What does SB 1301 change about California non-renewal notices?

SB 1301 (Chapter 693, Statutes of 2026) was signed on September 27, 2026. Its rules start on January 1, 2028. Each new section it adds to the Insurance Code "shall become operative on January 1, 2028."

The law keeps the older version of section 678, with its 75-day rule, word for word until January 1, 2028. It adds one line: the section "shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2028, and as of that date is repealed."

A new section 678 takes over on January 1, 2028. It requires a non-renewal notice "at least 90 days before the policy expiration," mailed or delivered to you. If the insurer misses that, your policy stays active, with no change in its terms, for 90 days from the day the notice is mailed or delivered.

The 2028 rules reach the same home policies as the older section. Section 675 covers policies on property "used predominantly for residential purposes" with "not more than four dwelling units." That includes a home you live in and a rental of up to four units.

On and after January 1, 2028, a problem you can fix gets its own, earlier notice. If the insurer's reason is "a condition that can be remedied," it must tell you at least 120 days before the policy ends.

Under the 2028 rules, the 120-day notice must explain the fix in plain language: the repair, change or information that would qualify you for renewal. It must also warn that a non-renewal notice will follow in 30 days if the fix is not made.

Even so, the 2028 rules give you "not less than 90 days" to make the fix or send the information. Send proof when it is done. The insurer may inspect, in person or virtually, at its own expense.

From January 1, 2028, the insurer must answer in writing within 15 days of getting your proof. A fix the insurer verifies qualifies you for renewal.

On and after January 1, 2028, the notice must give "a detailed, plain language explanation of the grounds for the nonrenewal." That asks more than the older rule's "specific reason or reasons."

Under the 2028 rules, the insurer must also share the images it relied on, other than aerial ones. If you ask, it must send any inspection findings or reports it relied on within 15 days of your request.

If wildfire risk is part of the reason, the 2028 rules require your wildfire risk score or class. The notice must describe, in plain language, each feature of the home and of the area around it that led to that result. The insurer need not repeat details it already gives you with your score under a state regulation.

A notice under the 2028 rules must also explain your right to dispute it. You can correct facts the insurer got wrong or left out, and ask for an onsite inspection if the dispute is about your home's condition. The insurer must confirm within 10 days that it got your dispute, then decide it in writing within 30 days after that.

On and after January 1, 2028, section 676.13 bars a non-renewal based solely on certain claims, whether made by you or an earlier owner or occupant. Those include a claim that was filed but not paid or payable, and one within the deductible.

The 2028 list also includes a claim the policy does not cover, and a claim on a property you no longer own. Your own claim is also protected once the hazard is removed or the damage repaired, unless you caused the loss on purpose or through gross negligence.

The first two protections do not apply after at least three claims for the same damage or defect in the previous three years. Asking questions is protected too. From January 1, 2028, a non-renewal cannot be based, "in whole or in part," on a past question about your policy, such as what it covers.

The 2028 rules also limit roof age as a reason. An insurer cannot turn down or non-renew a policy "solely on the basis of the age of the roof" if you pay for an independent roof inspection. The inspection must confirm "at least five years of useful roof life remaining."

Under the 2028 rule, the insurer may still take the roof's age "into consideration." The inspection protects you only when age is the sole reason. How insurers judge roof age explains the roof rules they file.

The 45-day rule for renewal offers stays after January 1, 2028. A renewal offer must still be mailed or delivered at least 45 days before the policy ends, naming "any reduction of limits or elimination of coverage."

The mail days stay too, "on and after January 1, 2028." For a mailed notice, the law adds five calendar days to the notice period, or 10 if it was mailed from or to another state.

Cancellation, which ends a policy partway through its term, keeps its own rules, and SB 1301 does not change them. If an insurer cancels because you host short-term guests, see what California law allows over hosting.

SB 1301 also leaves the wildfire moratorium alone. That separate rule applies after a declared wildfire emergency, in ZIP codes in or next to the fire area. For a set time, it bars non-renewing a home just because a wildfire happened there.

A non-renewal notice on a home still comes with the state's notice about the Department of Insurance's Home Insurance Finder and the FAIR Plan.

For a notice mailed before January 1, 2028, check it against the 75-day rule. SB 1301 does not say how its 90 days apply to a policy ending early in 2028 after a notice mailed in 2027. If that is your case, ask the insurer in writing which rule it followed.

For a notice under the 2028 rules, read the reasons, then ask for any inspection report the insurer used. If the problem is one you can fix, start the work or gather the papers the week the 120-day notice arrives.

Whatever the date, the notice buys you time, not a renewal, unless a verified fix or a dispute changes the insurer's decision. Start looking for a new policy right away, and follow a week-by-week plan so the new one starts before the old one ends.

Either way, keep a simple record from the first day:

• The postmark date, the date on the letter and the day your policy ends.
• The envelope and every page of the notice.
• Copies of each repair receipt, photo and letter you send the insurer.
• Notes from each call: the date, the person's name and what was said.