California Sets Stage for First Smoke Damage Insurance Standard in the U.S.

After a fire, many homeowners face a frustrating challenge: their houses may still be standing but are blanketed in toxic soot—and insurance won’t cover the cleanup.

With no existing state or federal standard for smoke damage, insurers often deny claims, forcing victims to shoulder the cost of testing and remediation. That could soon change. The California Department of Insurance has launched a task force to create the nation’s first official smoke damage standard, potentially laying the groundwork for a national model.

This team will outline how insurers should handle smoke damage claims and what level of remediation must be covered.

On July 1, California revealed the task force members—many of whom previously contributed to the state’s ongoing insurance investigation.

The group includes well-known insurance consumer advocate Amy Bach and Deputy Insurance Commissioner Tony Cignarale, along with public health officials, smoke remediation experts, and insurance representatives.

Insurers typically reject smoke damage claims unless there’s proof of visible, lasting harm. But health experts caution that dangerous chemicals and heavy metals left behind by smoke can be invisible, yet still require costly cleanup to ensure a home is safe.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara spoke out on the issue:
“There’s no real set standards around these issues… You know what is the worst part of that? People come up to me and say, ‘I don’t know what’s worse, and I almost feel guilty saying this, but I almost prefer that my house was a total loss’ instead of having to deal with this smoke-claim issue,” Lara told CBS News California. “That’s horrible because there are no set standards for how you mitigate your home against wildfire smoke. And who benefits here? The insurance company.”

The full task force includes:

Dr. Rita Nguyen, Assistant State Public Health Officer
Dr. Nichole Quick, Chief Medical Advisor, Los Angeles County
Chief Frank Bigelow, Deputy Director for Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation, Cal Fire
Richard Holober, Board Treasurer, Consumer Federation of California Education Foundation
Brad Kovar, CEO, Safeguard EnviroGroup
Patrick Moffett, President, Blue Sky Environmental Consulting
Kristofer Griffith, VP of Operations, Anderson Group International
Hamid Arabzadeh, Principal, HRA Environmental Consultants
Michelle Rosales, Director of Environmental Health Services, Forensic Analytical Consulting Services
Allison Adey, Legislative Advocate, Personal Insurance Federation of California
Karen Collins, VP of Property and Environmental, American Property Casualty Insurance Association

We’ll continue monitoring their progress as California confronts its growing insurance crisis.

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