Pali Builds newsletter, carrier review series, issue 1

Mercury Insurance in California's High Fire Risk Areas: A Homeowner and Community Guide

Frank Renfro, Pali Builds · November 10, 2026

About this review

If you've opened a renewal notice lately and wondered how on earth they came up with that number, you're not alone.

Since the fire, a lot of us in the Palisades have been asking the same questions: Who will still insure us? What are they looking at? And what's actually worth fixing on the house to keep coverage or bring the price down?

So we did the reading. Every insurer has to file its rates and rules with the state, and those filings are public. They're also hundreds of pages of tables and insurance-speak. We went through Mercury's so you don't have to, and boiled them down to what matters for your home and your street.

A few quick things before you dig in. Everything here comes from Mercury's own filings with the California Department of Insurance: MERY-134655346 and the earlier filings it builds on. Mercury's current wildfire pricing took effect July 1, 2026 (about +6.9% statewide on average), and its updated rules for everything else took effect October 15, 2026. Anyone can look these up for free on SERFF Filing Access. We also shared a draft with Mercury's team, and their feedback is folded in.

We're not insurance agents, and we're not here to sell you on Mercury or anyone else. Think of this as a neighbor who did the homework. Before you make a decision about your coverage, run it by a licensed agent or broker.

Why this series

Nearly two years after the fire, nobody has a complete picture of Palisades homeowners insurance: which carriers are writing, on what terms, and what hardening is actually worth to each one. Agents see their own carriers, and homeowners see one renewal notice at a time. This is the first in a series that reads each carrier's California filing and explains it in plain language.

The series works toward three goals:

• Know where you stand"Insurable" means different things to different carriers, and the same house can qualify with one and be turned away by another.
• Spend where it countsA full designation can be worth ten times more than scattered upgrades, so the order of the work matters as much as the work itself.
• Qualify togetherCommunity discounts and block-by-block hardening reach homes that can't get there alone, and give carriers a reason to write here again.

We start with Mercury because it made California's first homeowners rate filing under the Sustainable Insurance Strategy, and its filings show in detail how one carrier now prices wildfire. Later issues will take on other carriers writing in high fire risk areas, and Pali Builds 2.0, launching in December, will turn this research into a free, carrier-by-carrier answer for any Palisades address.

Key takeaways

• Wildfire is priced separately, and it dominates in fire country. Mercury calculates a wildfire premium on its own, then multiplies it by factors that include a wildfire territory, the Aon Wildfire Hazard Score, and your Coverage A limit, plus variables Mercury says it uses beyond what the filing documents. A score of 50 makes the wildfire premium about 16 times higher than a score of 0.
• Your Aon score changes slowly. Mercury can't update Aon's scoring without California's approval, which can take years. Hardening doesn't change the score; Mercury's mitigation discounts are the part that can move faster.
• Palisades rates rose more than the state average. Mercury says its overall change in the Palisades was higher than the statewide average, as expected where wildfire risk is higher. The decreases shown in this filing's exhibits come from non-wildfire perils.
• Hardening pays through discounts, and full packages pay far more than single upgrades. One upgrade, such as a Class A roof, earns a 0.5% wildfire discount. A full IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home Enhanced designation (formerly called Plus) cuts the wildfire premium by up to 50%. Single upgrades still matter: each one lowers the chance your home ignites, even when the insurance credit is small.
• IBHS certification can open the door, not just lower the bill. Homes with an active IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designation are exempt from Mercury's new-business wildfire restrictions, subject to concentration limits.
• Areas can close once Mercury hits its quota. As of May 2026, Mercury may automatically restrict new business in a fire area once its exposure there reaches 85% of its statewide market share.
• Distance to the nearest structure matters. Every designation discount shrinks when another building, including a neighbor's house or your own shed, sits within 10 or 30 feet.
• Neighborhoods can qualify together. A community meeting IBHS Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood or similar standards earns up to a 15% wildfire discount for every eligible home in it.
• New business may require four basics. Expect a Class A roof and 6 inches of noncombustible clearance at the base of the walls before binding, and ember-resistant vents and a noncombustible 5-foot zone within a year. Mercury says a completely clear zone isn't required if other standards are met; its public rules allow low ground cover, some small plants, and tall mature trees.
• Mercury now rates what aerial imagery shows. The 2026 rules add factors for roof condition, tree overhang, and yard debris, all visible from above. These factors don't affect wildfire rates.
• The FAIR Plan plus a Mercury DIC policy is a fallback route for homes Mercury won't cover for fire. It removes the mitigation discounts and leaves a coverage gap if the FAIR Plan policy lapses. Mercury says moving back to full coverage after making improvements isn't hard.

