Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is Wildfire Prepared Home™? 

Wildfire Prepared Home™ is a voluntary, research-based mitigation and assessment program designed to meaningfully reduce a home’s wildfire risk.

How it works:

The Homeowner Guide takes you through all the actions required to prepare your home for wildfire and achieve a designation.
Next, the free online assessment helps you confirm you meet all the requirements before you apply.
Once you apply, an inspector will visit your home to verify and document the requirements have been met and a wildfire expert will review the application and issue a designation.

What are the benefits of a Wildfire Prepared Home designation? 

The goal of the Wildfire Prepared Home program is to use a system of mitigation actions to the roof, structure, and defensible space to meaningfully reduce a home’s wildfire risk. Wildfire Prepared Home has two levels of the program that are achievable for a homeowner. A 2022 California Department of Insurance (CDI) regulation requires insurers to offer discounts for mitigation actions. Those discounts must be approved by CDI. While many insurers in the state have filed new rating plans with CDI reflecting this requirement, CDI is in the process of reviewing them.

Is Wildfire Prepared Home available where I live? 

The program is available now in California.

If your state isn’t participating at this time, you can still benefit from the actions required by this program. Please see our Homeowner Guide to learn about scientifically proven ways to lower your wildfire risk.

How much does a Wildfire Prepared Home designation cost?

$125 for the initial application fee which includes a physical inspection, documentation and review.

I think I’m ready to apply, but I don’t want to pay for an inspection if there are more steps I need to take. What do I do?

Take the free online home assessment before you pay for the inspection. This will help you review all the requirements and let you know if you are ready to apply at the end. You can come back and take the assessment as many times as you’d like before applying.

How will I know if my home has been designated after I applied?

You can log in to your account at any time to check the status of your application. Once your home has been designated, you will receive an email with a link where you can log in to your account to see your designation number and download a certificate to email to your insurance carrier. 

How is this program different from other wildfire mitigation programs?

Through years of innovative research in our lab, site visits after disasters, and in collaboration with other wildfire community experts, IBHS has identified which mitigation actions are critical to give your home the best chance of survival against wildfire. 

Wildfire doesn’t back down and we know that you must do all the actions, so you don’t leave a weak link. We provide those required actions in the Homeowner Guide to get you designated.

Why is the 0–5-foot home ignition zone so important?

IBHS research has shown that it is critical to create and maintain a 0–5 ft noncombustible buffer area we call the home ignition zone around a building, including the entire footprint of your deck. This includes removal of any vegetation, overhanging branches, and combustible fencing that runs through this zone.

This zone is designed to protect the building from ignition that can result from wind-blown embers that can accumulate at the base of the exterior wall, and from exposure to radiant heat or direct flame contact that would occur due to the ignition of combustible materials located near the building or under an attached deck. This includes removal of any vegetation, overhanging branches, and combustible fencing that runs through this zone.

Trademark Usage and Licensing

I am a vendor and would like to reference Wildfire Prepared Home™ in my marketing material. How do I get started? 

Wildfire mitigation vendors interested in referencing Wildfire Prepared Home or using the Wildfire Prepared Home logo in marketing materials should submit a Trademark Licensing Application. Trademark Licensing Applications will only be considered from vendors who provide products or services that help with meeting the Wildfire Prepared Home and Wildfire Prepared Home Plus standard. Upon completion of the request, someone will reach out to you within two weeks. Submission of this request does not constitute a licensing agreement. IBHS retains the exclusive right to approve or deny any request to use its trademarks.