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For agencies

Insurance agents in Washington

What the law requires, what the local market looks like, and how to find an independent agent in Washington who has been reviewed by a person and holds to published practice standards.

The local market

Insurance in Washington

The Cascadia subduction zone makes earthquake the largest uninsured exposure in the state — it is excluded from homeowners policies, written separately, and carries percentage deductibles that surprise people. Eastern Washington wildfire and western Washington riverine flooding are both significant and both need separate placement.

Exposure

What drives claims here

These shape pricing, deductible structure and carrier appetite in Washington. Several are excluded from a standard homeowners policy and have to be written separately.

  • earthquake
  • wildfire
  • flood
  • winter storm
  • landslide

Recourse

If something goes wrong with an insurer

Complaints about a carrier or an agent go to the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner . It regulates every insurer and producer licensed in the state, and filing a complaint is free.

You can also check whether an agent is properly licensed there before you buy — something worth doing regardless of where you found them.

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Coverage in Washington

Every line of coverage is regulated at the state level, so what a policy includes — and what it excludes — changes at the state line.

Washington counties

Rating territories, catastrophe exposure, fire protection class and windstorm zones are all set below the state line, which is why counties matter more than they look like they should. There are 39 in Washington.

Worth reading before you buy