Nevada’s AB 376 wildfire exclusion law, explained: what insurers can now do — and what to check on your policy

In June 2025 the Nevada Legislature passed Assembly Bill 376, and on January 1, 2026 its core insurance provisions took effect. The one Las Vegas homeowners most need to understand is Section 25.1: an insurer that issues a policy of property insurance may exclude the peril of wildfire from the coverage provided under the policy — and may also issue a policy that solely covers wildfire, standalone or paired with an excluding policy. That puts Nevada among the first states to expressly allow property insurers to carve wildfire out of home insurance by statute.

What the law did not do is strip wildfire coverage from anyone's policy automatically. Whether your policy still covers wildfire depends entirely on what your carrier writes into it — which is why the single most useful thing you can do in 2026 is pull your declarations page and read the fire and wildfire language. A quick coverage checkup is the easiest place to start. This page is general information, not legal advice, and not a quote or a binding offer of insurance.

What AB 376 actually allows insurers to do

Section 25.1 of AB 376 adds a new section to Chapter 691A of the Nevada Revised Statutes with two authorizations, effective January 1, 2026:

• Exclude wildfire. “An insurer that issues a policy of property insurance may exclude the peril of wildfire from the coverage provided under the policy.” Before AB 376, wildfire generally traveled inside the standard fire peril on Nevada home policies.
• Sell wildfire-only coverage. An insurer may issue a policy of property insurance that solely covers the peril of wildfire, offered either on a standalone basis or in coordination with a policy that excludes wildfire under the first authorization.

In practice, that means a 2026 Nevada homeowner could be offered a traditional policy that still covers wildfire, a policy with a wildfire exclusion, or a two-policy structure — a main policy that excludes wildfire plus a coordinated wildfire-only policy. Which of these you see depends on the carrier; the statute permits all three. For the general picture of how wildfire risk is handled on Las Vegas policies — deductibles, the wildland-urban interface, and what to look for on a declarations page — see our companion guide, Nevada wildfire insurance in Las Vegas (2026).

How the law defines “wildfire”

Section 25.1 supplies a statutory definition: a wildfire is “an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation that originated from outside any residential or commercial property.” An insurer may use a different definition in its policy only if the Nevada Commissioner of Insurance has approved the variance.

That definition matters more than it looks. A fire that starts inside a home or on a neighboring property and spreads is a different peril from a vegetation fire that moves in from open desert or foothills. If your policy carries a wildfire exclusion, the definition in the policy — not a dictionary — decides which losses fall inside it. If the wording on your declarations page or endorsement differs from the statutory language above, ask your carrier or agent to explain the difference in writing. This is general information, not legal advice.

When AB 376 took effect — and what expires

Section 27 of the enrolled bill sets the timeline:

• January 1, 2026 — Sections 1 through 25.3 (including the Section 25.1 wildfire exclusion authority and the Section 20.3 flex-rated filing program) became effective for all purposes.
• July 1, 2025 — Sections 25.4 through 25.7, which include changes for common-interest-community insurance, took effect earlier.
• January 1, 2030 — Sections 2 through 20, the four-year Experimentation Program for Insurance Product Innovation (a regulatory “sandbox” that lets insurers test new property products under Division oversight), expire by limitation.

Because the wildfire provisions apply to how policies are written going forward, any change to your own coverage will generally show up in new policies and renewal offers rather than mid-term — one more reason to read the renewal packet rather than filing it. Confirm anything specific about your policy with your carrier or a licensed agent. This is general information, not legal advice, and not a quote or a binding offer of insurance.

Why Nevada lawmakers passed it

AB 376 came out of a hard market. Reporting by the Nevada Current on the law describes insurers increasingly declining to renew Nevada homeowners policies over wildfire risk in the years before passage, with cancellations and non-renewals climbing sharply. Lawmakers faced a trade-off: keep requiring wildfire inside every property policy and watch carriers leave high-risk areas, or give insurers flexibility — exclusions, standalone wildfire products, faster rate filings, and a product sandbox — in the hope of keeping them writing Nevada business at all.

AB 376 chose flexibility. Consumer advocates quoted in that reporting warn the same flexibility can leave homeowners exposed if they don't notice an exclusion; supporters argue a policy that excludes wildfire plus a coordinated wildfire-only policy can still add up to full protection. Both can be true — which is why the practical burden lands on the homeowner to read the policy. For the official text and status of the bill, see the Nevada Legislature’s AB 376 page; for regulatory guidance, the Nevada Division of Insurance. This page is general information, not legal advice.

