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California Homeowners Earthquake Insurance Policies

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A CEA homeowners policy is catastrophe insurance, meant to cover the most important things you own. To purchase a CEA policy, contact your home insurance company or agent.

How to Buy a Policy

CEA is one of the largest providers of California earthquake residential insurance. CEA is not-for-profit. Our insurance rates are based on the best available science and research, not profit.

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Earthquakes?

Your homeowners policy doesn’t cover earthquake damage.

In most cases, damage to your home from an earthquake is not covered by a homeowners insurance policy. In California, a separate policy is needed to protect your home investment and recover from the effects of a major earthquake. Prepare today with CEA earthquake homeowners insurance.

CEA homeowners coverage options*

Get a quick earthquake insurance estimate using the CEA calculator. And talk to your home insurance company about your earthquake-coverage choices.

Homedwelling infographic

Home (dwelling)

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Coverage for your house can be purchased alone or with other coverages. Policy choices include earthquake damage to your house and structures attached to it, like your garage. Deductibles available are 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, or 25%. Homes with a Coverage A dwelling limit greater than $1,000,000, or dwellings built before 1980 on a raised or other type foundation that do not have a verified retrofit, are only eligible for a 15%, 20% or 25% deductible.

Personal Property

Personal Property

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Personal property coverage protects items inside your house. This includes protection for furniture, appliances, clothing, sporting goods and electronics that are damaged or destroyed in the event of a major earthquake. 

Loss of Use

Loss of Use

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Where would you live if after a major earthquake you couldn’t occupy your home? Loss of Use covers the additional cost of living elsewhere while your home is being rebuilt or when a civil authority prevents entry to your neighborhood because of earthquake damage. Keep in mind you may be paying your mortgage while in temporary rental housing. Loss of Use not only covers rent but also additional items, including food, moving, and storage expenses. Our Loss of Use coverage never has a deductible.

Building Code Upgrade

Building Code Upgrade

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Older homes that are damaged by a major earthquake may need upgraded components like plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning systems to pass local and state building inspections. Rebuilding after a devastating earthquake generally must be done to current building-code standards. Get help with added costs with Building Code upgrade coverage. A $10,000 building code upgrade coverage is included with every CEA homeowner policy—and there are higher coverage limits available.

Emergency Repairs

Emergency Repairs

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Emergency and necessary repairs may be needed after an earthquake to help protect your house and your family’s safety from additional earthquake damage or aftershocks. This would include rain damage that could seep into your home from earthquake damage—or labor and materials needed to board up damaged windows or remove broken glass from furniture. The first $1,500 has no deductible.

What Do I Need to know about CEA Earthquake Insurance?

For many California homeowners, owning a home is one of their largest financial investments. Earthquake insurance can help cover related expenses following a devastating shaking event.

CEA premiums are determined by several factors including your home’s age, earthquake-risk location data such as proximity to a fault and soil type, foundation type, construction type, and roof type.

Contact your home insurance agent to discuss adding a separate earthquake policy to your homeowners insurance. You can add the coverage today—no need to wait until your homeowners policy comes up for renewal.

CEA works with residential insurance companies that serve the majority of California homeowners. Only Californians whose home is insured by those companies are eligible to purchase a CEA earthquake policy.

Learn more about CEA homeowners coverage

How to Qualify for a Discounted Premium

A seismic retrofit involves strengthening your home’s foundation to make it more resistant to shaking. CEA offers earthquake home insurance premium discounts (up to 25%) for older houses that have been properly retrofitted to better withstand earthquakes.

Find out about our discounts for retrofitted older houses.

Grants to help pay for a house retrofit are available under the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) and Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) programs.

Read Your CEA Policy Carefully

*We encourage you to read your entire CEA policy—and its policy declarations page—and talk to your agent to understand your coverages and how they work. Exclusions and special limits apply. All terms and conditions of CEA insurance coverage are found in the CEA insurance-policy form. Refer to a sample policy, below.