Wildfire Homeowners Insurance in Morgan Hill, Gilroy & South County

You might own a home in the Morgan Hill or Gilroy foothills, San Martin, Coyote Valley, the Uvas/Chesbro area or the hills toward Hollister. Maybe a non-renewal notice just arrived, or your renewal came back much higher. Maybe someone told you, "we can't write it there." If you're buying, the clock on your contingencies is already running.

Insuring a home here is harder than it used to be, but it isn't impossible. Here's what the 2025 maps mean, what's happened locally, and how I shop it. For policy basics, see homeowners insurance.

Where South County's wildfire hazard is mapped

In 2025, CAL FIRE's Office of the State Fire Marshal released updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for Local Responsibility Areas. Properties are rated Moderate, High or Very High based on terrain, vegetation, fire history and climate. Zone lines can split a neighborhood, so look up your own address.

Morgan Hill

CAL FIRE released the 2025 maps on February 24, 2025, replacing Morgan Hill's 2009 maps. The Morgan Hill Times reported that hazard was reduced in parts of western Morgan Hill. Eastern Morgan Hill now shows mostly High zones, with some Very High and Moderate areas. The city's Fire Hazard Severity Zones page has an interactive address viewer. In Very High zones, state law requires 100 feet of defensible space around structures.

Gilroy

Gilroy's City Council adopted the 2025 map by Ordinance No. 2025-05 on June 16, 2025. The city's fire hazard zone page has a GIS map you can search by address, plus PDF maps. According to Gilroy's home hardening guide, a parcel may sit in a Moderate or High zone and may also be in the Residential Hillside zoning district. Permits filed on or after January 1, 2026 follow the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Code.

San Martin and unincorporated South County

San Martin is served by the Santa Clara County Fire Department, whose LRA map page links the 2025 local maps. You can also search any address on CAL FIRE's Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer.

Coyote Valley, Uvas/Chesbro and the Hollister/San Benito hills

Rural parcels with brush and slope in Coyote Valley, around Uvas and Chesbro reservoirs, or in the hills toward Hollister raise the same questions. Check the address on CAL FIRE's viewer, then get real quotes.

The map isn't your premium: hazard vs. insurance risk

California's Insurance Commissioner put it plainly in a Department of Insurance fact sheet: "The CAL FIRE hazard maps are not used for insurance rates or underwriting decisions." Insurers use their own wildfire risk models to decide where they'll write and renew policies and what premium to charge.

Morgan Hill's map page says the same thing from the other side. The maps "indicate hazard potential, not immediate risk, and do not account for mitigation efforts like defensible space or fire-resistant construction."

The maps still matter: they set defensible-space requirements and WUI building standards for new construction and some remodels, and sellers must disclose a property's zone. But the only way to know what your home can get is to get quotes.

South County's recent fire history

• The Crews Fire started July 5, 2020 at Crews Road and Oak Spring Circle, north of Gilroy. It burned 5,513 acres and destroyed 4 structures before it was contained on July 13.
• The SCU Lightning Complex started August 16, 2020. It burned 396,624 acres across Santa Clara and four other counties, including roughly two-thirds of Henry W. Coe State Park.
• The Coyote Fire started August 21, 2020 at Monterey Road and Coyote Creek Golf Drive and burned 143 acres.

After those fires, the Department of Insurance barred insurers from cancelling or non-renewing residential policies because of wildfire risk in listed ZIP codes for one year from August 18, 2020. The list included 95037 (Morgan Hill), 95020 (Gilroy), 95046 (San Martin) and 95023 (Hollister) (CDI Bulletin 2020-11). That moratorium has ended. If you've just been non-renewed, my 75-day non-renewal plan shows how to check whether a current moratorium applies.

Declined, non-renewed or priced high? Your options

The Department of Insurance's Top Ten Tips give practical advice. Ask your insurer what mitigation might keep your coverage. Start shopping right away, and work with local agents and brokers.

Admitted carriers, then surplus lines

I check admitted carriers first. If they decline, surplus lines insurers, which aren't licensed ("admitted") in California but may write coverage here, can be an option. They aren't backed by the California Insurance Guarantee Association, a trade-off I'll explain.

FAIR Plan + DIC, as the last option

The Department of Insurance says the California FAIR Plan "is available to every homeowner as a last option for coverage." Its residential maximum is $3,000,000 for all coverages combined. Because it covers only fire or lightning, internal explosion and smoke, the Department recommends adding a Difference in Conditions (DIC) policy, a separate policy that can cover things like theft, water damage and liability. I'm a registered California FAIR Plan broker, and I work with multiple DIC carriers. See FAIR Plan + DIC insurance for how the two fit together.

Why one shopper beats five phone calls

One request to a broker reaches multiple markets at once. When the FAIR Plan is the route, I pair it with a DIC so the two policies fit together, and I explain the trade-offs between options in plain English. If another quote is a little lower, send me both and I'll show you, line by line, what's different.

Buying a home in the hills? Get insurance quotes before your contingencies run out

Sellers must disclose a property's fire hazard zone, but check the parcel yourself too. Then get quotes early. If standard carriers decline, FAIR Plan + DIC means coordinating two policies, so give yourself the time.

Request a quote through the website quote form, where you can upload any existing quotes, or text photos of your quotes or declarations page to (408) 763-4533. Once I receive the information required to quote, I start researching carriers immediately and shopping the same week.

Home hardening and local wildfire help

California's Safer from Wildfires regulation requires insurers to offer discounts for listed steps, including a Class A roof, a 5-foot ember-resistant zone, ember-resistant vents, enclosed eaves, upgraded windows, defensible space and community programs such as Firewise USA. Discounts vary by carrier. Gilroy's guide also notes that insurance companies may require clean roofs and gutters and vegetation work 5 to 100 feet from the home.

Local help, listed on United Policyholders' Santa Clara County wildfire resource page:

• The Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council offers Home Ignition Zone assessments and free chipping.
• Santa Clara County Fire offers free wildfire preparedness inspections for hillside homes in its jurisdiction.
• Morgan Hill has Firewise USA sites, including Holiday Lake Estates, Jackson Oaks HOA and Sveadal Uvas Canyon.

Already done hardening work? Mention it in your quote request.

Landlords and multi-unit owners in South County

Rentals in the same hills face the same market. A rental home usually needs a landlord policy, and the FAIR Plan + DIC route can apply to 1–4 unit rentals too. I also write buildings with five or more units, subject to carrier acceptance.

How I shop a South County wildfire-area home

1. Request a quote through the website quote form (you can upload existing quotes or a non-renewal notice), or text photos of your quotes to (408) 763-4533.
2. Once I receive the information required to quote, I start researching carriers immediately and shopping the same week.
3. I check admitted carriers, then surplus lines. If those decline, I place the FAIR Plan and pair it with a DIC. What's available depends on your location and carrier acceptance.
4. I lay your options side by side and tell you plainly what each one covers. I quote earthquake and flood too.
5. I re-shop at renewal.

I'm an independent broker in Gilroy at 1329 1st Street Suite B. I represent you, not a single insurance company.

Frequently asked questions