The FAIR Plan Rate Increase Hits October 15. Here Is What Burbank Homeowners Should Know.

If you carry a California FAIR Plan policy, your rate changes on October 15, 2026.

The FAIR Plan itself has published nothing about this to its own policyholders. As of today its news page has not been updated since January. So most people are going to find out from a renewal notice, which is a bad way to find out.

Here is what is actually happening.

How much is the FAIR Plan increase?

The California Department of Insurance approved an average increase of 29.1 percent, effective October 15, 2026. One thing to be precise about: broker sources describe that average as applying to the FAIR Plan's Dwelling Fire line specifically, not to every FAIR Plan policy equally. I have not found a primary filing or a FAIR Plan notice confirming the figure, so treat it as widely reported rather than documented.

The FAIR Plan originally asked for 35.8 percent. The Department cut it to 29.1. On a $3,500 annual premium, that reduction is worth roughly $235 a year.

It is the largest single year increase in the plan's history, and it affects more than 675,000 policyholders statewide.

Will my premium go up 29.1 percent?

Probably not, and this is the part that gets misread.

29.1 percent is a statewide average, not a forecast for your house. What happens to your specific policy depends on the wildfire risk assessed at your property, the dwelling coverage limit you carry, and your home's construction and hardening.

Properties in high wildfire risk areas see increases well above the average, with some wildfire portions of premiums potentially doubling. Properties in lower risk areas can see smaller increases, no change, or in some cases reductions.

There is no published rate table by address or ZIP code. Anyone quoting you a specific percentage for a specific Burbank street is guessing. A quote from your broker is the only real answer.

Does this affect every house in Burbank?

No, and the geography here is more complicated than people assume.

Burbank's General Plan identifies two designated mountain fire zones, not one. The first runs along the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in northeast Burbank. The second is in the southwestern part of the city, adjacent to Warner Bros. Studios.

Most of Burbank's flatland residential grid sits outside both. But "I am not on the hillside, so I am fine" is too broad a statement, and I have used a version of it myself in the past. Part of southwest Burbank is in a designated zone.

I am not going to name specific streets. The boundary information I have access to comes from a city map image rather than a published street list, and this is not a subject to be approximate about.

The reliable way to check a specific property is CAL FIRE's Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, or a call to Burbank Fire Prevention at (818) 238-3473. If you are buying or selling and the answer matters, that call takes five minutes.

There is also an open question I have not been able to resolve. CAL FIRE issued updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for Los Angeles County in March 2025, and I have not confirmed whether Burbank has completed adoption of them. If it has not, the city's operative brush clearance zone and the newer state recommended zone may not match, and some parcels could be newly designated.

When does the increase apply, at renewal or right away?

Reporting on this consistently describes the new rates as applying to policies written or renewed on or after October 15, which would mean a policy already in force keeps its current pricing until its own renewal date.

I want to be straight that I have not been able to confirm that mechanism from a primary Department of Insurance or FAIR Plan document. It is how rate filings normally work and multiple sources describe it that way, but I am not going to tell you to time anything around it.

If your renewal is close to October 15, call your broker this week and ask directly. That is a ten minute call and it is the only way to get an answer specific to your policy.

I am not an insurance broker and this is not coverage advice.

Is anything changing beyond the rate?

Yes, and it is worth knowing even though most of it arrives later.

The Governor signed several insurance bills in late September:

SB 1301 (Chapter 693) lengthens the notice an insurer must give before non-renewing a residential policy, from 75 days to 90, and requires plain language grounds for the non-renewal plus inspection reports on request. Where a homeowner can fix the problem, the insurer has to allow at least 90 days to remediate. Important: this does not take effect until January 1, 2028. Anyone non-renewed in 2026 or 2027 is still under the old rules.

AB 1680 (Chapter 540) expands the Insurance Commissioner's authority over the FAIR Plan, including the power to require corrective actions, impose penalties for non-compliance, and require the plan to adjust policy limits and offer additional fair rental value coverage. I have not been able to confirm its effective date.

Two others worth knowing about, both effective January 1, 2027: SB 876, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, which doubles penalties for claims settlement violations during declared emergencies, and AB 1795, the Smoke Damage Recovery Act, which sets science based standards for investigating and restoring smoke damage.

What should I actually do before October 15?

Three things.

Find out when your policy renews. Not approximately. The date. It determines whether this affects you next week or next year.

Call your broker and ask what your specific renewal looks like. Ask for it in writing. "The average is 29 percent" is not an answer about your house.

If you are in or near either fire zone, check the parcel. CAL FIRE's map or Burbank Fire Prevention. Knowing your actual designation is worth more than any general article, including this one.

And if you are thinking about selling in the next year, know that buyers are now asking about insurability early, sometimes before they ask about the kitchen. Having a current quote in hand is becoming part of being ready.

Where to verify this

The California Department of Insurance publishes its press releases and rate filing actions at insurance.ca.gov. The FAIR Plan's own site is cfpnet.com, though as noted it has said nothing about this change. CAL FIRE's Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps are at osfm.fire.ca.gov.

If you own in Burbank and want help thinking through what this means for your situation, whether you are staying put, buying, or selling, get in touch. I am happy to walk through what is known and what is not, and to point you toward the right person for the rest.

Michelle Crochet is a REALTOR with eXp Realty serving Burbank, Glendale and Toluca Lake.