The Colorado FAIR Plan Association was established to provide “basic” property insurance coverage, including commercial property insurance, when such coverage is not available from admitted companies. Property insurance may be applied for by an insurance producer who is actively licensed in the State of Colorado on behalf of an applicant seeking coverage who is unable to obtain such coverage directly from an insurer.

Access to Colorado FAIR Plan policies and applications for same are not expected until early 2025. The Board has been seated and is actively working to build the Association.

The Board submitted the Plan of Operations to the Division of Insurance and it was approved on July 26, 2024.

The Colorado FAIR Plan Association is not a market of choice. But a market of last resort. In order to apply to the Colorado FAIR Plan Association, your producer must have evidence of at least three declinations of coverage from standard carriers for your property showing that no other coverage options exist.

If you are shopping for insurance, any insurance producer should be able to guide you through the process. You may reach out to a producer of your choice. A listing of independent producers in Colorado or referrals may be obtained by going to https://www.trustedchoice.com/agent/co/

Mitigation is the process of making something less severe or dangerous. As related to wildfires this means clearing any possible fuel that could ignite in your area is the first step to reducing fire risk. You can create space around your house to act as a buffer between the home and trees, grass, or shrubs nearby. This will help slow the spread of fire. The area of space around your home is generally divided into three areas.

1. The Immediate Zone is the house itself and the space up to 5 feet away. This area should be completely clear of flammable materials.
2. The Intermediate Zone is between 5-30 feet away from your house. This area can be addressed with fire-resistant plants and landscaping design to prevent fire from spreading from your yard to your house.
3. The Extended Zone is 30-200 feet from your house. This area can be kept cleared of debris and addressed with well-spaced trees and shrubs to interrupt fire, keep it low to the ground, and make sure the flames spread slowly.

Home hardening means making your home and property more resistant to wildfires by implementing various fire-prevention measures. The goal is to create a more defensible space around your home to minimize the risk of fire from direct flame, radiant heat, embers, and other potential sources of fire. Home hardening can include using fire-resistant materials, making sure there are adequate water sources, trimming back trees, bushes and other brush around your home and property to improve your homes changes of withstanding a wildfire.

In addition to individual actions to protect your home and property, an essential way to mitigate wildfire damage is by engaging your community. Neighbors can share home-hardening resources and take care of shared defensible space. A community wildfire protection plan can help identify local risks, plan ways to mitigate those dangers and establish risk reduction activities within the community. This may include defensible space strategies implemented throughout the community. High- and medium-risk communities should discuss wildfire mitigation practices that residents can collectively take in the area.

• Work with your community to ensure that community members are motivated to participate, and that risk mitigation activities are inclusive of underserved populations (e.g., people with disabilities, immigrants, elderly people, people in poverty, people who do not speak English as a first language).
• Use resources wisely and with guidance from a range of community members. Make sure everyone feels heard.
• Ask for help with activities that partners, volunteers, and residents can support, such as property assessments, project coordination, and mitigation event planning.
• Focus on positive outcomes and celebrate successes.

A market of last resort means that it is not a market of choice. In order to qualify for coverage through the FAIR Plan, no other markets should exist. When your producer applies to the FAIR Plan on your behalf, they will need to provide documentation that they have tried to place your coverage in the standard market and have not been able to find other coverage. A Market of Last Resort also means that the FAIR Plan only offers “basic” coverage. It is not meant to compete with the standard insurance markets and should only be used for short periods of time when no other markets exist.