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Insurance & Wind Mitigation — Northeast Florida Home Inspection Guides
Florida law requires insurers to offer premium discounts for construction features that reduce windstorm losses. The catch is that the discount attaches to documentation, not to the features. A home with excellent wind resistance and no form on file receives nothing.
Mon–Sat 8am–6pm · InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed and insured · 20+ years construction and renovation experience
About insurance & wind mitigation in Northeast Florida
The OIR-B1-1802 form evaluates seven areas, and they are not weighted equally. Roof-to-wall connection is usually the largest single line. Opening protection is scored on the weakest protected opening in the entire home, which means impact glazing everywhere earns nothing if the garage door is unprotected.
These articles cover what the form credits, which features matter most, and the timing decisions — particularly around re-roofing — that determine whether you capture a credit or miss it for years.
How Florida wind mitigation credits actually work
Florida Statute 627.0629 requires insurers to offer premium discounts for construction features that reduce windstorm losses. Those features are documented on a single standardized form, the OIR-B1-1802 Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, which every Florida carrier recognizes. The inspection does not create the discount — it documents features your home already has. A home with excellent wind resistance and no form on file receives nothing.
The form evaluates seven areas: roof covering and its code compliance, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, roof geometry, secondary water resistance, opening protection, and wall construction. Roof-to-wall connection is usually the single largest line, because the difference between toe nails and a double wrap represents a substantial difference in how the structure behaves under uplift.
One mechanic catches people out repeatedly: opening protection is scored on the weakest protected opening in the entire home. Impact glazing on every window in the house earns nothing if the garage door and one bathroom skylight are unprotected. The form does not average — it finds the weak point and scores that.
Critically, credits apply to the windstorm portion of the premium, not the whole bill. That portion varies by carrier and by where the home sits, which is why nobody can honestly tell you a dollar figure before inspecting.
When to order one and what to expect
Order a wind mitigation inspection when buying, when re-roofing, and whenever the existing form is approaching five years old — that is how long carriers generally accept one. The re-roof moment matters most: it is the only realistic opportunity to add secondary water resistance, which cannot be retrofitted without tearing the roof off. Capturing it during a re-roof costs comparatively little; capturing it afterward means doing the roof again.
Newer homes usually do well. Anything built to modern Florida Building Code tends to have the roof-to-wall connections and code-compliant covering the form credits, which is why buyers of newer homes should not assume the inspection is only for older stock.
Be sceptical of any inspector who quotes a savings figure before seeing the house. The honest answer is that the inspection documents what exists, and your carrier applies its own credits to its own rate structure.
Articles
Federal Pacific, Zinsco and Challenger Panels: Why Insurers Say No
Three panel brands that appear throughout Northeast Florida housing and effectively make a home uninsurable. How to identify them and what replacement involves.
Does a Wind Mitigation Inspection Lower Insurance Costs in Florida?
How the OIR-B1-1802 form actually works, which of the seven categories carry the most weight, and why some Northeast Florida homes see a large credit while others see almost none.
Do You Need a Wind Mitigation Inspection in St. Augustine, Florida?
A wind mitigation inspection is not required to buy a home. It documents seven construction features on the state OIR-B1-1802 form that insurers use to set windstorm credits. Here is how it works.
Insurance & Wind Mitigation questions
How long is a wind mitigation inspection valid?
Generally five years, though individual carriers set their own rules and some ask for a fresh one after a re-roof or a change in coverage. If yours is approaching five years old, order a new one before renewal rather than after.
Can you tell me how much I will save?
No, and neither can anyone else before inspecting. Credits apply to the windstorm portion of your premium, and that portion plus the credit structure varies by carrier and by home. The inspection documents your home's actual features; your carrier prices them.
Is it worth doing if my home is older?
Often yes, and it is worth doing even when you expect a poor result, because the form also tells you exactly which features are missing. That turns a vague sense that insurance is expensive into a specific list of what would change it.
Ready to book an inspection?
Call 904-806-7679 and speak to William Knight. He covers St. Johns, Duval, Clay, Flagler, Volusia and Putnam counties. Mon–Sat 8am–6pm.
Mon–Sat 8am–6pm · 20+ years construction and renovation experience · InterNACHI certified, licensed and insured