The California Safe Homes Act is a grant program established by California Assembly Bill 888. Run by the California Department of Insurance (CDI), the program offers financial assistance to homeowners in high-risk wildfire areas who want to make fire mitigation updates to their homes, such as installing a fire-safe roof or creating noncombustible zones around their home's perimeter.
Fire mitigation can do more than reduce potential wildfire damage — it can also improve your home's insurability and may qualify you for discounts on California home insurance through the Safer from Wildfires program.
The California Safe Homes Act explained
The California Safe Homes Act grant program is designed to help low-income California homeowners make fire mitigation improvements to their homes. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Safe Homes Act, formally known as Assembly Bill (AB) 888, into law on Oct. 10, 2025, and it took effect on Jan. 1, 2026 — though grant applications aren't yet live. The California Department of Insurance is still working to implement the actual program.
The California Safe Homes Act was one of three important insurance-related bills signed into law that day. The other two include Senate Bill 429, known as the California Wildfire Public Catastrophe Model Act, and Assembly Bill 1, known as the Insurance and Wildfire Safety Act — the latter of which enhances existing fire-mitigation home insurance discounts for Californians.
Who’s eligible for the California Safe Homes Act grant?
Not everyone in California will be eligible for a grant through the California Safe Homes Act when applications open. To qualify, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:
-
You must have a valid California home insurance policy through an admitted insurer — an insurance company licensed and regulated by the state of California — or through the California FAIR Plan.
-
Your home must be in a ZIP code that’s categorized as either a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, based on current maps published by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
-
Your income must be no higher than the low-income limit for your county, which is designated by the Department of Housing and Community Development.
In addition to grants for individual California homeowners, the California Safe Homes Act also establishes grants for qualifying cities, counties, and special districts.
What can you use the California Safe Homes Act grant for?
The California Safe Homes Act grant can be used for specific home-hardening projects that serve to mitigate damage caused by wildfires. Specifically, the grant covers the following, listed in order of priority:
-
Replacing your roof to align with fire safety standards specified in California’s Safer from Wildfires regulations (i.e., installing a fire-safe roof)
-
Creating a 5-foot noncombustible zone (“Zero Zone”) around your home
-
Funding communitywide mitigation projects for cities, counties, and special districts
How the Safe Homes Act grant can affect the cost of your home insurance
The California Safe Homes Act specifies that you can use the grant for roof replacements and noncombustible zones that “align with the standards specified in the department’s Safer from Wildfires regulations.” This is important, because the CDI created the Safer from Wildfires regulations specifically to help homeowners qualify for home insurance discounts to lower the cost of coverage.
Discount size and availability will vary by insurer and will depend on the extent of your fire mitigation efforts. You can visit the Safer from Wildfires website to learn about the 10 steps you can take to qualify for discounts.
The California Safe Homes Act also hopes to improve the overall insurability of homes in the Golden State. A recent Kin survey found that 60% of California homeowners have struggled to find affordable home insurance in recent years. Increasingly, homeowners have been forced to turn to FAIR Plan coverage because they can’t get insurance through the standard market.
The number of FAIR Plan policies in California grew 152% between September 2022 and March 2026. Standard home insurance is typically more affordable than FAIR Plan coverage and also offers broader protection. The FAIR Plan is designed to cover fire and smoke damage only, without the liability, theft, water damage, and other protections found in a standard policy. Grants from the Safe Homes Act could help homeowners make enough fire mitigation updates to qualify for traditional home insurance instead.
How to apply for the Safe Homes Act grant
The CDI has not yet announced how to apply for the Safe Homes Act grant. When the program goes live, you’ll find the application and full eligibility requirements on the CDI website.
In the meantime, you can see if your home will be eligible for the program by checking your Fire Hazard Severity Zone status using CAL FIRE’s online resource. Remember, your home must be located in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone to qualify.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Safe Homes Act in California?
The Safe Homes Act in California is a law that established a grant program to help qualifying California homeowners pay for fire mitigation efforts, specifically installing fire-safe roofs and creating a 5-foot noncombustible zone ("Zero Zone") around the perimeter of their homes. Grants will also be available to cities, counties, and special districts to help with communitywide mitigation efforts.
Who is eligible for a government home improvement grant in California?
Eligibility for a government home improvement grant in California depends on the grant itself. For instance, the new Safe Homes Act grant is focused on wildfire home-hardening for low-income California homeowners in High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Other, separate state and federal home improvement grants may also be available.
