Nevada FAIR Plan: none. AB376 lets carriers exclude wildfire from 2026

Does Nevada have a FAIR Plan?

No. Nevada is one of the states with no FAIR Plan and no state-backed insurer of last resort for homeowners. It is not a member of the national plans body (PIPSO), and the 2025 legislative attempt to create one, Assembly Bill 437, died on April 23, 2025 after missing a Joint Standing Rule 14.3.2 deadline in the Nevada Legislature.

The practical "last resort" in Nevada is the surplus lines market, also called non-admitted or excess and surplus (E&S). Under NRS Chapter 685A, a licensed Nevada surplus-lines broker can place a home with a non-admitted insurer only after admitted carriers have declined the risk, a diligent-effort rule processed through the Nevada Surplus Lines Association in Reno. There is no consumer-facing plan website to apply through; the official starting point is the Nevada Division of Insurance homeowners page (see also: what a FAIR Plan is). The eligibility rules, the application route, and what surplus-lines coverage actually looks like are below.

What does it cover?

Nothing, because the plan doesn't exist. Nevada has no FAIR Plan, no Citizens corporation, and no state-run windstorm pool, so there is no policy form to describe (Nevada Division of Insurance). The practical question for a just-non-renewed homeowner is what the next-best option covers instead.

For most non-renewed Nevada homeowners, that option is the surplus-lines (E&S) market: non-admitted carriers that aren't backed by the state guaranty fund but will write risks admitted insurers decline. Surplus-lines policies in wildfire-exposed Nevada zones are often written on a named-peril basis: the policy lists the perils it covers (typically fire, lightning, internal explosion, and sometimes vandalism) and pays only for losses from those listed causes. Theft, water damage, and personal liability are frequently excluded or sublimited. Specialty admitted carriers, where they will still write, may offer a closer-to-standard HO-3 form (the open-peril homeowners policy that covers all perils except those expressly excluded), but eligibility depends on the home's wildfire score, defensible space, and prior claims.

A difference-in-conditions (DIC) policy, sometimes called a wrap, is a second policy that fills gaps the primary form leaves. Where the primary is a fire-only surplus-lines policy, a DIC can add back liability, theft, and water-damage coverage, and lift the dwelling limit. The Nevada DIC market is limited; a broker who works the surplus-lines side will know which carriers are currently writing.

How much will it cover?

Nevada has no FAIR Plan, so there is no statutory dwelling cap to quote and no published 'maximum coverage' figure for a state plan. The relevant limit lives in the surplus-lines (E&S) policy the broker places: whatever an individual non-admitted carrier agrees to write, negotiated coverage line by coverage line.

Each line is on the table: Coverage A (dwelling) at replacement cost, Coverage B (other structures), Coverage C (contents), Coverage D (loss of use), and liability. The non-admitted form is not the standard HO-3, and surplus-lines carriers often sublimit roof coverage to actual cash value, exclude smoke and ash, cap debris removal, or strip liability out to a separate policy. The schedule of exclusions on the declarations page is where the real limits sit.

The Nevada Division of Insurance has not published a consumer-grade comparison of typical E&S dwelling limits or peril restrictions for the state. Ask the broker for three quotes side by side and compare Coverage A, the wildfire deductible (often higher than the all-other-perils deductible), and the named-peril vs open-peril basis. The single line that decides whether the policy actually rebuilds the house is replacement cost vs. actual cash value (see replacement cost vs. ACV).

Who is eligible?

There is no eligibility test, because there is no Nevada FAIR Plan to qualify for. Eligibility rules (the 'two declinations' test in Texas, the diligent-search rule in California, the owner-occupied versus rental gates) are features of state-chartered last-resort plans. Nevada doesn't have one, so no statutory checklist governs who can or can't get residual-market coverage here.

What governs access to the practical alternatives:

• Surplus-lines (E&S) carriers. A licensed surplus-lines broker can place coverage with a non-admitted carrier only after the admitted market has declined the risk. That diligent-search step is the de facto eligibility test for most Nevada homeowners whose home is uninsurable on the standard market. The Nevada Surplus Lines Association licenses the brokers; only an NSLA-licensed broker can bind a surplus-lines policy.
• Specialty admitted carriers. Each carrier sets its own underwriting box: defensible space, roof age, prior-claims history, distance from a fire station, owner-occupancy. No state-level rule says 'if you've been declined N times, this carrier must take you.' Investors and landlords typically face a tighter box than owner-occupants, and a recent claim or a wildland-urban-interface address can disqualify you outright.

