Homeowners' insurance: home hardening.

Existing law creates the Department of Insurance to regulate the business of insurance. Existing law generally regulates classes of insurance, including homeowners' insurance. Existing law prohibits an insurer, for one year after the declaration of a state of emergency, from canceling or refusing to renew a residential property insurance policy solely because the property is in an area in which a wildfire occurred. This bill would require an admitted insurer licensed to issue homeowners' insurance policies to issue a policy to a homeowner who has hardened their home against fire, as specified, regardless of the home's location, on and after January 1, 2025, and would require an insurer to make conforming changes to its internet website and print materials on or before July 1, 2025. The bill would create the Wildfire Protection Grant Program, under which the department would be required to award grants of up to $10,000 each to help homeowners pay for costs associated with wildfire mitigation improvements. The bill would require the department to promulgate regulations to administer the Wildfire Protection Grant Program.