IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home Program Expands to Washington

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IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designations now available in Washington

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April 14, 2026

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) has expanded its Wildfire Prepared Home designation program to include Washington and nine other states, the organization announced on Tuesday.

The Wildfire Prepared program is a set of research-based mitigation actions that help homeowners and builders in high-risk areas better protect their homes and neighborhoods from wildfire.

“This is an important step in building physical and financial resiliency to the increasing threat of wildfire,” Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer said. “We’re happy to welcome IBHS to the state.”

Kuderer sponsored a bill in the 2026 legislative session to create a pilot version of the Strengthen Washington Homes program. Senate Bill 6079 would have created a voluntary grant program to help consumers with some of the costs of retrofitting their homes using the Wildfire Prepared Home standards. The bill passed the Senate but stalled in the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee.

Kuderer and her staff will be holding town halls and other outreach events in wildfire-threatened areas of the state this summer as part of her Community Connect initiative to answer insurance questions and discuss wildfire mitigation work and her efforts to create a grant program.

Home-hardening, using standards like those from IBHS, drives insurer confidence and market stability by directly reducing the likelihood of a home igniting.

“These upgrades help protect not only homes and communities, but access to insurance coverage,” Kuderer said. “With climate change increasing and intensifying wildfire threats, these standards are a smart, responsible way to mitigate that risk.”

The Wildfire Prepared program offers two levels for individual properties: Wildfire Prepared Home, which outlines essential actions to reduce risk from wind-driven embers, and Wildfire Prepared Home Plus, an enhanced level of protection against radiant heat and direct flame contact. Homeowners can earn the designation by completing a set of science-based steps verified by a third party.

The program also includes Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood, which recognizes builders and communities working together to reduce home-to-home wildfire spread.

“In a state like Washington, where forests, communities and homes are deeply interconnected, wildfire risk is shared,” said Roy Wright, president and CEO of IBHS. “Science based mitigation gives homeowners and communities a way to take action before disaster strikes. Expanding Wildfire Prepared in Washington helps align individual choices with broader resilience — reducing the chance that one vulnerable structure puts an entire neighborhood at risk.”

Established in 2022, Wildfire Prepared is built on the latest IBHS research examining how homes ignite during wildfire events and what mitigation measures most effectively interrupt structure-to-structure spread. The program, previously available in California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon, is now also available in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as Washington.

“Many Washington communities face recurring wildfire risk, not one off events,” said Steve Hawks, senior director of wildfire at IBHS. “Wildfire Prepared recognizes that resilience comes from a combination of construction, vegetation management and ongoing upkeep — steps that, when applied together, improve survivability and insurability."

Homeowners can learn more and apply for the parcel-level Wildfire Prepared Home designation on IBHS’ website. Builders, developers, and community leaders can visit the site for program resources and to submit Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood inquiries.

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