Your California FAIR Plan brush score is the wildfire risk rating the FAIR Plan assigns to your property, and it is the single largest factor in your premium. It combines Cal Fire's Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) for your address with a property-level model (commonly Verisk's FireLine, which runs 0 to 30) that scores three things: the fuel or brush around your home, the slope it sits on, and how easily fire crews can reach it. The FAIR Plan's own wildfire territory runs from a "True 0" up to 30, and two homes a block apart can land in very different brackets based on brush density, slope, and access. You can look up your own FHSZ on Cal Fire's official map, and you can lower the property-level score over 12 to 24 months through defensible space, Zone 0 work, and roof and vent hardening.
This page explains what the brush score is, how it is derived, how it differs from the Cal Fire FHSZ map, how to look up both your zone and your carrier score, and exactly what you can change versus what you cannot. It is the technical companion to our California FAIR Plan pillar, which calls the brush score the largest single rating factor, and to our California FAIR Plan cost guide.
Key Takeaways
- The brush score is the largest single FAIR Plan rating factor. It blends the Cal Fire FHSZ (Moderate, High, Very High) for your address with a property-level wildfire model. Very High zone properties can rate 2x to 4x a Moderate-zone equivalent.
- FireLine, the most common carrier model, scores 0 to 30 using the formula slope times fuel plus access. Roughly 73% of California addresses score 0 or 1, while scores of 4 to 30 are treated as high to extreme. Source: Verisk FireLine and United Policyholders.
- Cal Fire released updated 2025 FHSZ maps for Local Responsibility Areas, adding about 1.4 million acres into High and Very High zones statewide, rolled out in four phases ending March 24, 2025. Source: OSFM.
- FHSZ is a government map; the brush score is a carrier rating tool. Your address can sit in a Very High FHSZ and still earn a lower carrier score if the property itself is hardened and brush is cleared, because property-level models score the structure, not just the region.
- You have a legal right to your score and to appeal it. Under California Code of Regulations title 10, section 2644.9, insurers must disclose your wildfire risk score, credit specific mitigation, and forward an appeal within five days. Source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 10, section 2644.9.
- The fastest score reducers are Zone 0 (the noncombustible 5-foot zone), defensible space to PRC section 4291, a Class A roof, and ember-resistant vents. These are the same upgrades behind the FAIR Plan's wildfire hardening discounts.
What Is the California FAIR Plan Brush Score?
The California FAIR Plan brush score is the wildfire hazard rating the FAIR Plan applies to your specific property, and it is the largest single factor in your premium. It is not one published number on a single scale. It is the combination of two things: the regional Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) that Cal Fire assigns to your address, and a property-level wildfire risk model that scores the conditions immediately around and at your home.
The FAIR Plan's wildfire territory rating runs from a "True 0" (no measurable brush exposure) up to 30 (extreme), mirroring the Verisk FireLine scale that dominates California underwriting. United Policyholders, the consumer advocacy nonprofit, confirms this range and notes that the FAIR Plan uses brush-territory bands to set the wildfire portion of premium. Source: United Policyholders on the FAIR Plan brush range.
The practical takeaway: your brush score is why two homes of identical value, in the same ZIP, can carry very different FAIR Plan premiums. One sits on a flat lot with cleared brush at the end of a wide street; the other clings to a steep, chaparral-covered slope up a single dead-end lane. The dwelling values match, but the brush scores do not, and the premiums diverge accordingly. For how that flows into the dollar figure, see our California FAIR Plan cost guide.
How the Brush Score Is Derived: Fuel, Slope, and Access
The property-level wildfire score is derived from three physical factors: the fuel (brush and vegetation) around the structure, the slope the home sits on, and the access for fire crews. The most widely used model, Verisk FireLine, scores each factor and combines them with the formula slope times fuel plus access, where each component runs roughly 1 to 5. Source: United Policyholders.
The three inputs:
- Fuel (vegetation / brush). The type, density, and proximity of combustible vegetation. As a rule of thumb, brush within 100 to 2,500 feet of the home raises the score, and the closer and denser the brush, the higher the score. Dense brush within 100 feet drives the highest ratings. Source: Orange County Insurance Broker on FireLine factors.
- Slope. The grade the structure sits on and its position relative to potential ignition sources. Fire moves faster uphill, so a home on or above a steep slope scores worse than the same home on flat ground.
- Access. How easily fire apparatus can reach the property. One-lane roads, dead ends, long private driveways, and limited turnaround space all increase the score.
