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Assembly advances bill requiring 30‑day notice before insurers collect aerial images of homes
Summary
The Assembly Insurance Committee voted to advance AB 75, which would require insurers to notify homeowners at least 30 days before taking or obtaining aerial images of a property and to give homeowners access to those images for review.
Assemblymember Isaac Calderon’s AB 75 moved out of the Assembly Insurance Committee on a unanimous voice vote after supporters described the measure as a consumer‑protection step to increase transparency around insurers’ use of aerial imagery.
The bill would require an admitted insurer to notify homeowners at least 30 days before taking or obtaining aerial images of their property and to provide homeowners access to any images taken so they can review them for accuracy.
Why it matters: Insurance companies and their third‑party vendors increasingly rely on drones, aircraft, satellites and other aerial platforms to make underwriting decisions. Department of Insurance officials and consumer advocates told the committee that flawed or outdated imagery has in some cases led to wrongful cancellations or nonrenewals.
Josephine Figueroa, Deputy Commissioner and Legislative Director for the Department of Insurance, told the committee that “insurers and their third party vendors are using drones, satellite images, manned and unmanned airplanes, and high altitude balloons to photograph nearly every building in the country, often without the homeowner's knowledge.” Figueroa said the department has seen instances where “flawed aerial imagery led to wrongful cancellations and non renewals.”
Consumer advocates urged stronger defaults. Robert Harrell, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California, said the bill should be amended so homeowners automatically receive copies of images rather than having to request them. Harrell also raised concerns about coverage gaps for surplus lines (nonadmitted) carriers and asked for tightened language on the 30‑day notice to avoid “gamification” that would meet the letter but not the spirit of the requirement.
Industry representatives including the Personal Insurance Federation of California and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association described the measure as workable in concept but warned about operational issues complying with a strict 30‑day pre‑notification, while signaling they were in ongoing negotiations with the author and the department.
The committee voted to pass AB 75 to the next committee. The committee record shows the measure passed out of committee with a recorded result of 15 ayes and 0 noes.
