Insurance
Rules that make insurers count mitigation, and the certification many of them recognize.
CertificationCheck statusReady to proceed
New Mexico Wildfire Prepared Act (SB 33, 2025)
New Mexico. State of New Mexico (program created by SB 33)
2025 law creating a Wildfire Prepared program built around the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home standard. The NM Association of Counties reports it passed without an appropriation.
Ready to proceed. It applies to insurers in your state. Keep the record of the work.
- Work it may recognize
- Vents, gutters and gutter guards, and the first 5 ft around the house
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Checklist items in the Wildfire Prepared New Mexico standards: 1/8 in metal mesh or ember-resistant vents, noncombustible or covered gutters kept clear, a 0 to 5 ft noncombustible zone including replacing combustible fencing, Class A roof, and 6 in vertical clearance at wall and deck bases.
- How
- No state money is available yet. Homeowners can pursue the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designation directly at wildfireprepared.org.
- We prepare
- Certification checklist
CertificationOpenReady to proceed
Wildfire Prepared Home
Nationwide. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
A certification from the insurance industry’s research institute that a house meets its wildfire standard. An evaluator visits and documents the work, and many insurers in the states where it’s offered recognize it.
Discounts vary by insurer and state and aren’t guaranteed. A designation lasts 3 years, with a yearly photo review to keep it active.
Ready to proceed. It applies to insurers in your state. Keep the record of the work.
- Work it may recognize
- Vents, gutters and gutter guards, and the first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- A fee and a yearly review
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Essential, the ember level, also asks for a Class A roof and 6 in of noncombustible wall base. Enhanced adds gutter guards, enclosed eaves, tempered windows, and noncombustible siding and decks. Garage doors aren’t named.
- How
- Do the work with the How-To Prepare checklist, then apply online with photos of every side of the house and the 0 to 5 ft zone. An evaluator visits; if something falls short, you have 60 days to fix it and send photos.
- We prepare
- Certification checklist and Mitigation record
Grants, rebates, and tax breaks
Money back for work on your house. Read what each one needs before you buy.
GrantCheck statusReady to proceed
New Mexico Home Strong wildfire retrofit grants (FAIR Plan)
New Mexico. Office of Superintendent of Insurance
State-funded wildfire mitigation grants for homeowners whose only coverage is the New Mexico FAIR Plan, started as a pilot in Otero County.
$10 million appropriated in 2025; the pilot paid about $7,000 per home for 28 Otero County homes for roofs built to IBHS standards. Funding was set to expire June 30, 2026; an extension was requested.
Ready to proceed. Nothing to apply for first. Keep the receipts and photos it asks for.
- Work it may recognize
- Vents
Details and how to claim
- Details
- Reported uses include clearing trees near structures, screening vents, and fire-resistant roofs. Limited to FAIR Plan policyholders; up to about 1,400 homes if expanded.
- How
- FAIR Plan policyholders should contact OSI to ask whether grants are still available and how to apply; no public application process was found.
- We prepare
- Grant or rebate packet
Rules for homeowners
What you may owe when you sell, rebuild, or keep up the ground around the house.
Required clearanceIn effect
Ruidoso fuels management standards (code 42-80)
Village of Ruidoso. Village of Ruidoso
Binding fuels standards that apply to all properties in Ruidoso, with zones measured from structures. Owners must thin trees, remove ladder fuels, rake needles yearly, and keep the area next to the house nearly free of flammable material.
- Asks about
- Gutters and gutter guards and the first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- A home inside the program’s boundary
Details and how to comply
- Details
- Zone 1 (0 to 10 ft): as free of flammable vegetation as possible, no wood chips except planting beds, no uncovered firewood, no low flammable plants such as juniper, roofs and gutters kept free of needles. Also tree spacing by slope, pruning heights, yearly needle raking, and a permit to remove live trees over 20 in DBH.
- How
- Follow the zone standards in code section 42-80. The Village issues a letter when a property meets them; owners who miss the correction deadline can face fines or billing increases until the work is done.
- We prepare
- Mitigation record
Free help
Assessments and services you don’t pay for.
Neighborhood programOpen
Firewise USA
Nationwide. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
A neighborhood program. Residents form a small board, get a risk assessment, write an action plan, and log the work they do each year to stay recognized. Some state insurance rules and some insurers count a recognized neighborhood.
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Community work: clearing, chipping days, and education. Your own retrofit work counts toward the neighborhood’s yearly total.
- How
- Look up recognized sites near you, or start one with your neighbors through NFPA’s Firewise USA portal. Your state forestry agency usually helps with the assessment.
In progress in New Mexico
SB 33 (2025) Wildfire Prepared Act passed but, per the NM Association of Counties, was not funded. The 2025 Legislature gave OSI $10 million for retrofit grants to FAIR Plan homeowners (Home Strong); a pilot paid about $7,000 per home for 28 Otero County homes, the money was set to expire June 30, 2026, and the Superintendent asked for an extension (outcome not confirmed). HB 204 (2026) on wildfire risk models, scores, appeals, and IBHS-based mitigation discounts did not pass; an October 28, 2026 interim committee draft for 2027 would expand it to all catastrophe models and may drop the discount mandate. OSI reports more than 6,200 nonrenewals in 2025 and that six of the ten largest insurers already credit mitigation (3% to 18%). IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home was available in New Mexico before the April 2026 expansion.
General information, not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Rules and funding change, so open the official page before you apply or buy for a program.