Insurance pays for 12 to 24 months. Marshall Fire homes took 47 months to reach 75 percent.

Most homeowners policies cap temporary housing at 12 or 24 months. Boulder County reports that 75 percent of homes destroyed in the Marshall Fire had a certificate of occupancy by December 2025, about 47 months after the fire.

How long do rebuilds take after a declared disaster?

Where does the law set the minimum?

The complete state table, including the rows not yet checked, is on the ALE statutory table.

What actually ends ALE?

• The home becomes habitable again, or you permanently relocate, whichever the form names first.
• The dollar cap is reached. On a $400,000 dwelling at 20 percent that is $80,000.
• The time cap passes without a granted extension.

Only the third is under your control, and only if the request is in writing before the period ends. United Policyholders publishes a sample extension letter for total losses and another for standing homes after a wildfire.

The assumption that costs the most

Households assume the insurer will raise the extension question. The statutes put the request on the insured. Permit delays, material shortages and contractor availability are the named triggers, and each needs a document: the permit application receipt, a dated contractor letter, a supplier backorder notice.

What to do this week

1. Write the date of loss and count forward to month 10 and month 20. Put both on a calendar.
2. Ask the contractor for a written schedule with the permit milestone on it, and keep every revision.
3. Send the first extension request at the earlier calendar date, with the schedule attached, even if the rebuild looks on time.
4. Start the fallback housing plan on the same day, using the advance-payment rules to fund it.