A worst-case property (steep slope, heavy fuel, single narrow road) computes to 5 times 5 plus 5, which equals 30, the top of the FireLine scale. A flat lot with cleared brush on a wide street can compute to a True 0. Source: United Policyholders.
This is the crucial distinction for homeowners: fuel, and to a degree access, are partly within your control. Slope is not. That asymmetry is what makes defensible space and Zone 0 the levers that actually move your score.
Cal Fire Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) and the 2025 Update
The Cal Fire Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) is a government hazard map that classifies land as Moderate, High, or Very High fire hazard, and it is the regional baseline that feeds your brush score. The maps are built by the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) using a science-based model that weighs fire history, existing and potential fuel, predicted flame length, blowing embers, terrain, and typical fire weather. Source: OSFM Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
In 2025, Cal Fire completed a major FHSZ update for Local Responsibility Areas (LRA), the cities and county zones not under direct state firefighting responsibility. The new LRA maps rolled out in four phases (February 10, February 24, March 10, and March 24, 2025) and added roughly 1.4 million additional acres into High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones statewide. Source: OSFM.
This update matters for FAIR Plan applicants because, under California Government Code section 51179, local agencies must adopt the OSFM-recommended maps by ordinance within 120 days of release, and they may not downgrade a zone or remove parcels from the recommended map. Many California homeowners moved into a higher FHSZ classification in 2025 without their property physically changing, which can affect both FAIR Plan rating and admitted-carrier eligibility.
It is worth being precise: the FHSZ is the regional hazard layer, not your individual rating. A Very High FHSZ designation pushes the baseline up, but the property-level brush score still decides where you land within that band.
FHSZ vs Brush Score vs Third-Party Carrier Scores
The FHSZ is a public regional map, while the brush score and third-party carrier scores are property-specific rating tools, and they are not the same thing. Confusing them is the most common mistake homeowners make when challenging a premium.
| Tool | Who produces it | Scale | What it measures | Where you find it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Fire FHSZ | OSFM / Cal Fire | Moderate / High / Very High | Regional wildfire hazard for the area | Public Cal Fire FHSZ viewer |
| FAIR Plan brush score | California FAIR Plan | "True 0" to 30 (FireLine-based) | Property-level wildfire territory | On your FAIR Plan quote / via broker |
| Verisk FireLine | Verisk Analytics | 0 to 30 | Fuel, slope, access at the property | Via your carrier or broker |
| CoreLogic Wildfire Risk Score | CoreLogic | 1 to 100 | Vegetation, terrain, past fires, ember exposure | Via carriers using CoreLogic |
| Z-FIRE | ZestyAI | Property-level model | 200+ data points incl. roof, vegetation, neighboring structures | Via carriers using ZestyAI (e.g., Allstate) |
Key differences to understand:
- FireLine (0 to 30). The dominant model and the basis for the FAIR Plan brush band. About 73% of California addresses score 0 or 1, 12% score 2 or 3, and 15% score 4 through 30 (high to extreme). Source: United Policyholders.
- CoreLogic (1 to 100). A competing score where, per CoreLogic, up to 50 is low, 51 to 60 moderate, 60 to 80 high, and 81 to 100 extreme. It adds ember-exposure and slope-orientation factors. Source: United Policyholders.
- Z-FIRE by ZestyAI. An AI and satellite-imagery model evaluating more than 200 data points, including roof type, defensible space, and the arrangement of neighboring structures, so a hardened home is not rated the same as a shake-roof neighbor. Source: ZestyAI Z-FIRE.
Because each model weights things differently, the same property can score high with one carrier and acceptable with another. That spread is exactly why shopping multiple channels matters, a theme we cover in our California FAIR Plan vs admitted carrier comparison.
How to Look Up Your Wildfire Risk Score and FHSZ
You can look up your Cal Fire FHSZ on the official OSFM map and obtain your carrier wildfire risk score through your broker or directly from the scoring vendors. Here is the practical lookup path.
1. Look up your Fire Hazard Severity Zone (free, public). Use the OSFM Fire Hazard Severity Zones page and the Cal Fire FHSZ viewer, where you enter your address to see whether your parcel is in a Moderate, High, or Very High zone. Source: OSFM FHSZ. For LRA questions, OSFM can be reached at (916) 633-7655 or FHSZinformation@fire.ca.gov.
2. Get your carrier wildfire score. The simplest route is to ask your insurance broker, who typically holds an account with FireLine, CoreLogic, or RedZone and can pull your property report. You can also create your own account with a vendor and enter your address to receive an estimated score. Source: United Policyholders.
