Do I Need Residential Earthquake Insurance?
For many California homeowners, their ownership interest in their home is their largest financial asset. Guard against financially devastating shaking events with CEA earthquake home insurance.
Earthquakes are unlike any other natural disaster. There aren’t any warning signs or advanced notice. One thing is certain: California with nearly 16,000 known faults could suffer a devastating earthquake in the near future.
Earthquake insurance is not required in California, unlike home fire insurance for those with home mortgages or automobile liability insurance for drivers. If you choose not to protect yourself with earthquake insurance, you will be responsible for all the related expenses, such as 100 percent of the cost to repair your home, replace your belongings, and live elsewhere after a major earthquake.
How Expensive is Earthquake Insurance?
Our affordable earthquake insurance policies let you select the coverage that best fits your budget. CEA premiums are determined by several factors including your home’s age, earthquake-risk location data such as proximity to a fault and soil type, foundation type, construction type, and roof type.
For the best choice of CEA earthquake home insurance policies, select deductibles from 5%-25%. For new policies written on or after August 1, 2023 and renewals on or after November 1, 2023, homes with a Coverage A dwelling limit greater than $1,000,000, or dwellings built before 1980 on a raised or other type foundation that do not have a verified retrofit, are only eligible for a 15%, 20% or 25% deductible.
Learn more about homeowners coverage
- Get more details about our homeowners policy coverages and deductibles.
- Check to see if you qualify for a discount of up to 25% on your CEA earthquake insurance premium.
How to Qualify for a Discounted Premium
A seismic retrofit involves strengthening your home’s foundation to make it more resistant to shaking. CEA offers earthquake home insurance premium discounts (up to 25%) for older houses that have been properly retrofitted to better withstand earthquakes.
Find out about our discounts for retrofitted older houses.
Grants to help pay for a house retrofit are available under the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) and Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) programs.
Where to Buy Earthquake Insurance
CEA homeowners earthquake insurance is easy to buy. Contact your home insurance agent to discuss adding a separate earthquake policy to your homeowners insurance. You can add the coverage today—no need to wait until your homeowners policy comes up for renewal.
CEA works with 20residential insurance companies that serve the majority of California homeowners. Only Californians whose home is insured by those companies are eligible to purchase a CEA earthquake policy.
Read Your CEA Policy Carefully
*We encourage you to read your entire CEA policy—and its policy declarations page—to understand your coverages and how they work. Exclusions and special limits apply. All terms and conditions of CEA insurance coverage are found in the CEA insurance-policy form. Refer to a sample policy, below.
** Reflects policy option changes that went into effect for new policies written on or after August 1, 2023 and for renewals on or after November 1, 2023. These changes include Dwelling Deductible Options (Coverage A), Personal Property Limits (Coverage C), Breakables, and Exterior Masonry Veneer. Learn more about our 2023 Policy Option Changes.
