Insurance has become one of the questions buyers ask before they make an offer, and in Arizona the answer depends a good deal on where the house is. Here is what Arizona homeowners pay, how it varies across Tucson, where wildfire risk changes the picture, and the insurance steps built into an Arizona purchase.
What Arizona homeowners pay
Arizona's average homeowners premium was $2,225 a year in 2026 rate filings, 28th among the states and 7.1 percent below the national average of $2,395, according to LendingTree's analysis of filed rates for a $350,000 home with $100,000 of liability coverage and a $1,000 deductible. The trend is the bigger story: Arizona's rates rose 71 percent in total from 2020 to 2025, the sixth-largest increase in the country, though only 3.6 percent in 2025 itself (LendingTree).
How premiums differ across Tucson
The most detailed public figures are federal. The U.S. Treasury's Federal Insurance Office collected premiums and non-renewals by ZIP code for standard homeowners policies; its latest year is 2022, so today's premiums are higher, but the differences between areas are what it shows best (U.S. Treasury).
| Area (ZIP) | Average premium, 2022 | 2018 | Non-renewals, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalina Foothills (85718) | $1,920 | $1,668 | 0.8% |
| Foothills east, Sabino (85750) | $1,584 | $1,396 | 0.7% |
| Tanque Verde (85749) | $1,508 | $1,310 | 0.9% |
| Mount Lemmon (85619) | $1,502 | $1,286 | 2.0% |
| Oro Valley (85737) | $1,223 | $1,086 | 0.9% |
| Oro Valley north (85755) | $1,155 | $1,040 | 0.8% |
| West side, Tucson Mtns (85745) | $1,150 | $1,060 | 1.3% |
| Midtown (85716) | $1,137 | $1,056 | 0.9% |
| Marana, Dove Mtn (85658) | $1,107 | $956 | 1.9% |
| Vail (85641) | $1,090 | $997 | 1.5% |
| Sam Hughes, UA (85719) | $1,064 | $1,001 | 1.0% |
| Catalina, SaddleBrooke (85739) | $1,052 | $966 | 1.3% |
| Green Valley (85614) | $741 | $690 | 0.8% |
Two cautions. Average premium per policy rises with the value of the homes insured, so part of the gap between the Catalina Foothills and Green Valley is simply bigger, costlier houses; the table is not a price list for any one home. And the non-renewal column is a share of policies the insurer chose not to renew: Mount Lemmon's 2.0 percent in 2022 was up from 0.3 percent in 2018, the sharpest rise among these ZIPs.
Wildfire risk and non-renewals
Statewide, non-renewals are lower than the headlines suggest: 0.8 percent of Arizona policies in 2023, against 1.72 percent in California and 2.99 percent in Florida. They peaked in 2022 in the northeastern counties, Navajo, Coconino and Gila, and tend to follow big fire years by one to two years; Pima County accounted for 14.6 percent of the state's reported non-renewals from 2018 to 2023 (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension).
Where the wildland meets the city is where it matters. Pima County's Community Wildfire Protection Plan rates as high risk the Catalina Foothills interface (including the Tanque Verde Valley, Sabino Vista and Hidden Valley), Mount Lemmon and Summerhaven, the Golder Ranch fire district's area (Catalina, SaddleBrooke and Oro Valley), the Rincon Valley and Vail area, and Picture Rocks; it rates Marana, the Tucson Mountains, Dove Mountain and Green Valley as moderate, and the city of Tucson as low (Pima County CWPP, 2013). The county has been updating that plan, with a draft out for comment in early 2026. The Bighorn Fire of 2020, started by lightning on Pusch Ridge on June 5, burned 119,978 acres before it was contained on July 23 and led to evacuations in parts of the Catalina Foothills, Oro Valley and Summerhaven (KGUN).
Arizona is starting to measure this properly. Since a 2025 law, insurers must report every homeowners policy in the state forestry department's heightened fire risk areas, with the reasons for any non-renewal, and the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions must publish an aggregated report by December 31 each year (A.R.S. § 20-123; DIFI). If your insurer does decide not to renew, Arizona requires notice at least 30 days before the policy period ends (A.R.S. § 20-1654). Some insurers discount policies in certified Firewise USA communities, of which Arizona had 177 in January 2025 (NFPA); ask yours.
Monsoon, washes and flood coverage
Tucson's monsoon officially runs from June 15 to September 30 (National Weather Service), and standard homeowners policies do not cover flood. Flood insurance is a separate policy, required by a federally backed loan in a high-risk flood zone, and it usually starts only after a 30-day wait, with exceptions for coverage a lender requires at closing and for flooding after a wildfire on federal land (FEMA). Pima County's flood hazard map covers unincorporated areas, while Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, South Tucson and Sahuarita map their own (Pima County). In unincorporated Pima County, the Regional Flood Control District's Class 2 rating in the federal Community Rating System has been worth up to 40 percent off flood insurance premiums since April 1, 2024 (Pima County).
What to check when you buy
- Get a real quote for the address early. Arizona's standard resale contract tells a buyer for whom insurance matters to confirm, in writing, that it is available and what it costs during the inspection period, and advises having coverage in place at closing (Arizona REALTORS®, contract series part 7)
- Read the claims history. The same contract has the seller deliver five years of insurance claims on the home, or the years they owned it, within five days of acceptance, and the buyer can object within the inspection period or five days after receiving it, whichever is later (Arizona REALTORS®, contract series part 5)
- Check the flood zone during the inspection period, as the contract asks: FEMA's maps, plus the city's or county's own map, and ask about any wash or drainage easement on the lot
- In a wildfire-rated area, ask the insurer about defensible space, roof material and Firewise discounts before you buy, not after
- For a condo or townhome, read the association's master policy: if it does not cover the interior or carries a per-unit deductible, you will need your own unit-owner (HO-6) policy, which lenders require in that case (Fannie Mae)
- If you will be away for months at a time, see our guide to buying a winter home for how vacancy clauses work
Insurance is rarely a reason to walk away from the right house in Tucson, but it is a cost to know before you commit. When we write an offer, we build the insurance quote into the inspection period so you have the number while you can still act on it.
