Residential property insurance images.

Assembly Member Calderon's residential property insurance legislation establishes new requirements for insurers' use of aerial imagery in coverage decisions. The measure requires admitted insurers to notify policyholders annually about potential aerial imaging of their property and provide copies of any images upon request within 30 days.

Under the bill, insurers cannot base coverage termination decisions on aerial images more than 180 days old unless the conditions shown have been verified through a recent physical inspection or alternative verification process. When aerial images factor into coverage decisions, insurers must provide the images alongside termination notices and allow policyholders to dispute their accuracy before changes take effect. Policyholders maintain the right to request in-person property inspections to verify conditions depicted in aerial images or to demonstrate remediation of identified issues.

The notification requirements exempt situations where aerial images relate solely to evaluating submitted or pending claims. The measure, which takes effect July 1, 2026, defines aerial images as those collected by aircraft or satellite, whether operated with direct human intervention or not. The bill preserves existing restrictions on aerial imaging while adding these new consumer protections and procedural requirements for insurance purposes.