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Hillside neighborhood next to dry, brush-covered hills

Home insurance · Santa Clarita, CA

Homeowners Insurance in Santa Clarita, CA, for Canyon and Tract Homes

A tract home near the Valencia paseos and a house at the top of Sand Canyon can get very different answers from the same insurer. We're a family-run agency in Valencia with 30 years of experience. We find out which carriers will write your address, explain the wildfire and earthquake gaps, and help when a non-renewal letter arrives.

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Rather talk? Call (818) 909-7486 · Mon to Fri, 9 AM to 4 PM

  • Licensed in CA · #0D44425
  • Free quotes, no obligation
  • Call-back usually within the hour

At a glance

  • The city's hazard plan puts most of its planning area in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, including Sand Canyon, Placerita Canyon and hillside parts of Newhall and Canyon Country.
  • The California Department of Insurance says CAL FIRE's hazard maps are not used for insurance rates or underwriting; each insurer uses its own wildfire model.
  • Insurers must send a non-renewal notice at least 75 days before your policy ends.
  • Standard policies exclude earthquake damage. Mercury Insurance and the FAIR Plan are both CEA participating insurers, so either can be paired with a CEA earthquake policy.
On this page9

Why do Santa Clarita homes get such different answers from insurers?

Short answer

Because insurers judge the address, not the city. Slope, brush, roof, nearby open land and the age of the house all feed each carrier's own review.

The valley is ringed by the Santa Susana Mountains, the San Gabriel Mountains and the Sierra Pelona. The city's hazard mitigation plan (opens in a new tab) lists Sand Canyon, Pico Canyon, Placerita Canyon, Bouquet Canyon and the hillside edges of Newhall and Canyon Country among the areas at risk of wildland fire.

  • Valencia: master-planned HOA neighborhoods with paseo walkways, plus condo and townhome complexes.
  • Saugus: single-family streets up Bouquet Canyon, some backing onto open hillside.
  • Newhall: the valley's original railroad town from 1876, with older homes around Old Town Newhall and Placerita Canyon.
  • Canyon Country: homes along the 14 and in Sand Canyon, including neighborhoods evacuated in the 2019 Tick Fire.
  • Stevenson Ranch and Castaic: unincorporated county land, same valley questions. The 2025 Hughes Fire started near Castaic Lake.

Which wildfires have hit the Santa Clarita Valley recently?

Short answer

Three stand out from the past decade: the 2016 Sand Fire near Sand Canyon Road, the 2019 Tick Fire in Canyon Country and the January 2025 Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake.

Recent fires in the valley, from CAL FIRE incident records

  • Sand Fire

    Started
    July 22, 2016
    Where
    Near the 14 and Sand Canyon Road
    What the record shows
    Active 18 days before full containment

  • Tick Fire

    Started
    October 24, 2019
    Where
    Tick Canyon Road, Canyon Country
    What the record shows
    4,615 acres; 22 structures destroyed, 27 damaged

  • Hughes Fire

    Started
    January 22, 2025
    Where
    Lake Hughes Road near Castaic Lake
    What the record shows
    10,425 acres; contained January 31, 2025

Wildfire losses are a big part of why some carriers have pulled back from California homes, and why a clean claims history doesn't always outweigh a wildfire score. Our guide to wildfire risk and home insurance in Santa Clarita goes deeper.

What should you do if your home gets a non-renewal notice?

Short answer

Call an agent the week it arrives. California requires at least 75 days' written notice, which is enough time to compare carriers if you start right away.

  1. 1

    Read the reason

    Some reasons, like an old roof or overgrown brush, are things you can fix.

  2. 2

    Send us your declarations page

    It shows your dwelling limit, deductibles and extras like water backup, so we quote the same protection, not a thinner version.

  3. 3

    We check the carriers

    Brian asks carriers such as Mercury Insurance and Travelers whether they'll write the home. That's their underwriting call for your exact address.

  4. 4

    Plan B if needed

    If no standard carrier will take it, the usual fallback is a FAIR Plan fire policy plus a difference-in-conditions policy.

