Home warranties in California
RegulatedIn California, home warranties are regulated and providers must be licensed. 16 of the companies we track operate here.
Warranty registry plate
Sheet CA · California 16 cos. · #26/51
- REG-YES Regulated
- LIC-REQ License required
- RANK-MID #26/51
- PHOTO-FINISH ±0 cos.
- COST-HIGH ~$525/yr
- DESK-REG Regulator desk
- OWN-LOW 55.5% owners
- BOOK-FULL 7/7 fields
Nearest inventory peer: Connecticut (+ 0 tracked companies)
Instrument codes from this state’s regulation posture, licensing, inventory rank, peer gap, advertised plan cost, complaint desk, homeownership, and registry book, not a moving recommendation.
Where California sits on company inventory
Lowest/highest poles plus states nearest California on tracked company inventory. Full ladder: /states.
Nationwide states with similar plan cost or homeownership
Peer states for California ranked by tracked issuer inventory first; advertised plan cost and Census homeownership fill the second column when present.
Closest match: average annual plan cost
Nearest advertised annual costs ($525 here).
Closest match: homeownership rate
Nearest Census homeownership rates (55.5% here).
State-regulated market
What this means for you: California regulates home warranties, so you can escalate an unresolved dispute to a state regulator that can investigate, fine, or revoke a provider's license, generally your strongest recourse.
Consumer protections in California
Regulated by Bureau of Household Goods. Companies must post surety bonds. Cal. Civ. Code 1791-1795.7. Strict disclosure requirements.
File a complaint in California: https://bhgs.dca.ca.gov/consumers/filing_complaint.shtml
Who covers California
| Company | Reliability |
|---|---|
| HomeServe | 96A |
| Old Republic Home Protection | 89A |
| Liberty Home Guard 2 of 3 signals | 88A |
| AFC Home Club | 79B |
| Cinch Home Services | 74B |
| First American Home Warranty | 73B |
| American Home Shield | 64C |
| Choice Home Warranty | 63C |
| Fidelity National Home Warranty | 62C |
| 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty | 60C |
| ServicePlus Home Warranty | 60C |
| Landmark Home Warranty | 58C |
| Select Home Warranty | 57C |
| Total Home Protection | 46D |
| HSA Home Warranty 1 of 3 signals | 30F |
| Porch Home Warranty 1 of 3 signals | 10F |
Ranked by Reliability Score. Availability is based on each company's published service area and may change. Scores blend Better Business Bureau ratings/reviews with Trustpilot scores, see methodology.
Score basis. A Reliability Score normally blends three signals, and a review signal counts once a company has 5 reviews. 3 companies here rest on fewer, so their scores carry less evidence than the rest of the table: Liberty Home Guard: BBB reviews and Trustpilot only (BBB profile not rated); HSA Home Warranty: Trustpilot only (BBB profile not rated, 1 BBB review); Porch Home Warranty: BBB rating only (0 BBB reviews, 2 Trustpilot reviews). How the score is built.
State-regulated market
California in the higher-cost third
California regulates home-warranty contracts; unresolved disputes can escalate to a state regulator that can investigate or revoke a license.
California sits in the higher advertised-cost third (~$525/yr) while staying regulated. 16 tracked issuers list here; homeownership about 55.5%. Lead Reliability Score: HomeServe (96/100).
Compare the Reliability Score table for issuers listing California, then open each company card for plan-tier coverage and BBB/Trustpilot sources.
Population and homeownership figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey →. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced and computed. According to PlainWarranty's corpus ranking, California ranks #26 of 51 states by tracked home-warranty company inventory. How we place states.
Source: California Department of Insurance / Attorney General Home-warranty regulation, licensing, and complaint-filing channel · 2026 State population and homeownership: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Company reliability: BBB & Trustpilot.