How does Oakhurst compare with the rest of California for home insurance?

The FAIR Plan's tally for six ZIP codes around Oakhurst, Coarsegold, North Fork, Bass Lake, Ahwahnee and Fish Camp came to 4,950 residential policies on September 30, 2026.

The FAIR Plan files Fish Camp's 93623 under Mariposa County, so it also appears in the Mariposa County guide.

The Oakhurst area's count has climbed 70% since September 30, 2022, when the Plan's five-year file showed 2,915 in the same ZIP codes. The statewide count rose faster over those four years, by 150%.

Coarsegold and Oakhurst drove the local rise. Coarsegold's 93614 went from 831 to 1,686 policies, more than double, and Oakhurst's 93644 from 866 to 1,617, up 87%.

On September 30, 2026, 91% of the FAIR Plan's policies around Oakhurst were in its High wildfire tier. Statewide, the High tier held 37%. All six ZIP codes around Oakhurst carry a flag the FAIR Plan carries, labeled "Is Distressed Area," in its September 30, 2026 file.

The California Department of Insurance's 2022 figures show the FAIR Plan insuring 24.8% of the insured homes in the six ZIP codes around Oakhurst, against 3.2% statewide. North Fork's 93643 was highest, at 46.2%.

Non-renewals matched the state's rate. In 2023, 678 policies from other insurers around Oakhurst were non-renewed, or 8.7%, the same as statewide, in totals that count owners who sold or switched. Those insurers renewed 6,931 policies around Oakhurst and issued 179 new ones.

For one year, yes. The Creek Fire, which started September 4, 2020, burned in Madera County as well as Fresno County, by CAL FIRE's incident page. That page gives no breakdown by county and names no eastern Madera town.

After the Governor's emergency declaration of September 6, 2020, which named Madera County, the Department of Insurance's Bulletin 2020-11 listed all six of these ZIP codes. For the next year, insurers could not end a home policy there over wildfire risk.

Two years later, the Oak Fire near Midpines brought another one-year bar, from July 23, 2022, for Ahwahnee's 93601 and Fish Camp's 93623. After the Fork Fire near North Fork, Bulletin 2022-14 listed Oakhurst's 93644, Coarsegold's 93614, North Fork's 93643 and Bass Lake's 93604 for one year from September 19, 2022.

All three bars have ended. The Department's moratorium list showed none for these ZIP codes as of October 29, 2026. How a moratorium works explains what to check after the next fire.

About 15% of the homes around Oakhurst are seasonal or second homes, by Census Bureau estimates for 2020 to 2024. In Bass Lake's 93604, more than half are.

Madera County has proposed a short-term vacation rental permit, on top of a business license and a transient occupancy tax certificate. Its final draft covers a home, or part of one, rented for 30 days or less.

Under that draft, each rental would need its own permit, renewed every year, plus fire extinguishers, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.

The Planning Commission heard the draft on April 29, 2026. On August 18, 2026, the Board of Supervisors sent it back for revisions without a vote. As of the board's October 20, 2026 agenda, the county had adopted no short-term rental ordinance.

The draft says nothing about insurance, so that question is yours. Tell your insurer in writing about paying guests before the first booking, and see how local rental rules handle insurance elsewhere in California.

Casa's questionnaire takes second homes as well as main homes, with a few extra questions about how they are used. One answer to its rental question is "Short stays (Airbnb, Vrbo)."

Know the FAIR Plan's limits before you renew it, especially if you rent to visitors. The Plan insures against fire and smoke, plus wind and hail as paid add-ons. It has no liability coverage for a hurt guest, and none for theft or a burst pipe.

One full policy can take its place. Standard insurers come first, and specialty insurers second.

A FAIR Plan policy ends on the date you set in a written cancellation, and the Plan pays back the unused part of the price. So switching before your renewal is possible.

Gather these first:

• Proof of the roof's age and material.
• Dated pictures of the space you clear around the house each year.
• Invoices for fire-safety work, such as a Class A roof or screened vents.
• Your short-stay bookings, if you rent to visitors.
• Your claims history for the past five years.