(a) A policy of residential property insurance shall not be issued or renewed in this state unless it provides the following information on the declarations page of the policy:
(1) The limits of liability for the structure.
(2) The following statement regarding the valuation of the structure:
“The limit of liability for this structure (Coverage A) is based on an estimate of the cost to rebuild your home, including an approximate cost for labor and materials in your area, and specific information that you have provided about your home.”
(3) Limits of liability for personal property.
(4) Deductibles.
(5) For a residential property insurance policy that provides replacement cost coverage, a statement that the policy provides building code upgrade coverage for the increased costs of repairing or replacing damage to the insured dwelling caused by a covered loss because of building ordinances or laws regulating the repair or replacement. Building code upgrade coverage is provided based on the increased costs associated with building ordinances or laws in effect at the time of loss or rebuilding, up to policy limits for this coverage. The policy may denote restrictions, if any, on coverage for compliance with applicable building codes that take effect after the date of loss, but before the issuance of required building permits.
(b) If the policy includes building code upgrade coverage, it shall do both of the following:
(1) State it includes building code upgrade coverage on the declaration page in no less than 10-point type, state any applicable limits on the amount of coverage, and, if the policy contains other terms, conditions, or restrictions for coverage, disclose on the declarations page that those terms, conditions, or restrictions are identified on a separate disclosure form attached to the declarations page.
(2) If the building code upgrade coverage is subject to any terms, limits, conditions, or restrictions, state the terms, limits, conditions, or restrictions on a separate disclosure form attached to the declarations page. The separate disclosure form shall be printed in no less than 10-point type.
(c) An open policy of residential property insurance that provides replacement cost coverage shall not be issued or renewed unless it provides additional building code upgrade coverage of no less than 10 percent of the dwelling coverage policy limits. The building code upgrade coverage required by this subdivision shall be additional coverage, and use of this coverage shall not reduce or deplete the dwelling coverage policy limits for the insured property. This subdivision does not prohibit an insurer from offering building code upgrade coverage of greater than 10 percent of the dwelling coverage policy limits, in addition to providing the minimum coverage of 10 percent of the dwelling coverage policy limits.
(d) The provisions of paragraphs (1), (2), and (5) of subdivision (a), subdivision (b), and subdivision (c) are not required for policies purchased by tenants or unit owners that do not cover the structure of the premises.
(e) (1) The requirements of paragraph (5) of subdivision (a), subdivision (b), and subdivision (c) do not apply to a policy of residential property insurance that provides actual cash value coverage and does not provide replacement cost coverage or building code upgrade coverage.
(2) The requirements of subdivision (c) do not apply to a policy of residential property insurance that is an apartment policy, a tenant’s policy, a renter’s policy, a mobilehome policy, or a policy insuring individually owned condominium units, if the policy of residential property insurance does not provide dwelling structure coverage. The requirements of subdivision (c) also do not apply to a policy covering all or part of a commercial or farm operation, including a policy covering a structure or dwelling unit on commercial or farm property, regardless of whether the structure or dwelling unit is owner occupied or rented for individual residential purposes.
(3) A policy of residential property insurance that does not provide building code upgrade coverage shall include on the declarations page of the policy in no less than 10-point type the following statement: “THIS POLICY DOES NOT INCLUDE BUILDING CODE UPGRADE COVERAGE.”
(f) The amendments to this section made by the act adding this subdivision shall be operative for any policy issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2021, except that an insurer that files a complete rate application, including, without limitation, a form change application or rule filing, by no later than April 1, 2021, in order to comply with the provisions of this act, shall begin issuing and renewing policies in compliance with this section within 75 days following the commissioner’s prior approval of that complete rate application, including, without limitation, a form change application or rule filing.
(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 263, Sec. 3. (AB 2756) Effective January 1, 2021.)