Insurance
Rules that make insurers count mitigation, and the certification many of them recognize.
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.
Cost shareOpenApply before buying
DNR Financial Assistance for Wildfire Resilience and Forest Health
Washington. Washington Department of Natural Resources
DNR shares the cost of thinning and ladder fuel treatments on private forested land, after a free visit from a local forester. Formerly called the cost-share program; now statewide.
DNR pays up to a predetermined amount set at approval; no percentage published.
Apply before buying. It wants an assessment before you buy parts or start work.
- You’ll need
- An assessment before the work
Details and how to claim
- Details
- Forest health and wildfire treatments such as thinning and pruning ladder fuels on forested land; defensible space and home hardening are not mentioned. Owners may hire out the work or do it themselves and be reimbursed.
- How
- Use DNR's Find Your Forester tool to set up a free consultation; approval typically takes 1 to 2 weeks.
- We prepare
- Grant or rebate packet
Free help
Assessments and services you don’t pay for.
Free assessmentIn effect
Wildfire Ready Neighbors
Participating counties. Washington Department of Natural Resources with local fire districts
A free DNR program that connects residents with local experts for a custom home hardening and defensible space plan.
Free home visit and custom plan.
- Covers
- Vents, 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 use it
- Details
- Guidance includes cleaning roofs and gutters, installing ember-blocking vents, using fire-resistant materials, removing brush, and defensible space. County list is from DNR's March 2024 notice; DNR has since launched in more counties (a Walla Walla County launch appears in DNR news), so confirm availability by address.
- How
- Sign up through DNR's Wildfire Ready site; a local specialist schedules the visit and sends a plan.
- We prepare
- Mitigation record
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 Washington
IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designations became available in Washington April 14, 2026. SB 6079 (2026), a Strengthen Washington Homes grant pilot to help pay for upgrades toward the IBHS designation and protect participants from wildfire nonrenewals, passed the Senate 37-11 but did not advance out of the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee; the Insurance Commissioner lists it as a 2027 priority. SB 5928, which would require insurers to disclose wildfire risk scores, explain the factors, list steps to improve the score, and allow appeals after mitigation, passed the Senate 48-1 in 2026 and stalled in the same House committee; also a 2027 priority. The State Building Code Council deleted the Washington Wildland Urban Interface Code from chapter 51-55 WAC by emergency rule effective March 17, 2026 (WSR 26-07-074) because SB 6120 requires new DNR wildfire hazard and risk maps first; DNR held map listening sessions through August 2026 and the maps are not final.
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.