Who is writing new home insurance in California in 2026?

On July 23, 2026, the Department of Insurance listed seven of California's 10 largest home insurance groups as committed to stay and grow. Two more, State Farm and Allstate, filed in 2026 to reopen. Both were not yet open as of October 28, 2026.

The list comes from the state's Sustainable Insurance Strategy, its new rules for insurers. By September 18, 2026, the Department counted 12 insurance groups that had filed or won approval under those rules, with Allstate the latest.

The table below gives each insurer's status as the Department or the company stated it, with the date. Other companies insure California homes too. The state's Home Insurance Finder lists them by ZIP code, but some may not be taking new customers.

The Sustainable Insurance Strategy, completed in December 2024, changed how insurers may price wildfire risk. An insurer may use forward-looking wildfire models in its rates, but only if it writes more homes in wildfire-distressed areas.

The Department defines those areas as places where wildfire is a threat, insurers have cut back, and many homes are on the FAIR Plan. Each commitment is a target for new policies, and the Department checks progress when a company files its rates.

A commitment does not oblige a company to insure your house. Under Proposition 103, the Department wrote in October 2024, "insurance companies are legally free to choose where they will write policies in California."

So treat each status in the table as a reason to ask that company about your home, not as an answer.

No, not as of October 28, 2026. Both filed with the Department of Insurance in 2026 to write new homeowners policies again, but both were not yet open.

State Farm, California's largest home insurer, stopped taking new homeowners applications on May 27, 2023. On September 18, 2026, the Department announced State Farm's filing to reopen for homes with a Wildfire Prepared Home designation. That is a certificate from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) for completed wildfire safety work.

The Department noted that the filing is not under its Sustainable Insurance Strategy, and urged State Farm to make commitments under it. On October 22, 2026, State Farm said the filing was still pending the Department's review. Our guide on whether State Farm is taking new customers explains which homes would qualify.

Allstate paused new homeowners business in 2022 and filed under the new rules on August 31, 2026. Announcing both filings, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said, "A filing is a starting point, not a finish line."

The Department's advice that day was direct: "Consumers should not wait on an approval to shop for coverage."

The Home Insurance Finder is the Department of Insurance's free lookup of insurance companies and agents by ZIP code. If you received a non-renewal notice, California Insurance Code section 678 required it to come with a note about the Finder.

That note calls the Finder "an online tool that can assist you in obtaining insurance for your home."

The Finder's own fine print adds that the companies it lists "may not be able to accept new business."

So use it to build a call list, in these steps.

• Choose Homeowners/Dwelling Fire as the insurance type.
• Enter your ZIP code or city, and pick a distance from 5 to 75 miles.
• If your home is in a fire-prone area, check the box for companies that may write in higher fire risk areas.
• Choose List Insurance Companies, or List Agents/Brokers to find local agents appointed with those companies.

Specialty insurers come after the standard ones, and they write many of the homes standard insurers turn down. The technical name is surplus lines. They are not licensed by the State of California, and you reach them through a licensed broker.

Specialty insurers wrote more than 300,000 California home policies in 2025, according to the Surplus Line Association of California.

The California FAIR Plan is the state's fallback fire insurance program, and it comes last. A FAIR Plan policy covers fire and smoke, plus wind and hail if you add them. It does not cover water damage from a burst pipe, theft, or someone getting hurt on your property.

The Department's own advice is to ask an agent or broker about standard insurers "before turning to the FAIR Plan."

The Department's advice for FAIR Plan customers on August 3, 2026 works for any homeowner: "ask specifically about companies writing new policies in their area."

Then work through a short list:

• Gather your home's facts once: roof age and material, year built, square footage, and any claims in the last five years.
• Contact several agents or brokers, and ask which companies are writing new homeowners policies at your address.
• Check standard insurers first, then specialty insurers if the standard ones say no.
• Compare the yearly price, the rebuild amount and the deductible together, not the price alone.
• Keep your current policy until the new one starts, with no gap.