incorporation of only noncombustible materials” into improvements on the property, “including fences and gates,” within five feet of the building, and the rate offered must be “based in part on” the reduced risk from each measure. The regulation never uses the word “discount”. It does require insurers that give you a wildfire risk score to tell you the premium reduction each measure would produce (subdivision (k)(3)(B)), and each insurer’s rating plan is filed with CDI.

CDI’s consumer FAQ (September 2026) says the Commissioner “is requiring insurance companies to give discounts” under the framework. It also says different insurers may offer different discounts, “so it pays to compare.”

Does Zone 0 lower insurance?

It can, by an amount that depends on your insurer, and complying with the Board of Forestry rule does not by itself guarantee a discount. Insurance Business put it this way on 20 August 2026: “Zone 0 compliance therefore does not automatically guarantee a particular discount or an offer of coverage.” Each carrier uses its own filed rating and its own verification.

The Board makes a similar point in its September 2026 guidance (p. 29). Insurers use their own risk models and set their own requirements, and some require the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home Essential designation, which the Board describes as “more restrictive regarding trees and vegetation in Zone Zero” than its own rule. The Board suggests sharing photos of your fuel management work when you shop for coverage.

For a sense of scale, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara wrote to the Board on 15 October 2025 that Safer from Wildfires discounts “can range from 4% to over 40% of the total premium, depending on the level of wildfire risk and specific home features.” In the same letter he said the 2022 discounts “can help fund compliance” with Zone Zero, and that some of the state’s largest insurers “have committed to insuring homes that implement Zone Zero.” He named no companies and gave no terms.

What does Safer from Wildfires require within 5 feet of the house?

CDI’s Safer from Wildfires page lists ten property and community actions. Number two is “5 foot ember resistant zone, including fencing.” The page explains why the fence matters: “Replacing wood fencing connecting to your home with metal is critical because it can act like a candle wick” carrying fire to the house.

The mandatory factors in 10 CCR 2644.9(d)(1), paraphrased from the regulation:

• Immediate surroundings: vegetation and debris cleared from under decks; vegetation, debris, mulch, stored combustibles and movable combustible objects cleared within 5 feet; only noncombustible materials in any improvement within 5 feet, “including fences and gates”; no combustible structures, such as sheds and outbuildings, within 30 feet (or as much of that area as you control); compliance with PRC 4291 and local defensible space ordinances.
• Building: a Class A fire rated roof, enclosed eaves, fire-resistant vents, multipane windows or functional shutters, and at least 6 inches of noncombustible vertical clearance at the bottom of the exterior wall, measured from the ground up.
• Community: a Firewise USA site in good standing, or a Fire Risk Reduction Community listed by the Board of Forestry.

Is the insurance standard stricter than the Zone 0 rule on fences?

On fences, yes, so check it before you pay for work. The Board’s rule, adopted 19 August 2026 and not yet in effect, is narrow. Once in effect, every fence or gate attached to a house, or within 1 foot of it, would need a 5 foot noncombustible span at the house end (14 CCR 1298.04(b)(9)(A) in the LRA, 1299.03(d)(9) in the SRA). No new combustible fence could be built within 5 feet. It would not order removal of other existing wood fence in Zone 0, and it would allow repairs with combustible material (1298.04(b)(9)(C)).

The insurance criteria cover every fence and gate within 5 feet of the house, whether or not it touches the wall. Take a wood fence running parallel to the house 3 feet out. The Board rule would let it stay. On our reading of the published wording, which says only noncombustible materials within 5 feet, that fence would still keep you from qualifying for the 2644.9 fence factor, the FAIR Plan’s item (3) and Mercury’s tiers. None of those sources addresses the parallel fence case directly, so ask your insurer. IBHS goes further still and counts posts and retaining walls. Details are in Zone 0 fence requirements.

What does the California FAIR Plan give for Zone 0 work?

From 15 November 2025 (sheet last revised 10/2025), the FAIR Plan offers up to 12 discounts on the wildfire portion of the premium:

• Five immediate surroundings discounts. Item (3) reads: “The property has only noncombustible materials incorporated into any improvements to the property, including fences and gates, within 5 feet of the dwelling.”
• Five structure discounts (roof, eaves, vents, windows, 6 inch wall base).
• A completion discount when all ten property items are met.
• A community discount for a Firewise USA site or a Board-listed Fire Risk Reduction Community.

A Dwelling Fire policyholder who earns all 12 may see up to 16.4% off the wildfire portion. For Commercial policies the maximum is 13.8%. The FAIR Plan does not publish a figure for the fence item alone. It sends policyholders to a licensed broker to apply, and the sheet says the discounts “are subject to change.”

Which insurers publish a Zone 0 fence discount?

Most carriers do not post their percentages. Two that publish something:

Mercury

Mercury’s California page (undated, read 10 November 2026) lists three tiers for policies that include a charge for wildfire risk, applied to the wildfire peril only. Each tier requires you to meet every item on its list, from roof and vents to deck clearance, not the fence item alone. The percentage rises with the distance from your house to other structures (10 feet or less, 10 to 30 feet, 30 feet or more):

All three tiers require you to “incorporate only noncombustible materials within 5 feet of the dwelling (e.g., fencing, gates).” Elite adds that “any back-to-back fencing must be at least 5 feet apart.” A community discount can add up to 16.1% on the wildfire portion, and the page lists separate discounts of up to 50% for qualifying IBHS certifications. Mercury says all discounts are “subject to underwriting review and policy terms.”