Don't let it lapse

If you have a mortgage, your lender requires the home to stay insured, so line up the new policy before the old one ends.

Our step-by-step guide to a home insurance non-renewal in California has more detail.

Got a non-renewal letter?

Send it with your declarations page and we'll tell you which carriers we can try.

Get my free quote(818) 909-7486

How does the FAIR Plan work for a home here?

Short answer

The California FAIR Plan is the state's insurer of last resort. It sells a basic fire policy for homes the regular market won't take, often paired with a difference-in-conditions (DIC) policy for liability, theft and water damage.

The FAIR Plan says any licensed agent or broker registered with it can help you apply, and its dwelling policy covers owner- or tenant-occupied homes of up to four units. It's also a CEA participating insurer, so a FAIR Plan home can still get CEA earthquake coverage.

Read our California FAIR Plan guide first. Better to know what it leaves out now than after a theft or a burst pipe.

Does homeowners insurance in Santa Clarita cover earthquakes?

Short answer

No. Standard homeowners policies exclude earthquake damage, so you buy earthquake coverage separately. California insurers must offer it, for an added premium, with a home policy.

Locals remember the 1994 Northridge earthquake, centered about 13 miles southwest of the city. It left City Hall unsafe to use, damaged water, gas and electric service and brought down the I-5 and 14 interchange. The city's hazard plan also places the Santa Susana Fault about a mile south of the city and the San Andreas about 16 miles northeast.

The same plan flags liquefaction risk where the Santa Clara River left sandy sediment. That's when shaking makes loose, wet soil act like a liquid.

If Mercury Insurance writes your home, ask us about adding a California Earthquake Authority (CEA) policy through Mercury. CEA deductibles range from 5% to 25%, and its loss-of-use coverage for extra living costs has no deductible. Compare options on our earthquake insurance page.

HOA condos, older Newhall homes and newer construction

Condos and townhomes in HOA communities

The HOA's master policy usually covers the building and common areas, and your HO-6 (condo) policy covers your unit's interior, belongings and liability. See the townhome question below or our condo insurance page.

Older houses

Older homes in Newhall or Saugus get more questions about roof age, wiring, plumbing and the foundation, so keep the dates of any updates handy. The CEA also offers earthquake premium discounts on older houses that have been properly retrofitted.

Newer houses

New homes in mapped fire hazard zones generally must meet the wildfire standards in Chapter 7A of the California Building Code. Keep the builder's paperwork on vents, roof and siding, because insurers ask.

Which wildfire steps can lower your premium?

Short answer

California's Safer from Wildfires rules require insurers to offer discounts for specific steps, from a Class A roof to a 5-foot ember-resistant zone around the house.

  • A Class A fire-rated roof (wood shake doesn't qualify)
  • Ember- and fire-resistant vents with fine metal mesh
  • Six inches of noncombustible material at the base of exterior walls
  • Enclosed eaves and multi-pane windows or shutters
  • A 5-foot ember-resistant zone, with metal instead of wood fencing where it meets the house
  • Sheds at least 30 feet away, plus the defensible space your fire department requires
  • A Firewise USA community or a certified Fire Risk Reduction Community

Keep receipts and photos, and we'll make sure each carrier sees what you've done.

Which companies can we quote for your home?

Short answer

For a home you live in, the carriers we quote include Mercury Insurance and Travelers. For a rental house, they include Steadily and Obie. Acceptance is up to each carrier's underwriting, so we check before you get your hopes up.

A rental needs a landlord (dwelling) policy, not a homeowners policy: see landlord insurance. If you have cars too, see auto insurance in Santa Clarita and the home and auto bundle, or read the statewide basics on homeowners insurance in California.

Call on a weekday between 9 and 4 and we'll usually get back to you within the hour; after hours, expect a call the next business morning.