How Mercury builds your premium

Mercury prices each homeowners policy as the sum of separate peril premiums, and wildfire is one of them. The other perils include fire (non-wildfire), liability, theft, wind, water, and fire following earthquake. The rate pages include a hurricane slot, but Mercury charges no hurricane premium in California. Each peril starts from a statewide base rate and is multiplied by a long series of factors.

For the wildfire peril, the filed factors that matter most are below. Mercury says it uses more wildfire variables than the public filing documents.

1. Wildfire territory factorYour location's factor, assigned by a map of hexagonal cells of roughly 5 square kilometers (H3 resolution 7).
2. Aon Wildfire Hazard Score factorA multiplier tied to your property's score from 0 to 100.
3. Minimum territory factorA floor that applies when your Aon score is 51 or higher, so a high-scoring home can't land in an unusually cheap territory.
4. Mitigation discountsCredits for home hardening, defensible space, IBHS designation, fire-resistive construction, or a qualifying community.
5. Other factors that also touch wildfireSuch as distance to the fire department: 5 to 7 road miles adds 40%, and more than 10 miles adds 130%.

Because these factors multiply, a home that sits in a high-risk hex with a high Aon score can carry a wildfire premium many times larger than every other peril combined. That is also why the mitigation discounts, which apply only to the wildfire peril, can be worth far more in dollars than their percentages suggest.

Your ZIP code still sets the rating territory for the other perils. In 90272, for example, the non-wildfire fire peril factor for a standard HO-3 policy is 0.773 and the fire-following-earthquake factor is 0.140.

The Aon Wildfire Hazard Score

The Aon Wildfire Hazard Score (AWHS) is one of the biggest property-level drivers of a Mercury wildfire premium, alongside territory and Coverage A. Mercury's rule manual says the score is set at new business and checked before each renewal. But Mercury says the score itself won't change often: updating Aon's scoring needs California's approval, which can take years. That's why Mercury relies on mitigation discounts, which it can adjust more quickly.

What goes into it. According to Aon's technical summary (April 2022), the score is built on a 1-kilometer grid from three weighted components:

• Exposure scoreThe U.S. Forest Service's 2018 Wildfire Hazard Potential for the grid cell your home sits in.
• Hazard uncertainty scoreThe same Forest Service data for the surrounding grid cells, which smooths the score between neighbors.
• Wildland-urban interface (WUI) scoreWhether the area falls in the 2010 interface or intermix zones, where homes meet or mingle with wildland vegetation. Aon added this because Forest Service data alone tends to underestimate structure-to-structure and ember spread in built-up areas.

Aon validated the score against past fires. In its summary, 87% of homes exposed to 2020 California fires and 93% of homes destroyed fell in its high or severe categories.

What it can't see. The score is regional. It does not look at your roof, vents, clearance, or construction, so hardening your home will not lower it. It also relies on 2018 hazard data and 2010 WUI maps, which can lag recent burns, new development, or fuel treatment.

How much it moves the premium. The multiplier applies to the wildfire peril only:

At a score of 70 the multiplier reaches 26x, and at 100 about 34x. Above 50, a minimum territory factor also applies: 0.539 for scores 51 to 70, 1.311 for 71 to 85, and 2.905 for 86 to 100.

The steepest climb is between 0 and 50, where each point adds roughly 4% to 8% to the wildfire premium. If your premium jumped at renewal, ask your agent which factors changed, including your Aon score, territory, and Coverage A. California regulations require insurers that rate on wildfire risk to disclose the score and its key factors and to offer an appeal process.

Wildfire territories: where the Palisades falls

Mercury assigns every home to one of about 600 wildfire territories using a hexagon map. Palisades hexes rank in the top half statewide and several in the top fifth, alongside Brentwood's canyons; most of coastal Malibu and North Santa Monica rank below the statewide median. The territory factor multiplies the Aon score factor, so both stack.

We matched approximate neighborhood center points to Mercury's hexagon map. Hexes are about 5 square kilometers and their borders cut across neighborhoods, so treat this as a guide and check a specific address before relying on it.

Two homes a few blocks apart can sit in different hexes with very different factors. Pali Builds can look up the hex and territory factor for a specific address on request.

