California lawmakers want a yearly Home Hardening Week - and they are selling it as a way to cool the state's soaring homeowners' insurance rates. 

Asm. Steve Bennett introduced House Resolution No. 136 on August 10, 2026, during California's 2025-26 regular session. The measure would name the second week of September 2026, and every second week of September after that, Home Hardening Week. 

The resolution hits a sore spot for insurers. It notes that homeowners' insurance "has become more expensive and difficult to obtain throughout California, particularly in high-risk fire zones," and that rates rose "more than 43 percent between 2018 and 2023, inclusive." 

The backdrop is grim. The resolution says California has "crossed a tipping point" on wildfire destruction, with 10 of the 20 largest wildfires in state history occurring since 2020. It pegs wildfire damages at "between $250 billion and $270 billion in 2025 alone." 

Home hardening is the fix on offer. The term covers building materials and practices that resist flames and embers, plus defensible space around a house. The resolution lists specific steps: fire-resistant roofing, window coverings, sidings, fences, doors, and decks, along with ember-resistant vent screens, gutter coverings, and well-sealed vents, windows, and doors. 

For underwriting and claims teams, the numbers are the draw. The resolution cites a study called "Fire Risk to Structures in California's Wildland-Urban Interface," published August 28, 2025, that suggests comprehensive hardening - nonflammable siding, fine mesh over vents, double-paned windows, and a nonflammable roof - "result in a structure survival rate of 25 percent." That figure rises to 40 percent with clear defensible space in zone 0 (zero-five feet), and to 48 percent when the space extends into zone 1 (5-30 feet). The study drew on post-fire investigations from 2013 to 2022 across the Tubbs, Camp, Glass, Kincade, and Thomas fires. 

The resolution links the idea straight to premiums. It says the Assembly "recognizes the effectiveness of home hardening as a tool to protect homes and reduce homeowners' insurance rate costs," and urges homeowners to act. 

If adopted, the resolution would direct the Chief Clerk of the Assembly to send copies to the California Fire Safe Council and every county board of supervisors. As a resolution, it carries no force of law - it is a statement of intent, not a mandate on carriers or homeowners.