Sources we used for this page (12)
  1. 1City of Santa Clarita: Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (opens in a new tab)santaclarita.gov
  2. 2City of Santa Clarita: 2021 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (PDF) (opens in a new tab)santaclarita.gov
  3. 3CAL FIRE: Sand Fire (2016) (opens in a new tab)fire.ca.gov
  4. 4CAL FIRE: Tick Fire (2019) (opens in a new tab)fire.ca.gov
  5. 5CAL FIRE: Hughes Fire (2025) (opens in a new tab)fire.ca.gov
  6. 6California Department of Insurance: CAL FIRE hazard maps do not affect insurance rates or availability (opens in a new tab)insurance.ca.gov
  7. 7California Department of Insurance: Safer from Wildfires (opens in a new tab)insurance.ca.gov
  8. 8California Department of Insurance: Residential property insurance guide (opens in a new tab)insurance.ca.gov
  9. 9California Department of Insurance: Moratorium expanded to the Hughes Fire area (February 25, 2025) (opens in a new tab)insurance.ca.gov
  10. 10California Earthquake Authority: Participating insurers (opens in a new tab)earthquakeauthority.com
  11. 11California Earthquake Authority: Homeowners earthquake policy (opens in a new tab)earthquakeauthority.com
  12. 12California FAIR Plan (opens in a new tab)cfpnet.com

Santa Clarita

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Questions we hear a lot

Home insurance in Santa Clarita: common questions

Short answers to what people ask us most. Anything else, call and ask Brian or Dolores.

Still have a question?

Talk to a licensed agent at the Valencia office.

(818) 909-7486

Mon to Fri, 9 AM to 4 PM

Why was my Canyon Country home non-renewed when I never filed a claim?

Because insurers weigh wildfire exposure, not just claims. A carrier's own wildfire model can score an address as too risky despite a clean history, and a carrier can pull back from an area as a whole. Call us as soon as the notice arrives. We'll check carriers such as Mercury Insurance and Travelers and explain the FAIR Plan route if none will write it.

Do CAL FIRE's new hazard maps raise my homeowners insurance?

Not directly. The California Department of Insurance says (opens in a new tab) CAL FIRE's hazard maps are not used for insurance rates or underwriting decisions; insurers rely on their own wildfire models. The maps, updated for Los Angeles County in March 2025, mainly drive building codes and defensible space rules. The Safer from Wildfires steps above still matter, because they can earn a discount.

What did the Hughes Fire moratorium do for Castaic homeowners?

It paused non-renewals for a year. In February 2025 the Insurance Commissioner extended a mandatory one-year moratorium on non-renewals and cancellations to ZIP codes within or next to the Hughes Fire perimeter. It was temporary by design, so if you live in that area, check your renewal date and let us start comparing carriers early.

Does my HOA policy cover my Valencia townhome?

Only part of it, in most cases. The HOA's master policy usually covers the structure and common areas. Your HO-6 picks up what it leaves out, which can include interior walls, flooring and fixtures, plus your belongings, liability and loss assessments. Associations differ, so send us the CC&Rs and master policy summary and we'll read them with you.

How much is homeowners insurance in Santa Clarita?

It depends too much on the address for one number. Rebuild cost, roof, wildfire exposure, claims history, deductible and the carrier all move the price, and houses a mile apart can land far apart. The Department of Insurance says your dwelling limit should match the cost to rebuild, which may have nothing to do with the sale price. We'll quote every carrier that fits.

Do you insure homes outside Santa Clarita?

Yes, as long as the home is in California. We quote homes in the Antelope Valley, Ventura County and farther out by phone, email and e-signature. See home insurance in Palmdale, Ventura or Bakersfield. Our Santa Clarita agency page lists everything else we can insure for valley families.

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Get a free home insurance quote in Santa Clarita

Tell us what you want to insure and Brian will compare carriers, then we'll call you back. Prefer to talk it through? Call the office.

Get my free quoteCall (818) 909-7486
  • Mon to Fri, 9 AM to 4 PM. During business hours we usually call back within the hour.
  • CA License #0D44425 · 30 years of experience