We’ll be honest about where doing it alone gets hard, so you can decide what’s worth your time. (We’re an advocate that does this for people, so take our view for what it is, but the steps below are real and yours to use free.)
The steps to appeal on your own
1. Get your score in writing. Your renewal offer, application response, or non-renewal notice must contain your wildfire risk score if your insurer uses a model. If you can’t find it, ask your insurer for it, the score and the factors behind it.PER Reg 5-1-28 § 5.D
2. Find the gaps. Compare the model’s view against your real home. New roof? Cleared defensible space? Vents upgraded? Paid fire-safety work? Each item the model missed is a reason to appeal.
3. Gather the evidence the law actually recognizes. This is the part that decides appeals. Colorado’s rule lists exactly what an insurer must consider:PER Reg 5-1-28 § 5.G.5
- Receipts and photos of completed property-specific fire-safety work.
- County, municipal, or community mitigation certificates of completion.
- Inspection reports from fire departments, certified wildfire inspectors, or state or local compliance programs.
- Letters or certifications from HOAs, wildfire councils, or mitigation contractors.
4. Submit the appeal. Use the appeal method your insurer provides (the law requires an electronic option, an email or web link). Keep proof of the date you sent it.
5. Track the clocks. Your insurer must acknowledge within 10 daysPER Reg 5-1-28 § 5.G.1 and answer in writing within 30.PER Reg 5-1-28 § 5.G.2 If they say your evidence is short, they must tell you what’s missing and give you another 30 days.PER Reg 5-1-28 § 5.G.5
6. If you win, check the refund. A beneficial change applies back to your current policy’s start date, so make sure any credit is actually applied retroactively.PER Reg 5-1-28 § 5.G.3
Where doing it alone gets hard
Honestly, the appeal itself isn’t the hard part, the evidence is. Three things trip people up:
Format. Phone photos work, but evidence organized the way your insurer’s own rules recognize is far harder to wave away. Loose photos and a short note are easy to dismiss; a documented package mapped to the standard is not.
Knowing what counts. Which of your improvements map to a credited mitigation action? Which need a contractor letter versus a photo? The rule lists categories, not a checklist for your specific home.
The follow-through. The 10-day and 30-day clocks, the “we need more info” second round, the retroactive-credit check: it’s a month-plus of tracking that’s easy to drop.
What this looks like done to the standard
We publish a redacted sample appeal package so you can see the difference by looking, not by taking our word for it: dated, signed evidence organized to the categories in Reg 5-1-28 § 5.G.5, mapped to the carrier’s own rules. You can absolutely try this yourself with phone photos. This is what the version built to your insurer’s evidence standard looks like.
See a complete appeal package, page by page.
How evenstate helps
Upload your letter and we tell you, free, whether your appeal is worth sending, what evidence would move your score, and what county grant money could pay for the work. If we build the appeal, it’s prepared to the evidence standard above and ready for you to send in one press, in your own name. If we don’t think it’s worth sending, we’ll tell you that too.
Common questions
Do I need a lawyer to appeal a wildfire score?
No. This is an insurance appeal under Colorado's disclosure rules, not a lawsuit. You can file it yourself, or have an advocate prepare it, but a lawyer isn't required.
Does a competing risk score help my appeal?
Not really. Colorado's rule says the insurer must consider mitigation documentation, receipts, certificates, inspection reports, contractor letters, not a rival company's risk score. A better-documented property file wins appeals; a different number doesn't.
What if my evidence isn't enough?
The insurer must tell you specifically what's missing and give you another 30 days to provide it. An appeal that comes back insufficient isn't the end, it's a second chance with instructions.
How much does an appeal cost me?
Filing it yourself costs nothing but your time. The evidence work (photos, contractor letters, certificates) may have small costs. Doing it yourself is free, where people pay is to skip the tedious part and have it built to standard.