California Earthquake Insurance

No law requires it, and standard homeowners policies exclude earthquake damage entirely. Given California's seismic risk, the question is whether you could afford to rebuild out of pocket. For many owners the answer makes the coverage worth pricing, even with a high deductible.

The California Earthquake Authority is a publicly managed, privately funded provider whose policies are sold through participating homeowners insurers. Private carriers also write earthquake coverage, sometimes with different deductibles, limits, or extras. We compare CEA and private options rather than defaulting to one.

Earthquake policies use a percentage deductible, often 10 to 25 percent of the dwelling limit, rather than a flat dollar amount. On an expensive home that is a large number, which is why the coverage is designed for a catastrophic rebuild rather than minor cracks. Lower deductible options exist at a higher premium.

No. Earthquake shake damage is a standard exclusion on homeowners policies across California. You need a separate earthquake policy or endorsement. Fire that follows a quake is the exception, since fire is a covered peril on the homeowners policy itself.

Cost depends on your home's location and soil, its age and construction, the dwelling limit, and the deductible you choose. Older homes and those near active faults generally cost more, while retrofitting can lower the premium. We quote it against your actual property.

Most policies let you add personal property and loss of use coverage alongside the dwelling limit. Personal property helps replace contents damaged in the quake, and loss of use pays additional living expenses while the home is repaired. The limits are yours to choose.

Fire is covered by your homeowners policy, not the earthquake policy, even when a quake starts it.

The land, and costs to stabilize or regrade it, are generally excluded.

Pools, fences, and detached masonry are often limited or excluded, depending on the policy.

Water damage from flooding or a tsunami needs separate flood coverage.

See Flood Insurance

We are licensed in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York, and applications in Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan are with those states now. We do not quote a state before its license is issued. Start a quote and we will tell you where you stand before you spend time on it.

You answer a short set of questions, and a licensed broker at Menlo reads them, maps your operation to a class, and shops it with the carriers we are appointed with. There is no instant bind and no black box. You talk to a person before anything is quoted.