The three shapes a 2026 Nevada home policy can take

Under AB 376, wildfire protection on a Nevada home can now arrive in three configurations. The table compares them so you know what you're looking at on a declarations page.

The third structure is genuinely new for Nevada, and the coordination detail is where a gap can hide: two policies from different filings need matching dwelling limits and compatible deductibles to reassemble the protection one policy used to provide. If you're offered a split structure, compare the combined cost and coverage against a traditional policy from another carrier before deciding. An independent agency that shops 15+ Nevada-admitted carriers can put those side by side for your address. This is general information, not a quote or a binding offer of insurance.

How to check your own policy

You don't need to be an underwriter. Pull your declarations page and current policy form (carrier app → Documents, or ask your agent) and walk through four reads:

• The exclusions list. Look in the property-coverage exclusions and in any attached endorsements for language removing the peril of wildfire, brush fire, or vegetation fire. No such language? Wildfire is being handled inside your fire peril.
• The wildfire definition. If an exclusion or wildfire-specific condition exists, read its definition of wildfire against the statutory one above — the policy wording controls what is and isn't covered.
• Deductibles and sublimits. Even without an exclusion, a carrier can apply wildfire-specific deductibles or conditions. See our general wildfire coverage guide for what those look like.
• Your dwelling limit. A wildfire loss is often a total rebuild, so Coverage A should reflect today's rebuild cost — our replacement cost vs. market value guide explains why the sale price is the wrong number.

If anything is unclear, ask your carrier or agent for the answer in writing. Homeowners in edge communities near open desert — and in markets like Henderson — should treat this as a before-renewal task, not a someday task. This is general information, not a quote or a binding offer of insurance.

The other half of AB 376: flex-rated filings

Wildfire exclusions got the headlines, but AB 376 also changed how property-insurance rates move in Nevada. Section 20.3 directs the Commissioner of Insurance to run a Program of Flex-Rated Filing: an insurer writing property insurance on real property may file a rate increase on a streamlined track — in lieu of a full filing under NRS 686B.070 — if the increase stays within thresholds the Commissioner sets. The Division of Insurance implemented the program in Bulletin 25-005 (November 14, 2025), setting both thresholds at 3.000% effective January 1, 2026.

For a homeowner, the two halves of the bill work together: carriers got new ways to shape wildfire coverage and a faster lane for modest rate increases. If your 2026 renewal moved up, part of the explanation may be a flex-rated filing rather than anything about your individual home. We unpack the program, its guardrails, and how to read a renewal in the companion piece: Nevada Bulletin 25-005 and the 3% flex-rated filing rule. Premium changes vary by carrier, property, and location, and are never guaranteed; this is general information, not a quote or a binding offer of insurance.

The bottom line

AB 376 put Nevada among the first states to expressly let property insurers exclude wildfire from home insurance — and to sell wildfire-only policies to fill the hole. It did not take coverage away from anyone by itself: your policy is whatever your carrier wrote, and in 2026 that varies by carrier more than it ever has. So read the declarations page, find the wildfire language (or its absence), confirm your dwelling limit reflects rebuild cost, and if you're offered a split policy structure, make sure the two halves actually meet in the middle. If you'd rather have a licensed local agent do that read with you — and compare how 15+ Nevada-admitted carriers would treat your address — that's exactly what an independent agency is for. This is general information, not legal advice, and not a quote or a binding offer of insurance; coverage terms, availability, and pricing vary by carrier, property, and location.

Frequently asked questions

Methodology: this guide explains Nevada Assembly Bill 376 (83rd Session, 2025) from the enrolled bill text published by the Nevada Legislature, the Nevada Division of Insurance's implementing Bulletin 25-005, and contemporaneous reporting by the Nevada Current. Statutory language is paraphrased or quoted from the enrolled bill; how any provision applies to a specific policy depends on that policy's language and carrier filings. Coverage terms, deductibles, availability, and any figures vary by carrier, property, and location, and are never guaranteed; nothing here is legal advice, a quote, or a binding offer of insurance. Reviewed 2026-07-02.

Related Las Vegas insurance guides