How this filing shifted rates in the Palisades

Mercury says its overall rate change in the Palisades was higher than the statewide average, as you'd expect where wildfire risk is above average. The table below does not show that. It comes from Exhibit 20 of filing 25-2014, and Mercury says the decreases it shows reflect changes to non-wildfire perils, not wildfire. Each figure is relative to the statewide average, not the change on a bill.

The same exhibit shows HO-3 policies with Aon scores of 90 to 100 averaging about 10% to 14% below the statewide average. Read that the same way: it reflects the non-wildfire changes, not lower wildfire rates for high-hazard homes. Mercury's book is thin at that end: only about 1,600 of its roughly 429,000 HO-3 policies score 90 or higher.

These figures describe Mercury's current customers, not new applicants, and the Palisades counts are small after the January 2025 fire.

Neighboring communities: Malibu, North Santa Monica, and Brentwood

The same rules apply next door, but the numbers differ sharply by location: Brentwood's canyons rank among the riskiest hexes in the state, while most of coastal Malibu and North Santa Monica sit near or below the statewide middle. Exhibit 20 shows all three ZIPs below the statewide average, but as in the Palisades, that reflects non-wildfire perils only.

Non-wildfire rate shift for current Mercury HO-3 customers, from Exhibit 20 (relative to the statewide average):

Wildfire territory factors for these neighborhoods appear in the chart in the territories section above, alongside the Palisades.

• BrentwoodThe canyon and hillside neighborhoods north of Sunset sit in some of the highest-rated hexes in California, comparable to the Palisades Highlands. Expect the Aon score and the hillside eligibility rules (slopes over 30 degrees ineligible, hillside homes need approval) to dominate. Flat Brentwood south of Sunset rates far lower, though Brentwood Glen shares a hex with the Sepulveda Pass hills. Several Brentwood homes are also likely to exceed $1.5 million in Coverage A, which requires underwriter approval and a monitored alarm.
• MalibuRisk varies more within Malibu than anywhere else in this review: Big Rock and La Costa rank in the top fifth statewide, while the western beach and Point Dume areas rank in the lower third. Mercury generally does not insure beachfront homes, homes on stilts, pilings, or over water are ineligible, and many canyon and bluff lots will hit the slope and landslide rules. Malibu's coastal lots are often tight, which pushes homes into the smallest designation-discount tier.
• North Santa MonicaThe lowest-rated of the four communities. Hardening still earns the same percentage discounts, but because the wildfire premium is smaller, the dollar savings are smaller too. The aerial-imagery factors (roof condition, tree overhang, yard debris) and system eligibility rules (roof age, electrical panels, plumbing) may matter as much as wildfire here, especially for older homes.

Every hex border cuts through neighborhoods, so a single address can rate very differently from these center-point estimates. As with the Palisades, look up the exact address before relying on a number.

Eligibility: who Mercury will write

Mercury's underwriting guidelines screen out many homes before price ever comes up, and several of the screens hit hillside fire-rebuild neighborhoods directly.

Ineligible outright (selected rules)

• Homes on landslide or mudslide ground, on slopes over 30 degrees, or on stilts, pilings, or cantilevers.
• Homes under construction or renovation. Rebuilds need builder's risk coverage until complete.
• Vacant homes (over 30 days), homes for sale, and homes with any short-term rental use.
• Wood shake or shingle roofs where the Aon score is above 50 (new business, unless written with a DIC endorsement). Mercury says it generally doesn't insure wood roofs even in low fire areas unless a deeper review of their condition clears them.
• Roofs over 25 years old (tile and slate excepted), more than one roofing layer, or asbestos or T-lock shingles.
• Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco panels, aluminum wiring, or galvanized, cast-iron, or polybutylene plumbing.
• Water heaters over 20 years old or not strapped.
• More than 2 losses in 5 years, or more than 1 in 3 years (catastrophe losses don't count).
• Homes owned by an LLC, corporation, or partnership.

Needs underwriter approval before binding: hillside homes; Coverage A of $1.5 million or more; homes over $1.5 million without a monitored fire and burglar alarm; Aon scores above 50; homes built before 1940; and homes cancelled or non-renewed by any insurer in the last 3 years.

System upgrades must be documented. A full replacement of plumbing, heating, electrical, or roofing counts only if a properly licensed California contractor did it, or a final permit inspection was passed. Keep your permits and contractor license numbers.

