← Fire Safety & Insurability

How to Get Your Home Certified

Individual homes can apply now, whether or not the neighborhood-level effort succeeds. A certificate is tied to the property, and IBHS member insurers can verify it through an address lookup tool. Apply as soon as you feel ready to meet the requirements for your zone.

Eligibility

• The home is on a permanent foundation.
• It is three stories or fewer above grade.
• It complies with applicable state and local WUI building codes.
• The applicant is the property owner.

The process

1. Review the current IBHS requirements. Use the official Wildfire Prepared Home checklist and program materials for the level you are pursuing.
2. Complete the required mitigation work. A home must meet all required actions for its level before it can be designated.
3. Apply through the Wildfire Prepared Home portal. The property owner applies, pays the current application fee, and submits required documentation and photos.
4. Complete IBHS review and third-party evaluation. A qualified evaluator documents whether required conditions are present. The evaluator does not provide a general home inspection or guarantee performance.
5. Receive the IBHS determination. If the home meets the requirements, IBHS issues a designation certificate.
6. Maintain the designation. Keep required conditions in place, including the 0–5 foot noncombustible zone, and complete required follow-up reviews or renewal steps.

Costs

Costs for an individual home fall into two parts: the $125 application fee, and whatever mitigation work your home needs, which varies widely with its condition.

We recognize that these upgrades cost money and that many of us are already stretched by the aftermath of the fire. The SMPOA is working to identify sources of public and private financing for those who need help achieving certification. This will be a long-term effort, and we will share information as programs take shape.