Wildfire home prep, on one page

Insurance first

Get an insurance quote early, for the exact address — before inspection deadlines if you are buying. Make sure a company will actually agree to cover the home, not just hand you a number. What can change the deal: whether a company will write the policy, the deductible, whether the roof is excluded, and the brush-clearing the insurer requires. Check the roof's age and material, past hail damage, and whether the policy pays full replacement cost.

The home ignition zone

• Roof and gutters — material, age, and debris.
• The first few feet around the structure — the cleared space and the plants.
• Attachments — decks, fencing, and vents.
• What sits nearby — wood piles, sheds, and propane tanks.
• Required work — any brush-clearing the HOA or county requires.

Access and water

How steep the driveway is, room to turn around, gates, bridges, hydrants, water tanks, who plows in winter, and how far the fire station sits can all matter to fire crews and insurers. Ask whether a fire truck can actually reach the house, and check wildfire hazard maps and advice from the local fire district.

Two things to know

• Wildfire is not only a mountain issue. Foothills, grassland edges, canyons, and wind-driven fire corridors can matter too — risk changes block by block.
• Mitigation does not guarantee lower premiums. Clearing brush and hardening the home can lower the risk and may help you get covered, but every company sets its own rules.

If no insurer will write the policy

Colorado has a backstop called the Colorado FAIR Plan. First, at least three admitted insurers (companies licensed to sell here) have to turn you down. Then a licensed Colorado agent can apply to the FAIR Plan for you. It offers basic fire and wind/hail coverage, up to a $750,000 dwelling limit, and pays actual cash value — the home's worth after wear and age, not the full cost to rebuild. It usually does not cover liability or living expenses. Start at the Colorado Division of Insurance.