The Nevada Division of Insurance doesn't run a residual market, but its consumer division can confirm which carriers are currently writing homeowners in your county.

How do you apply?

Because Nevada has no FAIR Plan, there is no plan application form, no plan portal, and no plan broker-finder to use. The application path runs through licensed Nevada agents and brokers into the voluntary admitted market first, then into surplus lines if the admitted carriers decline.

The fastest route is an independent agent who can quote several admitted homeowners carriers in one pass. If those declinations come back, the same agent (or a surplus-lines broker they work with) can place the home with a non-admitted carrier through the Nevada Surplus Lines Association. Surplus-lines placements are agent-to-carrier; a homeowner cannot apply direct.

Have these ready before the first call: the most recent declarations page, the non-renewal notice itself, the year built and square footage, roof age and material, the distance to a responding fire station and a hydrant, any defensible-space or hardening work done, and a current four-point or replacement-cost estimate if the prior carrier produced one. A loss-run or CLUE report covering the last five years speeds the underwriting decision.

Turnaround in the admitted market is typically a few days to two weeks once the application is complete; surplus-lines quotes can come back faster but bind on the carrier's terms. When the lender needs proof of coverage at closing, ask the agent for an insurance binder, the temporary document carriers issue while the full policy is written.

How much does it cost?

Nevada has no FAIR Plan, so there is no plan rate filing to point at. The cost question here is really a surplus-lines question: what does the non-admitted market charge to write a home an admitted carrier just dropped, and that figure is not published in a single state filing the way a FAIR Plan's would be.

What is on the public record: surplus-lines premium in Nevada is brokered through licensed E&S brokers under the Nevada Surplus Lines Association, and rates are not subject to prior approval by the Nevada Division of Insurance the way an admitted homeowners filing is. A surplus-lines carrier sets its own price for the risk; the policyholder also pays a state surplus-lines tax and a stamping fee on top of the premium. That is the structural reason a wildfire-zone Nevada home written E&S typically costs more than the admitted policy it replaced, and why the premium can move year to year without a public filing trail.

Two practical points for a homeowner reading the renewal letter. First, the bump from an admitted HO-3 to an E&S property policy is the norm after a wildfire non-renewal in the Sierra-front counties, not a sign of a quoting error. Second, an E&S property policy is often narrower than the policy it replaces, so the headline premium is not directly comparable: a higher number can still be buying less coverage. The my premium just jumped walkthrough covers how to read the two declarations pages side by side before deciding.

What is changing right now?

AB376 took effect January 1, 2026, making Nevada the first state to expressly permit a wildfire exclusion in a homeowners policy (Nevada Current, verified May 2026). The bill passed both chambers in June 2025 and was signed by Gov. Joe Lombardo. Its companion, AB437, which would have created a Nevada FAIR Plan, died on the Chief Clerk's desk on April 23, 2025 under Joint Standing Rule 14.3.2 (Nevada Legislature).

The underlying trend behind the legislative push: Nevada Current reporting documents wildfire-driven cancellations rising from 264 in 2022 to 481 in 2023, an 82% jump in a single year. NDOI began publicly discussing the trend in August 2024 and followed with a Wildfire Threat Townhall on Webex on June 28, 2024.

Leadership at NDOI turned over mid-2025. Scott J. Kipper, in his third tenure as Commissioner since February 2023, departed in July 2025; circumstances were not publicly disclosed. Ned Gaines was named Commissioner on October 6, 2025.

For brokers writing Nevada risk: the practical effect of AB376 is that admitted carriers can now file wildfire-exclusion endorsements with NDOI. As of May 2026 none has been approved on the public record. Three near-term triggers will shift the form options available to a non-renewed homeowner: the NDOI 2026 Insurance Market Report when it lands with 2024 cancellation data, the first admitted endorsement filing under AB376, and the 84th Session in 2027, where a FAIR Plan bill is the most likely vehicle to revive the AB437 framework. The running ledger of plan-level changes sits on the changelog.

