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Utah becomes top state for homeowners insurer nonrenewals
Nonrenewals reached 4.5% of in-force policies in Utah last year, while surplus-lines homeowners premiums rose to $13.7 million in 2025 from $1.1 million in 2018.
Utah has overtaken California and Florida as the fastest retreating market for homeowners insurers, with new NAIC filing-based data showing the state’s carriers declined to renew 4.45% of homeowners policies in force last year, about one in every 22 policies, according to an analysis released September 8 by Weiss Ratings.
The report found Utah’s nonrenewal rate is up sharply from 2018, rising to 8.4 times that earlier level, and it is also more than 2.6 times the state’s 2024 figure. It also notes Utah was ranked 17th worst a year ago but now sits at No. 1.
Weiss Ratings attributed the shift to a collision between rising wildfire risk and the growing built environment, saying large parts of Utah lie in the wildland-urban interface and homebuilding has expanded into fire-exposed terrain as loss activity climbs.
California remains a key cautionary example, with company-initiated nonrenewals at 2.93% of policies in force in 2025, about one in 34. The outlet also highlighted how displaced homeowners often move to the surplus lines, or excess and surplus market, where premiums in California rose from $85 million in 2018 to $1.3 billion last year, and Utah’s surplus-lines homeowners premiums increased from $1.1 million in 2018 to $13.7 million in 2025.