Maintenance standards are inspected. Mercury lists conditions that make a home ineligible, including dead vegetation within 30 feet of structures, leaves or needles on the roof or in gutters, combustibles within 5 feet of a deck, limbs overhanging the roof, and gaps over 1/16 inch around rafters, siding, windows, and doors. In high wildfire areas, Mercury may also inspect for compliance with California's defensible space law (Public Resources Code 4291).

New business restrictions in fire areas. Mercury limits new policies in listed areas near mountains, forests, or large brush. The list itself is in a separate document, not in the filing. These restrictions do not apply if the home has an active IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designation at either level or a Mercury Wildfire Mitigation Discount designation, or meets Mercury's fire-resistive construction standard, subject to concentration limits. Such homes must stay compliant for the life of the policy or face non-renewal. Mercury can also suspend all binding during an active wildfire. The 05/2026 guidelines add one more trigger: in wildfire or fire-following-earthquake areas, Mercury may automatically restrict new business once its in-force exposure in an area reaches 85% of its statewide market share. This ties to the state's Sustainable Insurance Strategy, which requires carriers using catastrophe models to write in distressed areas at 85% of their statewide share. In practice, an area can close to new Mercury business as soon as Mercury meets its required level there. Mercury's website calls this "available capacity": the amount of wildfire risk it can responsibly insure in an area. Even a well-prepared home may not qualify if too much risk is already concentrated nearby.

What Mercury told regulators. In its questionnaire, Mercury said it has no planned geographic non-renewals, but restricts new business under four earlier filings (20-3267, 23-1443, 24-171, and 25-610). It said it may ease restrictions where rates become adequate and over-concentration is not a concern.

Hardening required for new policies

New Mercury policies on wildfire-exposed homes may require four hardening items, two before the policy starts and two within a year. Mercury says it doesn't require a completely clear noncombustible zone if a home meets its other standards, so ask how the 5-foot rule applies to your lot.

What Mercury allows in the 5-foot zone

Mercury's public minimum standards spell out what it accepts within 5 feet of the house, and say its rules are more flexible than IBHS's:

• Low ground cover is fine. Grass, "steppables," and living ground covers can go anywhere in the zone if kept under 4 inches tall.
• No combustible mulch. Wood chip, bark, straw, and rubber mulch aren't allowed.
• Some small plants are fine. Fire-resistant plants up to 18 inches tall are allowed if the siding is noncombustible at least through the first story and every vent on the house resists embers and flames. Near windows and other vulnerable features, keep them at least 2 feet from the house.
• Mature trees can stay. A tree in the zone is acceptable if its canopy is at least 10 feet above the roofline, 10 feet from the chimney, and 10 feet from other canopies, with only low plants beneath it.
• Everything must be maintained. Plants need to be watered and pruned, with no dead material, here and across the rest of the lot.
• Fences and gates within 5 feet must be noncombustible.

Two more minimums from the same page: vents need noncombustible metal mesh with openings no larger than 1/8 inch, and a deck's base needs to be enclosed. Noncombustible decking is preferred, but Mercury says it can waive that if everything else is met.

Mitigation discounts: what hardening is worth

Mercury's property-level discounts cut the wildfire portion of the premium by up to 60%, and the biggest discounts come from complete packages. Single upgrades earn small insurance credits, but each one still lowers your home's wildfire risk and counts toward a full designation. All of these discounts apply to the wildfire peril only, require a wildfire premium above $0, and are verified at inspection and again every year before renewal. None apply to a policy with a DIC endorsement.

1. Individual components: 0.5% each

Each verified item below earns a 0.5% wildfire discount, about 5% in total if a home has all ten:

• Enclosed eaves
• Fire-resistant vents (California Building Code Chapter 7A)
• Multipane windows or functional shutters
• 6 inches of noncombustible vertical clearance
• Class A fire-rated roof
• Vegetation and debris cleared from under decks (or no deck)
• Vegetation and combustibles cleared from the 5 feet around the house
• Only noncombustible improvements within 5 feet
• No combustible structures within 30 feet
• Compliance with Public Resources Code 4291 and local ordinances

2. Designations: 12.5% to 50%

A home earns a much larger discount by meeting a full standard. The two IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home levels are applied for at wildfireprepared.org, for a fee, and last 3 years with an annual landscape review. Mercury's own three-tier designation is an alternative for homes without IBHS certification. The discount depends on the distance from the house to the nearest building or accessory structure, on your lot or a neighbor's:

3. Fire-resistive construction: 60%

A home built to Type 1 or Type 2 noncombustible construction (concrete or steel, confirmed by building permits) earns 60% off the wildfire peril, 25% off the fire peril, and 50% off fire following earthquake. It also needs multipane windows with metal or metal-clad frames and a tempered pane, fire-resistant vents, and a clear, noncombustible 5-foot zone. Wood frame with a stucco skin is Type 5 and does not qualify.

