Where are the FAIR Plan homes in Santa Barbara and Montecito?

Montecito's ZIP code, 93108, held 1,529 policies with the California FAIR Plan, the insurer for owners who can't buy coverage from a traditional insurer, on September 30, 2026.

Across all seven Santa Barbara and Montecito ZIP codes, the FAIR Plan's count rose 151%, from 1,814 on September 30, 2022, to 4,547 on September 30, 2026. California's rose 150%. Montecito's own count slipped from 1,555 on September 30, 2025, to 1,529 on September 30, 2026.

Across Santa Barbara and Montecito, the Plan covered 5.5% of insured homes in 2022, compared with 3.2% across California, by the Department of Insurance's figures. Montecito's share was 18.1%, and Santa Barbara's 93105 stood at 11.1%.

In the Census Bureau's survey for 2020 through 2024, seasonal homes made up 2.8% of Santa Barbara and Montecito housing, against 2.4% statewide. Montecito alone stood at 9.1%.

On September 30, 2026, the Plan rated 27% of its Santa Barbara and Montecito policies High for wildfire, against 37% of its policies statewide. The Plan sets that rating itself, and it is not a CAL FIRE hazard map. Montecito stood at 35% and 93105 at 37%, while 93101 and 93109 had none rated High.

When the Plan counted on September 30, 2026, Montecito's 93108 alone still had a flag the FAIR Plan carries, used for areas where insurance is hard to find. On March 31, 2026, all seven Santa Barbara and Montecito ZIP codes had it.

In 2023, 2,504 Santa Barbara and Montecito home policies outside the FAIR Plan were non-renewed, 7.9% of them, below California's 8.7%. Montecito's rate was 10.2%. Those totals include owners who left by choice, for example after selling or changing insurers, the Department of Insurance notes.

The Thomas Fire started on December 4, 2017, north of Santa Paula and burned 281,893 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. CAL FIRE's incident page, updated last on September 23, 2024, counts 1,063 structures destroyed and 274 damaged.

On January 9, 2018, before the fire was fully contained, intense rain fell on the burn area above Montecito. The debris flows that followed killed 23 people, injured at least 167 and damaged 408 homes, the U.S. Geological Survey reported in 2019.

By April 2, 2018, insurers had received more than 2,000 Montecito mudslide claims, the Department of Insurance said.

The Cave Fire started on November 25, 2019, near Highway 154 and East Camino Cielo. CAL FIRE's page, last updated November 30, 2022, puts it at 3,126 acres in the Los Padres National Forest.

It must when the policy covers fire and the fire was the main cause, under a 2018 California law. Insurance Code section 530.5 applies when damage has more than one cause and one of them is a landslide, mudslide, mudflow or debris flow.

The section then states its rule. "Coverage shall be provided if an insured peril is the efficient proximate cause of the loss or damage and coverage would otherwise be provided for the insured peril."

It goes on: "Coverage shall be provided under the same terms and conditions as would be provided for the insured peril." A peril is a cause of damage, and fire is one that home policies cover.

The efficient proximate cause is the most important cause of the loss, as the Department of Insurance's notice of September 19, 2025 explains, citing the California Supreme Court.

The Legislature added section 530.5 in 2018, after the Montecito mudslides, that notice says. It reminds insurers that they may not exclude mudflow or debris-flow losses when the facts show a wildfire was the efficient proximate cause.

The notice also tells insurers to investigate the cause before turning such a claim down. If an insurer refuses one, ask for the reason in writing.

The State Fire Marshal's new local-land maps reached the county's fire departments on March 10, 2025.

On June 10, 2025, the Board of Supervisors, sitting as the county fire district's board, voted 5 to 0 for Ordinance 5258. Its Exhibit B, a countywide map dated April 9, 2025, marks Very High some land the state's map left out.

Montecito is inside that area. On the board map packet's South Coast sheet, the 6,947-acre Very High area takes in Montecito, the Montecito Club, Eucalyptus Hill and Birnam Wood, up to Summerland.

The staff report pointed to slow evacuations from the Mission Canyon and Foothill Road communities.

The maps exist to guide local planning, the Department of Insurance said in an April 4, 2025 alert. Insurers use wildfire risk models of their own to pick where to write policies and what to charge, it said.

A zone still matters for the rules on your lot. The Montecito Fire Protection District also posts its own 2025 map, so check it or look up your zone before you build or remodel.

For 2026, the Board of Forestry named the County of Santa Barbara a Fire Risk Reduction Community, effective July 1, 2026. The City of Santa Barbara and the Montecito Fire Protection District are not on that list.

The FAIR Plan gives a community discount to a dwelling inside a listed Fire Risk Reduction Community, under its discount sheet of November 2025. The sheet names no towns, so ask the Plan about a Montecito address, and keep its warning in mind: "Discounts are subject to change."

After the Alisal Fire, Bulletin 2022-6 barred non-renewals over wildfire risk in Santa Barbara's 93105 and 93111 for one year starting July 1, 2022. That moratorium has ended.

Bulletin 2026-01 lists 93105 under the Gifford Fire moratorium, which lasts until December 23, 2026, one year after the Governor declared the emergency. Montecito's 93108 is not on that list, and how moratoriums work explains what a moratorium covers.

A moratorium protects only policies in effect on the declaration date, and only from cancellations or non-renewals over wildfire risk. Any non-renewal letter must be mailed or handed over at least 75 days (90 days beginning January 1, 2028) prior to the policy's last day.

A FAIR Plan policy covers fire, lightning and smoke. Wind and hail are covered only if added to the policy. It has no coverage for a visitor's injury, and its other gaps include theft and burst pipes.

One homeowners policy that replaces the FAIR Plan would fill those gaps, so put that question to standard and specialty insurers at each renewal.

Gather these before you ask for quotes:

• Your roof's material and the year it went on, with any replacement receipts.
• Dated photos of the brush and trees you have cleared around the house.
• Permits and final sign-offs for any rebuilding or major repairs since 2018.
• Your policy's declarations page, showing each coverage limit.