California will require insurance companies to offer coverage in wildfire zones

The rule will require home insurers to offer coverage in high-risk areas—but can pass on the cost of reinsurance to policyholders.

Insurance companies that stopped providing home coverage to hundreds of thousands of Californians in recent years as wildfires became more destructive will have to again provide policies in fire-prone areas if they want to keep doing business in California under a state regulation announced Monday.