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The Florida Wind Mitigation Guide
What the OIR-B1-1802 form credits, which features matter most, and when to order an inspection so you actually capture the discount.
Mon–Sat 8am–6pm · InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed and insured · 20+ years construction and renovation experience
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 themselves. A home with excellent wind resistance and no form on file receives nothing.
This guide explains what the standardized state form evaluates, which line items carry the most weight, and the timing decisions that determine whether you capture a credit or miss it for years.
The line items that move the number most
Roof-to-wall connection
Usually the single largest credit line. The progression from toe nails to clips to single wraps to double wraps represents a real difference in how the structure resists uplift, and carriers price it accordingly.
Opening protection
Scored on the weakest protected opening in the entire home. Impact glazing on every window earns nothing if the garage door or a single skylight is unprotected. The form finds the weak point rather than averaging.
Secondary water resistance
A sealed layer beneath the roof covering. Rarely present on older roofs and effectively impossible to add without tearing the covering off, which makes a re-roof the only realistic moment to capture it.
Roof geometry
Hip roofs perform better under wind load than gable roofs and are credited for it, subject to a threshold on how much non-hip perimeter exists.
Timing decisions that matter
Order after a re-roof, not before
A re-roof changes several credited items at once. Inspecting beforehand documents a roof that no longer exists.
Treat the re-roof as your one chance at secondary water resistance
Adding it during a re-roof costs comparatively little. Adding it afterward means doing the roof again.
Renew before the five-year mark
Carriers generally accept the form for five years. Order a replacement before renewal rather than discovering at renewal that yours has expired.
Do not skip it because the home is new
Homes built to modern Florida Building Code frequently have exactly the features the form credits. New construction often scores well.
What to expect from the inspection
It is quick
Usually under an hour. Attic access is required to document roof deck attachment and roof-to-wall connections.
Photographs are mandatory
The form requires photographic documentation of each credited feature. This is why attic access cannot be skipped.
The form goes to your agent
Typically the same day. Your carrier applies its own credit structure to the documented features.
A poor result is still useful
The form tells you precisely which features are missing, which converts a vague sense that insurance is expensive into a specific list of what would change it.
How the credit mechanism actually works
Florida Statute 627.0629 obliges carriers to offer wind mitigation discounts. The features are documented on the OIR-B1-1802 Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, which every Florida carrier recognizes, and the form is generally accepted for five years.
Credits apply to the windstorm portion of your premium rather than the whole bill. That portion varies by carrier and by where the home sits, which is the honest reason nobody can quote you a dollar figure before inspecting. Anyone who does is guessing.
The form evaluates seven areas: roof covering and code compliance, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, roof geometry, secondary water resistance, opening protection, and wall construction. They are not weighted equally.
The bottom line
The wind mitigation inspection is one of the few pieces of homeowner paperwork that routinely pays for itself, but only if it exists, reflects the current state of the roof, and is under five years old.
To schedule one anywhere in Northeast Florida, call 904-806-7679.
Questions
How long is the form valid?
Generally five years, though individual carriers set their own rules and some require a fresh form after a re-roof.
How much will I save?
That depends on your carrier, your policy and your home's actual features, and credits apply only to the windstorm portion of the premium. Any figure quoted before an inspection is a guess.
Is it worth it on an older home?
Often yes, and useful even when the result is poor, because it tells you exactly which features are missing and what would change the outcome.
Need a professional assessment?
A homeowner walkthrough catches a lot. What it cannot catch is pile condition below the waterline — which is where the failures that matter begin.
Mon–Sat 8am–6pm · 20+ years construction and renovation experience · InterNACHI certified, licensed and insured