Earthquake Insurance Cost in California (2026 Data)

California homeowners who bought earthquake coverage paid an average of $1,440.11 a year for it in 2025, according to the Department of Insurance's annual data call, which covers 922,090 homeowners policies with earthquake coverage.^[1] Condo owners averaged $538.03 a year and renters $87.27.^[1] Your premium depends on where the house sits, how old it is, how it is built and the deductible you select, so the same coverage can cost a few hundred dollars a year in one ZIP code and several thousand in another.

This guide will help explain what drives the price, what a 5% to 25% deductible means in dollars, how California Earthquake Authority (CEA) policies compare with private earthquake insurance, and how to decide whether the cost is worth it. When you're ready for numbers on your own home, our earthquake insurance page starts a quote.

How much does earthquake insurance cost in California?

The statewide average for a homeowners earthquake policy was $1,440.11 a year in 2025.^[1] It comes from the Department of Insurance's Earthquake Premium and Policy Count Data Call, which every licensed insurer answers each year. It averages all homes, all deductibles and all regions, so use it as a benchmark and not as a quote.

Source: California Department of Insurance, 2025 experience year.^[1]

The CEA wrote 968,479 of the 1,591,648 residential earthquake policies in the data, with an average premium of $964.52 across all of its policy types.^[1] Earthquake policies from other insurers averaged $943.85.^[1] The condo rate per $1,000 looks high because a condo policy insures only a relatively small amount of property, such as contents and loss assessment, not the entire building.

What makes earthquake insurance more or less expensive?

Location and the house itself set most of the price. According to the CEA, its rate depends on "your home's age, foundation type, construction type, roof type, and earthquake-risk location data such as proximity to a fault and soil type."^[3] After that, your selections move it: a higher deductible lowers the premium, and higher limits for contents, loss of use or building code upgrades raise it.^[2]

• Location: distance to a fault and soil type. Two houses a few miles apart can price very differently.^[3]
• Age and foundation: older wood-frame houses on raised foundations cost more, and a pre-1980 raised-foundation house without a verified retrofit can't choose the 5% or 10% deductible on a CEA policy.^[2]
• Dwelling limit: homes with more than $1 million of dwelling coverage are also limited to 15%, 20% or 25% deductibles on CEA.^[2]
• Retrofit: a qualifying retrofit can take up to 25% off the CEA premium.^[3]
• Options: CEA loss-of-use limits run from $1,500 to $100,000, and building code upgrade coverage of $10,000 can be raised to $20,000 or $30,000.^[2]

The CEA's public premium calculator lets you enter your own address and try these combinations before you ask for a quote.^[6]

What does the deductible mean in dollars?

A CEA deductible is a percentage of the dwelling limit, not a flat amount. You can select 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% or 25%, and on the standard homeowners policy one deductible applies to both dwelling and personal property.^[2] Here is what that means on common dwelling limits:

The CEA's Homeowners Choice policy lets you choose a separate deductible for personal property, which is waived if the dwelling deductible is met.^[2] Emergency repairs have no deductible on the first $1,500.^[2] When you compare quotes, compare the premium and the deductible in dollars side by side. A cheap policy with a 25% deductible may pay nothing after a moderate quake.

Is earthquake insurance worth it in California?

It is worth it if you could not afford to repair or rebuild your home after a major quake without it, and if the deductible is an amount you can realistically pay. Most Californians have chosen otherwise: only 12.48% of residential policies included earthquake coverage in 2025.^[1] Homeowners policies don't cover earthquake damage, though state law does require them to cover fire that follows an earthquake.^[7]

Three questions usually settle it:

1. How much equity is in the house? If a quake destroyed it, would you still owe a mortgage on a house you couldn't live in?
2. What would you pay out of pocket? Put the deductible in dollars next to your savings. If a 15% deductible is more than you could raise, look at lower deductibles, private programs or a deductible buy-back.
3. What kind of house is it? An older raised-foundation house that hasn't been retrofitted is more likely to be badly damaged. It is also where a retrofit grant and discount help most.^[3][4]

CEA or private earthquake insurance: which is cheaper?

It depends on the house, so price both. The CEA sells through participating home insurers and does not sell directly to consumers.^[3] Private earthquake policies are sold through brokers and don't require your home insurer to be a CEA participant.

Menlo quotes private residential earthquake coverage through Neptune and Aegis, and an earthquake deductible buy-back through Adaptive that sits on top of an existing earthquake policy to lower what you pay out of pocket.^[8] If you are on the California FAIR Plan, read our guide to earthquake insurance with the FAIR Plan, because the CEA route there works differently.

How can I lower my earthquake insurance cost?

Retrofit an older house, choose the highest deductible you could realistically pay, and eliminate options you don't need. For a pre-1980 wood-frame house on a raised foundation, the Earthquake Brace + Bolt program offers grants of up to $3,000 in participating ZIP codes, and supplemental grants can cover up to 100% of the cost for households with income of $94,480 or less.^[4] A completed retrofit can then earn up to 25% off a CEA premium and opens the lower 5% and 10% deductibles.^[2][3]

After that, shop around between the CEA and private programs every year or two. Rates, eligibility and new-business availability change, especially after a large quake.

This guide is for educational purposes and summarizes Department of Insurance data and consumer pages, California Earthquake Authority pages, the Earthquake Brace + Bolt program and carrier program documents. Averages describe the whole market and are not a quote. Coverage, eligibility and prices change, and your policy's terms control. Menlo Insurance Services (CA license 6020106) is a licensed broker that may earn a commission on a placement and does not guarantee that any coverage or price will be available. Some private earthquake insurers are non-admitted, and non-admitted insurers are not backed by the California Insurance Guarantee Association. Each quote names its insurer and whether it is admitted.

The Bottom Line

The average California homeowner with earthquake coverage paid $1,440.11 for it in 2025, but your price follows your location, house and deductible.^[1][3] Work out the deductible in dollars before you compare premiums, check whether a retrofit grant and discount apply, and price a CEA policy against private programs.^[2][4][5]