Glossary

Protection class

A 1-to-10 grade of a community's fire protection, from its fire department, water supply and alarm dispatch, that insurers use to rate property.

Also called: public protection classification, PPC, fire protection class, ISO protection class, fire class

Protection class, formally the Public Protection Classification, is a grade from 1 to 10 that Verisk's ISO assigns to a community based on how well it can fight structure fires. Class 1 is the best protection. Class 10 means the area's fire suppression does not meet minimum criteria. Property insurers use the grade as a rating factor, so a better class lowers the fire rate and a worse one raises it.

Verisk's Fire Suppression Rating Schedule scores a community out of 100 base points: 50 for the fire department, covering engine companies, staffing and training; 40 for the water supply, including hydrants and flow; and 10 for emergency communications and dispatch. Up to 5.5 extra points reward community risk reduction. A total of 90 or more earns Class 1.

Split classes such as 5/9 matter to a specific building. The first number generally applies if the property is within five road miles of a responding station and within 1,000 feet of a hydrant; the second applies if the hydrant is farther away.

Protection class appears in the underwriting file and sometimes on the quote. Ask your broker to confirm it, since an incorrect class means an incorrect rate. The guide on commercial property insurance: what it covers and what it doesn't explains the other rating factors, and a statement of values supplies the building data that goes with it.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Underwriting How an insurer selects, prices and sets terms for risks, and the profit or loss it earns on that business before investment income. Statement of values A schedule listing each insured location with its building, contents and income values and construction details, used to rate and model a property program. Loss control The inspections, safety programs and physical improvements that a business and its insurer use to make claims less frequent and less severe. Causes of loss form The part of a commercial property policy that lists which perils are covered, offered in basic, broad and special versions of increasing breadth. Named perils Property coverage that pays only for losses caused by perils the policy lists, such as fire, lightning and windstorm; an unlisted cause is not covered.

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