Do you also need a wrap (DIC) policy?

For a Nevada home placed into surplus lines or onto a wind-and-fire-only specialty form, a wrap is often the second half of the package. A difference-in-conditions policy, or DIC, is a second policy that fills the gaps the first one leaves: typically liability, theft, water damage, and sometimes personal property and loss of use. The first policy covers the dwelling against fire and named perils; the DIC sits on top and restores the look of a standard HO-3.

Nevada is not a FAIR Plan state, so this comes up differently than in California. The most common Nevada pattern at closing is an E&S dwelling-fire policy paired with a stand-alone liability policy, or a true DIC written by a specialty broker. Lenders usually accept the combination as long as the documents show replacement cost on the dwelling, the required liability limit, and a 12-month policy term.

Cost is the part most buyers want a number for, and there isn't a published Nevada-specific one. As a rough industry frame, a DIC or stand-alone liability wrap typically runs a few hundred dollars a year on top of the base policy, more if the home is high-value or has a pool. Ask the broker writing the E&S policy whether they place the wrap in-house or refer it out; bundling the two through one office usually shortens the binder timeline a lender is watching.

Alternatives to the FAIR Plan in Nevada

With no state FAIR Plan to fall back on, a non-renewed Nevada homeowner has three routes worth working in order: a re-shop of the admitted market through an independent agent, a specialty admitted carrier that still writes the harder Nevada risks, and the excess and surplus lines (E&S) market through a surplus-lines broker.

Start with the admitted market. An independent agent can run several carriers at once, and a home declined by one mainline insurer is not automatically declined by all of them. Smaller specialty admitted carriers, regulated by the Nevada Division of Insurance like any standard carrier, sometimes write wildland-urban-interface or older homes the national brands won't. Their rates are filed and their solvency is backed by the Nevada Insurance Guaranty Association, the safety net that pays claims if a member carrier fails.

If the admitted market closes its doors, the next stop is E&S. Surplus-lines carriers are not state-rate-regulated and are not backed by the guaranty fund, but they are the legal market for homes the admitted carriers have walked away from. Access is through a licensed surplus-lines broker; brokers placing Nevada business are listed by the Nevada Surplus Lines Association. Expect a higher premium, a higher deductible (a separate wildfire deductible is common), and a named-peril form rather than the open-perils HO-3 the voluntary market sells. See admitted vs surplus lines for the trade-offs in plain language.

What to do this week if you just got a non-renewal notice

A Nevada non-renewal letter is unsettling, especially if the policy ran clean for years. The work to do this week is concrete, and most of it is phone calls and paperwork rather than waiting on hold with the carrier that dropped you.

1. Read the letter for the exact end date and the stated reason. Note the last day of coverage and whether the carrier cited wildfire exposure, claim history, roof age, or a non-specific underwriting decision. That date sets every other deadline this week, and the reason tells the next agent what to fix or document.
2. Tell your mortgage servicer in writing that you are shopping for replacement coverage. Lenders force-place insurance the moment a policy lapses, and force-placed coverage is expensive and protects the lender, not the household. A short email noting the non-renewal date and the active search keeps the loan file calm while quotes come in.
3. Get quotes from at least three admitted carriers through an independent agent. Admitted carriers are licensed and regulated by the Nevada Division of Insurance, with a state guaranty fund behind them. An independent agent can run several at once; ask specifically for quotes that include wildfire exposure if the home is in or near a wildland-urban interface.
4. If admitted carriers decline, ask the agent to quote the surplus-lines (E&S) market. Surplus-lines carriers are not state-rate-regulated and carry no guaranty-fund backstop, but they write risks the admitted market will not. Get the quote in writing, with the carrier name, the form, and the exclusions listed.
5. Pull together the documents the next underwriter will want: a current roof age, defensible-space photos around the home, the prior policy's declarations page, and any inspection or mitigation work done in the last few years. Having these ready shortens turnaround from weeks to days.
6. If the quotes you receive leave gaps, ask the agent about a difference-in-conditions (DIC) wrap to add back liability, theft, or water damage on top of a peril-limited surplus-lines policy. Get the gap list and the wrap quote in the same conversation.

The full version of this checklist, including what to say to the mortgage servicer and how to document mitigation work, lives at the non-renewal walkthrough.