California Wildfire Mitigation Discounts

Policies that include a charge for wildfire risk are eligible for several wildfire mitigation discounts. These discounts are divided into two broad groups: (1) Property level discounts that are based on defensible space and home hardening requirements specific to the insured dwelling and property and (2) Community level discounts that are based on neighborhood or community-level designations.

	Property Level Item	Mercury Wildfire Mitigation - Essential1 (must meet all requirements)	Mercury Wildfire Mitigation - Enhanced1 (must meet all requirements)	Mercury Wildfire Mitigation - Elite1 (must meet all requirements)
Defensible Space	Within five (5) feet of the dwelling, vegetation must be limited and well maintained.2	X	X	X
	Maintain defensible space on the property beyond the 5 foot home ignition zone	X	X	X
Home Hardening
	Class-A fire-rated roof (Properly installed concrete or clay tile and asphalt shingles typically qualify)	X	X	X
	Fire/ember-resistant vents	X	X	X
	6" of vertical non-combustible clearance at the base of the building (e.g. stucco, concrete)	X	X	X
	All siding (exterior wall cover) must be non-combustible	—	—	Required unless there are no  accessory or neighboring structures within 30 feet
	Windows	—	Multi-pane windows + 1 tempered pane	Multi-pane windows + 1 tempered pane
	Eaves	Maintained	Maintained	Enclosed
	Roofs, gutters, downspouts must be kept clear of debris	X	X	X
	Gutters/downspouts must be made of metal	—	X	X
	Dryer vents must be made of metal with a louver or flap	—	—	X
	If present, shutters must be non-combustible	—	—	X
	Exterior doors must be made of non-combustible materials	—	—	X
	Space under bay windows must be enclosed	—	—	X
Decks	Clear vegetation and debris from under decks (or no deck)	X	X	X
	5 feet of non-combustible clearance required around decks and decks less than 4 feet high must be enclosed	X	X	X
	Deck must be made entirely of non-combustible materials	—	—	X
Fencing/Gates	Incorporate only non-combustible materials within 5 feet of the dwelling (e.g., fencing, gates)	X	X	X
	Any back-to-back fencing must be at least 5 feet apart	—	—	X
Other	Other structures on the insured’s premises within 30 feet of the dwelling	All structures on the insured’s premises within 30 feet of the dwelling must meet the same standards as the Dwelling	Other structures on the property must be at least 10 feet away with 5 feet non-combustible clearance around them and compliant with all other requirements. No more than 3 accessory structures within 30 feet are allowed.	No structures within 30 feet on the insured’s property
Discount (applies to Wildfire Peril only unless otherwise indicated)		10 feet: 12.5% >10 and <30 feet: 17.5% >=30 feet: 22.5%	10 feet: 20% >10 and <30 feet: 25% >=30 feet: 35%	10 feet: 25% >10 and <30 feet: 35% >=30 feet: 45%

Wildfire mitigation discounts are available in California only and apply to the wildfire peril portion of homeowners policy premium.

¹The requirements shown above are a summary only. Eligibility for Mercury wildfire mitigation discounts depends on the full set of requirements for the applicable discount tier, including defensible space, home hardening features, structure separation, and other property-specific conditions. Discounts vary based on structure separation, including distance to neighboring dwellings and other structures, and all discounts, eligibility, and renewal remain subject to underwriting review and policy terms. Mitigation efforts do not guarantee eligibility, renewal, or specific pricing outcomes.

²Within the five-foot zone, vegetation may be permitted if it is limited, well maintained, and meets Mercury’s applicable wildfire mitigation standards for the property and discount tier. Additional requirements apply to combustible materials, structural features, and surrounding conditions. The following criteria apply when evaluating vegetation and related wildfire mitigation requirements within the five-foot zone:

• All vegetation must be well-maintained, meaning it must be hydrated, regularly pruned and dead material must not be allowed to accumulate anywhere within the home ignition zone.
  • This requirement also extends further out to all vegetation on the homeowner’s parcel.

• “Low Vegetation”: Grasses, “steppables”, perennials or living ground covers are acceptable anywhere in the zone if kept at a height no taller than four inches.
  • Combustible, “dead” ground covers such as straw, wood chip or bark or rubber mulch ground covers are prohibited.

• “Medium Vegetation”: Larger plants that are generally considered fire-resistant are acceptable if the following conditions are met:
  • The structure siding near these plants is non-combustible, up at least through the first story.
  • All vents on the entire structure must be ember and flame resistant.
  • These plants do not exceed 18 inches (1.5 feet) in height.
  • In areas where there are more vulnerable structure features such as windows, these plants must be at least two feet away from the base of the structure.
  • Fire-resistant plants tend to be higher in moisture content, have lower amounts of volatile oils and resins, open growth structures, clean shedding habits and lower fuel volumes.

• Trees are acceptable if their canopies are at least 10 feet above the roofline if the following conditions are met:
  • All vents on the entire structure must be ember and flame resistant.
  • No “medium vegetation” is permitted within five feet of the base of any trees that are planted in the five-foot zone. “Low vegetation” is acceptable.
  • No branches can be within 10 feet of any chimney.
  • Any tree in this zone must maintain its canopy to ensure it maintains at least 10 feet of clearance from other combustible materials, such as the canopies of any other nearby trees.