3. Request your FAIR Plan brush score directly. When you receive a FAIR Plan quote, the wildfire territory band is baked into the wildfire portion of the premium. A licensed broker who is an agent-of-record with the FAIR Plan can tell you the exact band and what is driving it. The FAIR Plan's Broker Finder tool is on cfpnet.com.
4. Demand the score under California law. Under section 2644.9, your insurer must disclose the wildfire risk score it used and the specific mitigation discounts available to you. You are entitled to this information; you do not have to guess. Source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 10, section 2644.9.
How the Brush Score Drives Premium and Eligibility
The brush score drives both how much you pay and whether you can get a policy at all. On the FAIR Plan, the wildfire territory band sets the wildfire portion of premium, which is the dominant component for high-hazard properties. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone property can rate roughly 2x to 4x a Moderate-zone equivalent of the same dwelling value, which is why region drives the wide premium spread documented in our cost guide.
On the admitted side, the score is often an eligibility gate, not just a rating input. Many admitted carriers will not write above a threshold FireLine or CoreLogic score, which is precisely how homeowners end up non-renewed and routed to the FAIR Plan in the first place. If you have received a non-renewal, our guide on being dropped by your homeowners insurance walks through the next steps.
The leverage point: because the property-level score reflects the structure and its immediate surroundings, mitigation that lowers the score can move you from "ineligible" back to "writable," not merely cheaper. That is the entire logic behind California's mitigation-credit rules.
What You Can Change vs What You Cannot
You can change the fuel and structural inputs to your brush score; you cannot change your slope, your FHSZ region, or fire history. Focus effort where it actually moves the number.
What you can change (and that lowers the score):
- Zone 0, the noncombustible 5-foot zone. California's ember-resistant Zone 0 (under AB 3074 and SB 504, amending PRC section 4291) requires noncombustible or ember-resistant materials in the first 5 feet around the structure. The Board of Forestry finalized rulemaking on this track, with compliance deadlines of January 1, 2027 for existing homes in Very High FHSZ and January 1, 2028 for High FHSZ. Source: Cal. Board of Forestry, Defensible Space Zones 0, 1, and 2. Zone 0 does not require bare dirt; it requires removing combustibles like wood mulch, fences, and dense plantings against the house.
- Defensible space to PRC section 4291. 100 feet of managed defensible space in state responsibility areas, organized in zones (0 to 5 ft noncombustible, 5 to 30 ft lean and green, 30 to 100 ft reduced fuel). This directly reduces the fuel input.
- Brush clearance and vegetation density. Thinning and maintaining brush, documented with photos, lowers the fuel factor.
- Roof and structure hardening. Class A roof, enclosed eaves, ember-resistant vents, dual-paned windows, and noncombustible siding all factor into property-level models like Z-FIRE and into the FAIR Plan hardening-discount stack.
What you cannot change:
- Slope. The grade your home sits on is fixed.
- FHSZ region. You cannot opt out of your Cal Fire zone, and 2025 reclassifications generally cannot be downgraded locally.
- Surrounding terrain and regional fuel beyond your parcel.
- Documented fire history in your area.
The strategic implication: pour your budget into Zone 0, defensible space, and roof or vent hardening. These are the inputs the models actually credit, and they double as the documentation admitted carriers want for re-entry. The full discount mechanics, including the FAIR Plan's hardening stack worth up to 16.4% off the wildfire portion of premium, are in our California FAIR Plan cost guide.
How to Dispute or Re-Rate Your Brush Score
You have a legal right to appeal your wildfire risk score, and California regulation requires your insurer to consider it and credit documented mitigation. Under Cal. Code Regs. tit. 10, section 2644.9, a broker or agent who receives an oral or written appeal must forward it to the insurer no later than five calendar days after receiving it, and the insurer's rating plan must contain a separate, individual discount for each mandatory mitigation factor. Source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 10, section 2644.9.
The dispute and re-rate path:
- 1.Pull your current score and the underlying data. Ask your broker or carrier for the score and the property characteristics it relied on. Scores are sometimes based on stale aerial imagery that predates your brush clearance or roof replacement.
- 2.Document your mitigation. Photos, dated invoices, a Cal Fire defensible space inspection report, and any IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home certification. The more concrete the proof, the stronger the appeal.
- 3.File the appeal in writing. State what changed (for example, brush cleared, roof replaced, Zone 0 completed) and request a re-rate. The carrier must process it.
