An Independent Insurance Agency for Modesto, CA

Nearly everything in insurance is paperwork that travels well by email: declarations pages, license numbers, photos of a roof, the ID cards in your glove box. Here's how each step works from a distance.

• Quote requests: use the online quote form or call (818) 909-7486.
• Questions: email brian@irianainsurance.com or dolores@irianainsurance.com, or pick up the phone.
• Signing: applications go out for e-signature, so you can sign from wherever you are.
• Changes later: adding a car, switching lenders or updating an address takes one call or one email.

We're licensed in California only, and that license covers every address in Stanislaus County. If you'd like to know who you'll be talking to first, our about page introduces Brian and Dolores.

Your driving record, annual mileage and years behind the wheel are the three factors Proposition 103 puts first in California car rates, according to the California Department of Insurance (opens in a new tab). Mileage is where local households differ most: downtown to Pleasanton is about 57 miles each way, while plenty of people never leave town.

Our page on car insurance in Modesto goes deeper on the commute, fog season and the busy Highway 99 interchanges, and our guide to car insurance in California explains each coverage. If the DMV is requiring an SR-22 (common after a DUI or a license suspension), read about SR-22 filings; Bristol West is one carrier we can quote for them.

The town also has a car culture all its own. Lucasfilm says George Lucas drew on his youth here for American Graffiti, and every June Graffiti Summer brings the classics out. If yours only leaves the garage for cruise nights and shows, look at classic car insurance instead of a standard auto policy.

Many blocks near Graceada Park, in the College Area and in La Loma were subdivided between 1907 and the early 1950s, according to historic tract maps collected by the Modesto Art Museum. Village One on the northeast side came decades later, planned in the 1990s. Older homes get questions about the roof, wiring and plumbing; newer ones mostly need the right rebuild limit.

Two exclusions catch people off guard. Flood isn't part of a homeowners policy, and the Tuolumne has caused trouble before: in March 2023, officials ordered evacuations along River Road as the river neared flood stage. Earthquake isn't covered either, and our earthquake insurance page explains how separate quake policies work.

The full picture, including tree damage and rebuild costs for a 1930s house, is on our Modesto home insurance page, and homeowners insurance in California covers the basics. Already holding a non-renewal letter? Read what to do after a home insurance non-renewal.

Your landlord's insurance covers the building, not your couch, laptop or bike. A renters policy covers your belongings and your liability if a guest gets hurt, and it often helps pay for a place to stay if a fire makes the unit unlivable.

A single-family rental or a duplex belongs on a landlord insurance policy, and Steadily and Obie, two carriers that focus on rental property, are among the ones we quote for it. A landlord policy can cover the building, lost rent after a covered loss, and your liability as the owner.

• General liability for the customer who trips in your shop or the property your crew damages on a job.
• Workers' compensation, which California employers must carry even with one employee, according to the Department of Industrial Relations (opens in a new tab).
• Commercial auto for pickups, vans and trucks used for work, since a personal auto policy may not cover business use.
• Contractor insurance for builders, remodelers and other trades.

Start with our overview of business insurance in California, or call and tell us what the business does. We'll ask about payroll, vehicles and the kind of work you take on, then quote what fits.

• In town: downtown, the College Area near Modesto Junior College's East Campus, La Loma, the streets around Graceada Park, and Village One.
• North and east: Salida, Del Rio, Riverbank, Oakdale, Empire, Waterford and Hughson.
• South and west: Ceres and Patterson.
• Across the county line: Ripon and Escalon in San Joaquin County.

Turlock, about 14 miles down Highway 99, has its own page: see insurance in Turlock. The process there is the same as here, from the first call to the e-signature.

It also gives you one place to call when life changes. Mercury Insurance is usually our first quote for car and home customers (see our Mercury Insurance agent page), and pricing two cars and a house together as a home and auto bundle lets you compare the package with separate policies.

If you want the longer version, we wrote up the difference between independent and captive insurance agents. Here's how one client put it in a Google review: