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IBHS does not replace adopted code
IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home is a designation. It is not adopted code. Essential targets ember ignition. Enhanced adds flame and radiant heat items. You can pass an IBHS photo set and still fail Oregon R327 or California CWUIC. You can meet the code floor and still fail IBHS. Do both if both apply. Discounts are not guaranteed.
You are holding a carrier checklist and a permit set. Those are different documents. A photo packet is not a stamp.
Why it matters
People collapse five documents into “approved.” Then they spec a Class B roof where the insurer wants Class A, or they treat a certificate as a permit. The authority having jurisdiction (the building official) stamps code. The carrier reads a checklist. Those are different jobs. How to read a listing is the layer map. This page is the IBHS layer versus code.
How it works
Levels were renamed Essential (formerly Base) and Enhanced (formerly Plus). The program is available in 14 states, including Oregon and California. The certificate lasts three years and needs annual photo reviews.
Essential is an ember package: Class A roof covering, vents or 1/8 inch mesh, 0–5 foot noncombustible Zone 0, noncombustible gutters, maintenance. Enhanced adds flame and radiant-heat items such as enclosed eaves and noncombustible wall covering. See ember versus flame versus radiant heat.
IBHS says discounts are not guaranteed (Wildfire Prepared Home). Some carriers use the checklist as the field document. Some add extras, such as chimney spark arrestors. Treat extras as carrier practice unless the current IBHS standard lists them.
This is not a listing body. It does not make a vent listed. Mesh and ASTM E2886 remain two vent paths, prescriptive and performance. See mesh versus listed vents and vents.
Five documents that are not the same
| Document | What it is | Who decides | Typical wildfire floor on this site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted code | ORSC R327 where a local department adopted it, or CWUIC in mapped California areas | Building official | R327 roof floor is Class B equivalent (amendment PDF). CWUIC is typically Class A. See R327 versus CWUIC. |
| IBHS Essential / Enhanced | Insurer-facing designation | IBHS plus the carrier that recognizes it | Class A covering, vents or 1/8 inch mesh, Zone 0, gutters. Enhanced adds flame and radiant items. |
| California Safer from Wildfires | Insurance-credit rule (not Oregon) | California Department of Insurance and the carrier | Ten property measures, including a five-foot zone with fences. See the standard and the insurance map. |
| HOA or community spec | Private | Association | Can require Class A where code is Class B. We do not scrape private exhibits onto this site. |
| Carrier extra | Underwriting add-on | Carrier | Spark arrestors and similar items. Ask in writing. |
Firewise USA is a community recognition program. It is not IBHS and not adopted code. CAL FIRE home-hardening guidance is public safety advice. It is not IBHS and not a permit either.
What the two paths disagree on
Roof. Where R327 is adopted, the code floor is a Class B assembly equivalent and wood shakes are banned. IBHS Essential wants a Class A covering. Spec Class A if you need the designation. Do not tell the official that R327 “requires Class A.” See roofing and covering versus assembly.
Vents. IBHS Essential accepts mesh or a listed assembly. Oregon R327, where adopted, restricts eave, soffit, and cornice vents. Mesh on an ordinary eave louver may not be enough there. California WUI construction still allows mesh or a listed vent. Show the model on the drawings when that is the path. See show the product on the drawings.
Zone 0. IBHS Essential requires the five-foot noncombustible band. Many jurisdictions have not adopted a Zone 0 construction rule. Insurance can still demand the work. Plants belong in Zone 1 and Zone 2, not against the wall. See zone bands and landscaping.
Walls. Enhanced wants noncombustible wall covering. A coating is not that path under R327. See Findings.
What people mix up
- Treating the IBHS certificate as a permit.
- Treating Essential as fireproof.
- Treating a discount as guaranteed.
- Pasting California Safer from Wildfires or FAIR Plan percentages onto Oregon. See Safer from Wildfires is not Oregon law.
- Telling a California client that Oregon R327’s multilayered (dual-pane) glazing option satisfies CWUIC. California wants at least one tempered pane or another 504.8 path. See dual-pane versus tempered.
- Calling Chapter 7A the live California book. The live book is CWUIC as of 1 January 2026.
- Cleaning nothing after a Class A reroof. IBHS treats a dirty roof as a failed checklist item.
- Treating Firewise as IBHS, or IBHS as adopted code.
How to check
- Name the adopted code for the lot. If none, you are in voluntary hardening, an HOA spec, or an insurer checklist.
- Name whether IBHS, a carrier extra, or Safer from Wildfires also applies.
- Compare roof class, every vent, and the five-foot band. Spec the stricter line where both apply.
- If a product is listed, match the model on the sheet to the current listing. A designation does not replace that check.
- Ask the carrier in writing which checklist they use and whether they add extras.
Limits
This page does not quote premiums. It does not sell insurance. It does not stamp drawings. FireApproved is not IBHS and not the building official. California insurance credit is a different object from Oregon R327. Do not import one state’s discount schedule onto the other.
Related records
- IBHS Wildfire Prepared
- Safer from Wildfires
- CWUIC
- ASTM E2886
- Vents, roofing, landscaping
- Insurance measures
- Oregon R327 versus California CWUIC
- Ember versus flame versus radiant heat
- Covering versus assembly
- Safer from Wildfires is not Oregon law
- Zone 0 versus Zone 1 versus Zone 2
- Show the product on the drawings
- Coatings are not an R327 wall path
Questions
If I get the IBHS certificate, do I still need a building permit?
Yes if the work needs a permit. IBHS is a designation. The building official stamps adopted code. A photo checklist is not a permit.
Will I get a discount?
IBHS says discounts are not guaranteed and vary by insurer and state. Some carriers still use the checklist as the field document and may add extras such as spark arrestors. Ask the carrier.
Does Essential replace Oregon R327’s Class B roof?
No. Where R327 is adopted, Class B equivalent is the code floor. Essential asks for a Class A covering. Spec Class A if you need both. Do not tell the official that R327 requires Class A.
Is Firewise the same as IBHS?
No. Firewise USA is a community recognition program. IBHS Wildfire Prepared is a parcel designation. Neither is adopted code.