- 4.Escalate to the CDI if denied. If the insurer denies a justified appeal, the California Department of Insurance can help. Contact the CDI consumer hotline at 800-927-4357 or insurance.ca.gov. Source: United Policyholders.
A successful re-rate can lower premium and, on the admitted side, restore eligibility. This is one of the highest-return actions a wildfire-zone homeowner can take, and it is frequently overlooked.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a brush score on the California FAIR Plan?
A brush score on the California FAIR Plan is the property-level wildfire risk rating that sets the wildfire portion of your premium, and it is the largest single rating factor. It blends the Cal Fire Fire Hazard Severity Zone for your address with a property model (commonly Verisk FireLine, scaled 0 to 30) that scores fuel, slope, and access. The FAIR Plan's wildfire territory runs from a "True 0" up to 30.
How do I find my wildfire risk score in California?
You find your wildfire risk score by asking your insurance broker to pull your FireLine or CoreLogic report, by creating your own account with a scoring vendor, or by requesting it from your carrier, which California law requires them to disclose. For your regional zone, use the free Cal Fire FHSZ viewer on the OSFM website. Under Cal. Code Regs. section 2644.9, your insurer must tell you the score it used and the mitigation discounts available.
What is the Cal Fire Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and how do I look it up?
The Cal Fire Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) is a government map classifying land as Moderate, High, or Very High wildfire hazard, built by the Office of the State Fire Marshal using fuel, terrain, fire history, and weather data. You look it up by entering your address on the OSFM FHSZ page. Cal Fire released updated 2025 maps for Local Responsibility Areas, adding about 1.4 million acres into High and Very High zones.
Is the FHSZ the same as my insurance brush score?
No. The FHSZ is a regional government hazard map, while your brush score is a property-specific carrier rating that scores the conditions at and immediately around your home. A property can sit in a Very High FHSZ yet earn a more favorable carrier score if it is hardened and brush is cleared, because property-level models like FireLine and Z-FIRE rate the structure, not just the region.
How can I lower my California FAIR Plan brush score?
You lower your brush score by reducing the fuel and structural inputs the models credit: complete Zone 0 (the noncombustible 5-foot zone), maintain 100 feet of defensible space under PRC section 4291, clear and document brush, and harden the home with a Class A roof and ember-resistant vents. You cannot change your slope, FHSZ region, or local fire history. These upgrades also qualify for the FAIR Plan's wildfire hardening discounts.
Can I dispute or appeal my wildfire risk score?
Yes. Under California Code of Regulations title 10, section 2644.9, you have the right to appeal your wildfire risk score, and a broker or agent must forward your appeal to the insurer within five calendar days. Document your mitigation with photos, invoices, and inspection reports, file the appeal in writing, and if it is wrongly denied, contact the California Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357.
Latent Insurance Services pulls your FireLine and FHSZ data, explains exactly what is driving your brush score, and shops the FAIR Plan against admitted, surplus-lines, and high-net-worth carriers that weight wildfire risk differently. As an independent brokerage (NPN #20972791) with a 20-plus carrier shelf, we document your defensible space and hardening for both FAIR Plan discount qualification and admitted-market re-entry, and we file the re-rate appeal when your score does not reflect the work you have done. Get a California FAIR Plan quote and brush-score review or schedule a call to walk through the factors driving your property's score.
Related California Insurance Guides
- California FAIR Plan (pillar): coverage, limits, eligibility, and the full program
- California FAIR Plan Cost: premium ranges, brush score impact, and the hardening discount stack
- Alternatives to the California FAIR Plan: admitted re-entry, surplus lines, and HNW programs
- California FAIR Plan vs Admitted Carrier: how scores and forms differ across channels
- Dropped by Your Homeowners Insurance: What Next: steps after a wildfire-score non-renewal
Sources
- Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones and 2025 LRA update
- Verisk, FireLine wildfire risk and mitigation analytics
- ZestyAI, Z-FIRE wildfire risk model
- United Policyholders, Do you know your home's wildfire risk score?
- United Policyholders, CA FAIR Plan wildfire territory ranges from True 0 to 30
- Cornell LII, Cal. Code Regs. tit. 10, section 2644.9 (mitigation and wildfire risk models)
- California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, Defensible Space Zones 0, 1, and 2
- Orange County Insurance Broker, how homes are deemed a wildfire risk (FireLine factors)
- California Government Code section 51179 (local adoption of FHSZ maps)
- California Public Resources Code section 4291 (defensible space)
Last updated: May 29, 2026.