In 2021, the Oregon Legislature passed a law requiring the Oregon Department of Forestry to develop a statewide wildfire hazard map, as part of a broader effort to address wildfire risk in Oregon. The purpose of this map was to plan for wildfire response and to inform the public about wildfire risk.
When concerns arose around the wildfire hazard map's effect on insurance, DFR worked with the Legislature in 2023 to pass a law that explicitly prohibited any insurance company from using any wildfire hazard map published by the State of Oregon as a basis for increasing insurance premiums, canceling a policy, or refusing to renew a homeowners policy. Senate Bill 82 makes it against the law for any insurance company to use any state-published wildfire hazard map for any of these purposes.
If your agent or insurance company tells you that your premium has increased or that your policy has been dropped because of the statewide wildfire hazard map, you can contact the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation's consumer advocacy team at 888-877-4894 (toll-free) or file a complaint online at dfr.oregon.gov.
For more information on the state wildfire hazard map, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/wildfire-hazard.aspx or
https://osuwildfireriskmap.forestry.oregonstate.edu/
For more information on homeowners insurance premium increases or cancellations visit the Help with home insurance page.