State Farm

In a newsroom post dated 29 October 2026, State Farm General said it filed underwriting guidelines in September that “would allow us to consider new homeowners insurance applications in California” for homes with qualifying IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designations. It also said it “offers wildfire mitigation discounts in California.” The post gives no percentages, and we have not found a primary source for the figures quoted on other sites, so we do not repeat them.

For any other carrier, ask what the fence item is worth under its current rating plan. Rating plans filed with CDI are open to public inspection under subdivision (f) of the regulation, and an insurer that gives you a wildfire risk score must state the premium reduction for each measure.

What does IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home require for fences?

The IBHS How-To Prepare Checklist (undated, read 10 November 2026) puts fences under the Essential level, the entry designation, as item 1d: “Replace combustible fence or retaining wall materials (e.g., wood, vinyl) within 0-5 foot zone with noncombustible alternatives. This includes any posts and gates in that zone.” Acceptable materials include metal (aluminum, steel, chain link, iron), concrete, masonry and stone. The checklist adds that “fire-resistant materials (e.g., vinyl, composite, or fire-rated coatings) are not permitted.”

The Enhanced level, which requires meeting all Essential items first, adds item 10: no back-to-back fencing within 30 feet. If two combustible fences run parallel less than 5 feet apart, one has to be removed or replaced with noncombustible material, which may mean working with a neighbor.

How do you claim the discount?

CDI’s September 2026 FAQ sets out the steps:

1. Do the work. For fencing, that means noncombustible material for the part of every fence and gate that sits within 5 feet of the house.
2. Contact your insurer, agent or broker and “advise of the completed work.” FAIR Plan policyholders go through a licensed broker.
3. Be ready to show proof. CDI says you “may need to provide proof” or an inspection may be required. Before-and-after photos and an installer’s invoice that names the material are worth keeping.
4. Expect the savings at the next policy period. CDI says the premium savings “would be reflected at the start of the next policy period.”

The order of work for the whole house is covered in how to comply with Zone 0.

What can you ask your insurer for under the regulation?

If your insurer uses a wildfire risk score or classification to set your premium, 10 CCR 2644.9(h) gives you the right to see it in writing:

• within 15 days after the insurer receives a completed application;
• at least 45 days before each renewal, and at least 75 days before any nonrenewal;
• within 30 days after you ask for a revised score because you finished a mitigation measure since your last application or renewal.

The disclosure has to explain the score, list the measures that would lower it and state “the amount of premium reduction” each would produce (subdivision (k)). Read the disclosure from your last application or renewal before you buy a metal gate: it should already say what the 5 foot noncombustible zone is worth on your policy. The revised-score request comes after the work is done.

If you think the score is wrong, appeal to the insurer. It must acknowledge the appeal within 10 calendar days and answer in writing within 30. If the appeal is denied, CDI takes calls at 800-927-4357 (CDI FAQ, September 2026).

Do you have to wait for the Zone 0 rule to take effect?

No. The discount regulation has been in force since 2022, while the Zone 0 rule has not taken effect. The Board of Forestry adopted it 8 to 0 on 19 August 2026, filed it with the Office of Administrative Law on 28 August (file 2026-0828-03E), and withdrew it on 8 September before OAL ruled (OAL record, as reported by the California Defensible Space Guide). OAL’s list of emergency regulations under review showed no Board of Forestry entry on 10 November 2026, and no effective date has been set.

When the rule does take effect, existing homes get time on the fence items: in the LRA, 3 years or up to 5 on a local timeline (14 CCR 1298.04(c)(4)); in the SRA, 5 years, or not less than 3 on the CAL FIRE Director’s timeline (14 CCR 1299.03(e)(4)). The insurance discount does not wait for the rule: CDI says savings start at the next policy period after you report the work, so they can begin years before any deadline. The legal timeline is covered in California’s Zone 0 law.

Is the discount worth the cost of a metal fence section?

It depends on your premium and what your insurer credits for the fence item. One San Diego installer lists a 5 to 10 foot aluminum partial replacement at $2,000 to $2,500, or from $3,000 with a gate (JJ’s Fence Company, September 2026). A Zone 0 contractor’s guide for California homeowners gives $40 to $100 per linear foot for a noncombustible section at the house, or $500 to $2,000 per gate (Ember Pro, October 2026). Compare those quotes with the premium reduction your insurer states for the measure. Ranges and their basis are in what Zone 0 compliance costs.

What we don’t know yet

• How much individual carriers credit the fence item on its own. The FAIR Plan and Mercury publish totals and tiers, not per-item amounts.
• Whether insurers will change their criteria to match the Board rule once it takes effect, or keep the stricter “all fences within 5 feet” wording.
• Which large insurers Commissioner Lara meant when he wrote that some had committed to insuring Zone Zero homes, and on what terms.