The IBHS, Mercury designation, and fire-resistive discounts don't stack; the highest one applies.

What each Mercury tier requires (summary)

• EssentialLimited, well-maintained vegetation within 5 feet of the house (see the 5-foot zone rules above), with any structure on your lot within 30 feet held to the same standards as the house; decks clear underneath, decks under 4 feet high enclosed; defensible space maintained beyond 5 feet; fire-resistant vents; 6 inches of noncombustible clearance; a clean Class A roof; clear gutters; maintained eaves.
• EnhancedEssential, plus other structures on your lot at least 10 feet away with 5 feet of noncombustible clearance around them, no more than three accessory structures within 30 feet, multipane windows with at least one tempered pane, and metal gutters and downspouts.
• EliteEnhanced, plus no structures within 30 feet on your own lot, enclosed eaves, noncombustible siding (unless there are no structures within 30 feet), noncombustible shutters, decks, and exterior doors, enclosed space under bay windows, metal dryer vents with a flap, and back-to-back fences at least 5 feet apart.

Community discounts

A neighborhood that qualifies as a Mercury Wildfire Mitigation Community earns a 15% wildfire discount for every eligible Mercury policy in it, three times the Firewise USA credit. This discount applies on top of property-level discounts and is reviewed every year before renewal.

Mercury says a Mercury Wildfire Mitigation Community includes communities that meet IBHS Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood or similar standards. Two elements matter most in Mercury's description: removing connected fuel paths through and around the community, and hardening homes to a level that fits each home's exposure to flames, radiant heat, and embers.

If Mercury can't verify a community's status itself, homeowners must provide proof. Community leaders can make that easy by keeping a current letter or certificate that residents can attach to applications. As with the property discounts, a DIC policy does not qualify.

New in 2026: what the camera sees

The 2026 rule manual (RL31) adds ten new HO-3 rating factors, and three of them describe what aerial imagery shows. They surcharge the fire, wind, water, and other perils, not the wildfire peril, but they still raise the total bill. Mercury says aerial imagery does not affect wildfire rates, and that its imagery-based rating has more nuance than the summary below shows.

The other new factors are dwelling area, lot size, garage type and size, dog in household, property elevation, a group or occupation discount, and residence type.

The FAIR Plan plus DIC route

If Mercury won't cover a home for fire, it may still write a Difference in Conditions (DIC) policy that covers everything except the perils a California FAIR Plan policy covers. Mercury told regulators it offers DIC to applicants who otherwise don't qualify because of wildfire or fire-following-earthquake risk.

There are two versions, matched to the two FAIR Plan options:

The FAIR Plan isn't a dead end. Mercury says FAIR Plan policyholders can apply for a regular Mercury homeowners policy, and that homes that survived the fire can be reviewed too, subject to available capacity.

What homeowners should know before choosing the DIC route:

• You carry the gap riskMercury does not check that you bought or kept a FAIR Plan policy. If it lapses, or its limits are too low, Mercury will not pay the excluded losses.
• You won't see the DIC creditMercury shows only the total premium, not how much the DIC endorsement reduced it.
• No mitigation discountsProperty and community wildfire discounts don't apply to DIC policies, so hardening must pay off through the FAIR Plan's own credits instead.
• Switching back is doableA DIC endorsement can't be added to or removed from an existing policy, so moving back to full coverage means a new policy. Mercury says that isn't hard, and that it targets DIC customers who have made the needed improvements to move them back to full coverage.
• It does lift some restrictionsThe wood-roof ban for Aon scores above 50, the underwriting review for scores above 50, and Mercury's new-business geographic restrictions don't apply to DIC policies.
• Check replacement costMercury's notice warns that failing to buy the FAIR Plan's optional coverages, including replacement cost, leaves a gap.

