Home ReadyCalifornia

Wildfire home inventory for your insurance claim

What you get without a list after a total loss, and the phone video that helps you claim the rest.

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By Devan Hemmings. Updated October 16, 2026.

The short answer. After a wildfire total loss, the California Department of Insurance says insurers must pay 60% of your contents limit, up to $350,000, without a detailed inventory [1][2]. That law took effect January 1, 2026 [2]. Under the earlier rule, you could claim more, up to your contents limit, by filing a list later [3]. Ask your insurer if that still applies. A phone video of your rooms, saved in the cloud, is the easiest way to start that list [4].
See the stepsMake the video

What happens after a total loss

Five steps after a wildfire total loss. One: state of emergency declared and home is a covered total loss. Two: on request, an advance of at least four months of living costs. Three: contents payment of 60 percent of your contents limit, up to 350,000 dollars, with no list. Four: at least 100 days to send proof of loss. Five: later, an itemized claim for the rest, up to your contents limit.
Sources: California Department of Insurance [1][2][3]. Our summary, not legal advice.
  • Contents, no list. SB 495 requires 60% of your contents coverage limit, capped at $350,000, with no detailed inventory [1].
  • Time to send proof of loss. At least 100 days after a state of emergency is declared [1].
  • Living costs. In its January 2025 bulletin, the Department said an insurer must, on request, advance at least four months of living expenses after a total loss tied to a state of emergency [3].
  • The rest. Under the earlier 30% rule, the Department said you could recover more, up to your contents limit, by filing a claim under your policy, and that your insurer had to tell you [3]. We expect the same applies now. Ask your insurer.

The 60% is a share of your contents limit, not of what you owned. If your belongings were worth more than that share, a list is how you would claim the difference. That part is our reading of the rules above.

Make a phone video of your home

The Department tells people to make a photo or video inventory if time allows, and says it can be done quickly on a smartphone and stored in the cloud [4]. Do it on a calm day, not an evacuation day. For a small home, allow about 10 minutes (our estimate). Our tips:

  • Walk room by room, slowly. Say what you see out loud: "Samsung TV, 2022, about 55 inches."
  • Open everything. Closets, drawers and cabinets hold more than you remember.
  • Film labels on big items. Appliances, tools and electronics have model numbers.
  • Don't skip the garage and yard. Tools, bikes, patio furniture and the shed add up.
  • Save it off the property. Upload the video and a copy of your policy to the cloud [4].
  • Redo it when you buy something big. A new video each year is plenty.

In Sonoma County? The Sonoma County go bag checklist covers the papers to grab on the way out.

Ask your insurer this week

  • Get your full policy. The Department says the law requires your insurer to give you a copy free within 30 days of your request [4].
  • Know three numbers: coverage to rebuild or repair, for your belongings, and for living expenses [4].
  • Ask how a contents payment without a list works on your policy, and whether your home would qualify. The Department's 2025 bulletin described the earlier rule as covering a furnished primary home after a covered total loss [3].

Common questions

I saw 30% somewhere. Which is right?

The January 2025 bulletin described the law then in force: at least 30% of the dwelling limit, up to $250,000 [3]. SB 495 sets 60% of the contents limit, up to $350,000, from January 1, 2026 [1][2]. Ask your insurer which applies to your policy.

Do I still need an inventory?

Not to get the first payment. To claim more than that, you would file a claim with a list. Ask your insurer how that works on your policy.

Where is the Department's own guide?

The Department says you can download a free home inventory guide at insurance.ca.gov, or call its consumer line at 800-927-4357 [4].

What it means for you

  • Take the video this weekend. A list is slow to rebuild after a loss.
  • Put your policy in the cloud too.
  • Know your contents limit, so you know what the 60% would be.
  • Worried about keeping your coverage? That is a different problem, and it comes first.

Sources

  1. California Department of Insurance, "Commissioner Lara Applauds Governor's Signing of New Consumer Protections for California Wildfire Survivors," October 10, 2025.
  2. California Department of Insurance, "New laws sponsored by Commissioner Lara ... take effect January 1," December 30, 2025.
  3. California Department of Insurance, Bulletin 2025-2, "Wildfire Consumer Protections and Advanced Payments," January 23, 2025 (PDF).
  4. California Department of Insurance, Disaster Insurance Guidebook (PDF, undated).

Laws and bulletins change. Sources last checked October 16, 2026. General information, not legal or claims advice. For help with a claim, call the Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357.