Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire in a home along the Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 8, 2025. A wildfire broke out in Los Angeles County on Jan. 7, which has destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a briefing Wednesday.
Sacramento, California – Less than a week after winning approval for a temporary 17% hike in homeowners’ insurance rates, State Farm is asking state regulators for another increase.
The insurer—California’s largest provider of homeowners’ policies—filed a new request with the California Department of Insurance (CDI), seeking an additional 11% hike for homeowners and steep increases for renters and condo owners, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
State Farm and other major insurers have steadily reduced coverage in wildfire-prone parts of California, citing escalating costs and increased exposure to natural disasters. These cutbacks have driven many homeowners to the state’s Fair Plan — a last-resort fire insurance option that offers limited coverage compared to traditional policies.
In its latest filings, State Farm argues that its operations in California have become financially unsustainable. The company said it must charge more to shore up its shaky footing in the state, especially after facing more than 12,600 claims from this year’s devastating Los Angeles County wildfires. The insurer has already paid $3.5 billion and expects total payouts to exceed $7.6 billion.
Following the fires, State Farm requested a temporary emergency increase: 22% for homeowners, 15% for renters and condo owners, and 38% for rental dwellings. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara approved the request last week after an independent review by a judge found the hikes justified.
“These temporary increases are necessary to preserve the integrity of our insurance market,” Lara said.
But just days later, State Farm submitted another rate request. In a statement, the company emphasized: “We need immediate rate increases to help stabilize State Farm General’s financial condition to be able to serve our California customers for the long-term.”
The insurer’s repeated requests are putting pressure on state regulators, who must balance protecting consumers from unaffordable premiums while ensuring insurers don’t pull out of the market entirely. Deputy Insurance Commissioner Michael Soller responded bluntly: “They want more? We want more — more data, more transparency, more policyholders served… Wanting doesn’t change the law.”
A formal hearing this fall will determine whether State Farm’s additional rate hike requests are justified. If a judge rules that the hikes are excessive, the California state government could force the company to refund policyholders for the emergency hikes and abandon its latest proposed increases.