A homeowner's playbook

1. Gather your documentsCurrent declarations page, renewal or non-renewal notice, roof age, permits and contractor licenses for any plumbing, electrical, heating, or roofing replacement, and photos of the house and yard.
2. Rebuilding? Call an agent earlyMercury says to call before you finalize construction plans, so an agent can tell you which features Mercury will want to see and what to document.
3. Check your discount formMercury includes a form with new policies, policy changes, and renewals listing the wildfire discounts available and which ones you get. If you think you qualify for more, send photos to your agent.
4. Ask for your wildfire scoreGet your current and prior Aon Wildfire Hazard Score and the key factors behind it from your agent or carrier. If the score jumped, ask why and how to appeal.
5. Measure the gapsNote the distance from your house to the nearest building or accessory structure, including your neighbor's. Under 10 feet or 10 to 30 feet sets your discount tier.
6. Fix the eligibility blockers firstAn old roof, a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel, galvanized plumbing, an unstrapped or old water heater, or open code violations can stop a policy before discounts matter.
7. Clean up what the camera seesClear yard debris, trim overhanging limbs, clean roof and gutters, and clear dead vegetation within 30 feet.
8. Complete the new-business basicsClass A roof and 6 inches of noncombustible clearance before you apply; ember-resistant vents and a noncombustible 5-foot zone within a year.
9. Work toward a full designationEvery upgrade lowers your risk, but insurance discounts jump once you complete a full standard. Compare IBHS's Essential and Enhanced levels with Mercury's own Essential, Enhanced, and Elite tiers, and choose the one your lot and budget can reach.
10. Document everythingMercury may rely on vendor data and request photos. Keep dated photos, invoices, and permits for each item, and expect a re-check every year.
11. Join or start a community effortA qualifying neighborhood adds up to 16% more off the wildfire premium.
12. Shop with a licensed agent or brokerBring your designation, documents, and score so they can compare Mercury with other carriers and with the FAIR Plan plus DIC option.

A community leader's playbook

Community leaders have the biggest single lever in this filing: a qualifying neighborhood cuts the wildfire premium of every eligible home by 15%, without each household having to earn it alone.

1. Pick a defined areaA street, tract, HOA, or canyon with clear borders is easier to certify and maintain than a whole ZIP code.
2. Start with Firewise USA if you aren't recognized yetIt is the quickest credit (5%) and builds the organization, meetings, and records a larger effort needs.
3. Aim for IBHS Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood standardsThis is the path Mercury names for its 15% Mercury Wildfire Mitigation Community designation. Review the standards at wildfireprepared.org.
4. Map and break the fuel pathsMercury highlights removing connected fuels around and within the community: vegetation corridors, wood fences that link houses, and brush along slopes and roads.
5. Organize group hardeningBulk projects for vents, Class A roofs, noncombustible 5-foot zones, and metal fence connections cut costs and lift homes into property-level designations at the same time.
6. Keep proof on fileMercury asks homeowners to provide proof when it can't verify a community's status. Keep a current certificate or letter residents can attach to applications and renewals.
7. Plan for annual upkeepCommunity and property discounts are re-checked every year. Schedule recurring clean-up days and inspections before renewal season.
8. Ask Mercury how to applyThe filing defines the designation but not the application process. Contact Mercury, through an agent, to confirm how a community is designated before you begin.

Questions to ask your agent or broker

• Is my address in one of Mercury's new-business geographic restriction areas, and does an IBHS or Mercury designation exempt me?
• What is my Aon Wildfire Hazard Score, what was it last year, and how do I appeal it?
• Which wildfire territory is my address in?
• Which mitigation discount tier do I qualify for today, and what is the structure separation Mercury has on file?
• What would my premium be with each designation level, and what is the wildfire portion of my premium?
• Will Mercury use vendor imagery to verify my home, or should I submit photos?
• If I go the FAIR Plan plus DIC route, what are the combined premiums, and what does the FAIR Plan policy need to include to avoid a gap?

What's next in this series

Mercury is one carrier. Each issue in this series will review another carrier's filing in the same format, so homeowners and community leaders can compare them side by side.

• Next issueOur next issue will cover Farmers in the coming weeks.
• Pali Builds 2.0Launching in December. It's a free tool that shows how a home fits each carrier writing in its zip, separates what hardening can change from what it can't, and helps homeowners take the next step. Insurance partners are encouraged to reach out at Frank@palibuilds.com.
• Tell us what to coverIf your carrier, HOA, or neighborhood group has a question this series should answer, email Frank@palibuilds.com.

Corrections and updates