How to document wildfire mitigation for your insurer

Why does documentation matter for wildfire insurance in Montana?

Three pieces of Montana law make records worth keeping. MCA 33-24-110, enacted in 2025, allows an insurer to give a benefit or premium reduction for preventive measures, and one of the listed fire measures is "providing annual confirmation, if requested by the insurer, that the insured has employed defensible space landscaping around the insured's structures". The same statute requires an insurer that provides a benefit to put it in writing. And HB 533 (Chapter 485, Laws of 2025) requires an admitted insurer that uses a wildfire risk score to give you, on request and within 30 days, the key factors that adversely affected your score.

Put together, that is a loop: ask what is counting against the property, fix what you can, and prove it, every year. The background on nonrenewals and what the law does and does not require of insurers is in wildfire and home insurance in Montana; this guide is about the evidence. Both are part of our Montana Wildfire & Defensible Space Guide.

What should I photograph to prove wildfire mitigation?

Photograph the same views before and after, from the same spots, so the comparison is obvious to someone who has never seen the property. A set that covers what insurers and inspectors look at:

Each side of the house, showing the first five feet against the walls (the zone MCA 33-24-110 refers to as a border of at least 5 feet of nonflammable landscaping, and IBHS calls the 0 to 5 foot noncombustible zone). The roof and gutters, especially valleys where needles collect. Under the deck. The view outward from each corner of the house to about 30 feet and 100 feet, showing tree spacing and limb height. The driveway from the road, showing width and overhead clearance for an engine. Firewood and propane tank locations. Any outbuildings within 30 feet.

The California Department of Insurance's home inventory guide recommends putting date stamps on photographs; most phones record the date in the file, but a dated filename or a note in the photo album makes it visible to anyone. A wide shot that includes a fixed landmark, such as a corner of the house or a power pole, makes before and after views easy to match.

Which records should I keep besides photos?

Keep the paper that shows who did what, when and to what standard:

Contractor estimates and invoices that describe the work by area and task (for example, limbing conifers within 100 feet of the house, removing juniper from the foundation, chipping slash on site), not just a lump sum. The contractor's credentials where they matter; for tree work, an ISA Certified Arborist number is checkable. Any public assessment or treatment plan, such as a Missoula County Wildfire Program assessment or a Fire In The Root Council home risk assessment in Ravalli County. Inspection or completion records from a cost-share program; Missoula County's program, for example, pays the contractor only after a county mitigation specialist inspects the finished work. A Firewise USA site's recognition and volunteer hour records if your neighborhood participates. An IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home certificate if you pursue one.

Records of your own work count too. A short dated note with photos (cleared gutters and roof, raked zone 0, mowed and watered grass) is the kind of record that can support the annual confirmation 33-24-110 mentions.

How do I request my wildfire risk score from my insurer?

Under HB 533, you, your insurance producer or an applicant can ask an admitted insurer that uses a wildfire risk score for the current score, the range of possible scores under the model, who created it, the date it was created, and the key factors that adversely affected it. The insurer must respond no later than 30 days after receiving the request. Put the request in writing, keep a copy, and note the date sent. The law does not apply to nonadmitted insurers.

Use the key factors as your work list. If they cite vegetation near the structure, that is zone 0 to 30 foot work; if they cite slope or distance to wildland, those cannot be changed, and your effort is better spent on the items that can. After the work is done, send the before and after set with a short cover letter and ask whether the score or the policy terms can be reviewed.

How should I organize a mitigation file for an insurer?

One folder, digital and paper, organized by year. In each year: a one-page summary (date, what was done, by whom, which areas), the before and after photo set, invoices and assessments, and any correspondence with the insurer, including risk score requests and replies. MCA 33-24-110 lists fire measures in categories, so it helps to label work the same way: building materials and roofing, outside water source, defensible space landscaping, the 5-foot nonflammable border, community preparedness programs, alarms, and access for firefighting equipment.

When an insurer asks for confirmation, you can then send a short packet instead of a pile. Keep the summary factual; let the photos carry the argument.

Where should I store copies so they survive a fire?

Off the property. The California Department of Insurance recommends keeping an updated copy of your home inventory, in hard copy or on an electronic storage device, in at least two places, such as a fire resistant box at home, a locked cabinet at work, or with a family member or friend, and its guide also suggests emailing a walk-through video to someone off site. The same approach works for mitigation records: a cloud folder plus a copy with someone outside the fire area.

Should I keep a home inventory too?

Yes, because mitigation records help with underwriting, while an inventory helps with a claim. The California Department of Insurance's guide says a household inventory establishes a record of the contents of your home and their value, serial numbers of electronics and appliances, and an indication of whether coverage is adequate. It recommends walking through each room taking notes and photos or video, not forgetting closets, pantries, basements and attics, and notes that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers a free inventory app. It also recommends updating the inventory regularly and reporting new purchases to your insurer.

For Montana homes, add the outside: sheds, shops, fencing, irrigation systems, trees and landscaping you would want valued, and the mitigation work itself. A copy of the inventory belongs in the go-bag described in our Ready, Set, Go evacuation plan guide.

What do wildfire evaluators look for in photos?

The IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home program is a good model even if you never apply, because it is built on photo evidence: applicants submit eligibility photos, a third party evaluates the home in person, and any remaining items have to be completed within 60 days and proven with photos. Its 2026 Base checklist tells you what a careful evaluator checks: a Class A roof covering; noncombustible gutters kept free of leaves and needles; 6 inches of noncombustible clearance at the base of exterior walls and above attached decks; ember-resistant vents or vents covered with 1/8-inch metal mesh; a continuous 0 to 5 foot zone free of vegetation, mulch, overhanging branches and combustible items; spaced trees and shrubs, trimmed grass and dead vegetation removed from 5 to 30 feet; firewood at least 30 feet from the home; and no more than three detached structures within 30 feet.

If your photo set shows each of those clearly, you have answered most of the questions an underwriter or inspector is likely to ask. The vegetation, debris, firewood and tree items are work we do; the roof, vent and siding items need a roofer or builder, and their invoices belong in the same file. For the tree side, how high to limb up trees for fire explains what a good after photo should show.

How often should mitigation be documented?

At least once a year, because the statute's confirmation is annual and because defensible space grows back. Spring, after snowmelt and before fire season, is the natural time: photograph the property, do the cleanup, photograph it again. Larger projects such as thinning or limbing get their own before and after sets on the day. The work rhythm is covered in how often defensible space needs maintenance and the spring wildfire prep checklist.

What does HJ Property Care provide for your records?

Our estimates are free; ask for yours, and the invoice that follows, to describe the work by area and task, and tell us if your insurer or a cost-share program wants a particular format. Justin Johnson's ISA Certified Arborist credential (RM-8889A) can be checked with ISA by anyone who wants to verify it. Photograph the property before we start and after we finish. Our fire mitigation service covers near-structure cleanup, roof and gutter needle removal, thinning, limbing and slash disposal; we do not do roofing, vents or siding.

This is general information about Montana law and programs as we found them on official pages in November 2026, not legal or insurance advice. For a decision about your policy, talk to your agent or an attorney, and call the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance with questions. Call HJ Property Care & Tree Service at (406) 215-7319 or request a free estimate. We walk the property with you, starting at the house and working outward, and an ISA Certified Arborist plans the tree work.

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