Palm trees bending in high wind and storm surge along a Florida coastline

St. Augustine · St. Johns County

Wind Mitigation Inspections in St. Augustine, FL

The Florida OIR-B1-1802 Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection — documenting the seven construction features carriers use to apply windstorm premium credits. We inspect your St. Augustine home and email a detailed photo report.

Call 904-806-7679 Request an Inspection

Mon–Sat 8am–6pm · InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed and insured · 20+ years construction and renovation experience

A wind mitigation inspection in St. Augustine covers roof covering and its permit date, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, roof geometry, secondary water resistance and opening protection. It takes thirty to sixty minutes, including attic access and produces the completed Florida OIR-B1-1802 form your insurer needs on file. Typical cost runs $100–$225 per inspection. Demand for this one in St. Augustine runs on the insurance calendar as much as the real estate calendar.

Typical cost: $100–$225per inspection
Building stock: Historic coastal
Permitting: St. Johns County

Wind Mitigation Inspections in St. Augustine

St. Augustine is the hardest market in Northeast Florida to inspect well, and the most rewarding to get right. Within a few blocks you move from coquina walls laid before Florida was a state, to 1920s frame cottages in Lincolnville, to 1950s block ranches in Davis Shores, to production homes out at World Golf Village. Each of those needs a different inspection. We inspect every one of them, and the report reflects what the house actually is rather than a checklist. What turns up on a wind mitigation inspection here is shaped by pre-war construction, masonry and coquina walls, and decades of additions that were not always permitted. We are InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed and insured, and we inspect every St. Augustine home to the same standard.

In the historic core we are looking at masonry first: coquina and old brick that have been sealed with modern elastomeric or latex coatings, which traps moisture inside the wall and spalls it from within. Then framing — balloon-framed houses with no fire blocking and joists notched for plumbing added in the 1960s. Attics regularly still hold live knob-and-tube left over from a partial rewire. In Davis Shores and the island neighborhoods the emphasis shifts to salt corrosion on condensers, panels, and fasteners, plus opening protection, since this side of I-95 sits in the wind-borne debris region. Every house here gets a hard look at undocumented additions. On a wind mitigation inspections specifically, that means concentrating on roof covering and its permit date, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, roof geometry, secondary water resistance and opening protection.

What we run into repeatedly in St. Augustine

Three challenges stack here. First, water: much of downtown, Davis Shores, and the island is in AE flood zones, and tidal flooding on Avenida Menendez and the low streets predates any recent storm. Second, documentation: many historic houses have decades of work with no permit trail, and the City of St. Augustine adds historic architectural review, so unpermitted changes can be complicated to resolve. Third, insurance: pre-1940 stock with original wiring, galvanized supply, and an aging roof is where carriers ask the hardest questions, and buyers routinely learn that too late in the contract. Requirements vary by carrier, so confirm with your insurance agent, your realtor, or your lender whether a 4-point is needed — we can include it with your inspection. Across Lincolnville, Davis Shores and Anastasia Island, these are the patterns that repeat.

Neighborhoods and landmarks

We inspect throughout St. Augustine, including the areas around Castillo de San Marcos, St. George Street, Flagler College, Bridge of Lions, St. Augustine Lighthouse, Fort Mose Historic State Park. Median stock here runs Pre-1900 through 1940 in the historic core, 1950s–1970s in Davis Shores and North City, 2000s–2020s west of I-95.

Lincolnville
Davis Shores
Anastasia Island
Vilano Beach
North City
Fullerwood Park
Abbott Tract
World Golf Village

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Historic coastal building stock in St. Augustine

Old coastal houses fail slowly and quietly, which is exactly why they need a careful inspection rather than a fast one. The two forces at work are water and time. Salt air and a high water table drive moisture into masonry and framing from below and outside, while eighty or a hundred years of owners have each solved a problem their own way — a bathroom added over a floor joist that got cut for the drain, a rewire that stopped at the accessible walls, a stucco patch over a crack that was structural. None of that shows up in a listing photo. What we do in these houses is separate the cosmetic from the structural: what is simply old and working, what is old and at the end of its life, and what somebody did in 1978 that is now holding up a floor. The report should tell you which is which, with photos, so the price conversation is about facts.

What this building stock produces on a wind mitigation inspections

Balloon framing with no fire blocking between floors, and notched or drilled joists from later plumbing runs
Knob-and-tube remnants left live in attics and wall cavities after a partial rewire
Coquina, brick, and stucco-over-masonry walls sealed with modern latex or elastomeric coatings that trap moisture in the wall
Original single-glazed wood windows with failed glazing putty, rotted sills, and no impact rating
Additions, enclosed porches, and converted outbuildings with no permit record
Crawl space and pier foundations with sistered, shimmed, or rotted framing and inadequate ventilation
Galvanized supply and cast-iron drain lines at or past end of service life
Roof framing modified for later dormers or attic conversions without engineering

When to book wind mitigation inspections

If one of these applies to the St. Augustine property you are looking at, this is the inspection to order.

You have never submitted a wind mitigation form to your insurer
Your roof was replaced in the last few years and you never updated your carrier
Your last wind mitigation form is five years old or older and may have expired with your carrier
You installed impact windows, impact doors, or code-approved shutters and the premium never moved
You just closed on a home and are shopping carriers for the first time
Your home was built after 2002 and you suspect it already qualifies for credits nobody claimed
Your renewal premium jumped and you want every legitimate credit applied before you shop
You are getting quotes and want the same form in every carrier's hands so the comparison is apples to apples

Need wind mitigation inspections in St. Augustine?

Call 904-806-7679 and you get William Knight directly — the same person who will be on your roof and in your attic, and who writes the report afterward.

Mon–Sat 8am–6pm · 20+ years construction and renovation experience · InterNACHI certified, licensed and insured

Call 904-806-7679 Request an Inspection

What wind mitigation inspections covers

Wind mitigation is the implementation of certain building techniques in order to limit damage caused by intense wind. Florida has required insurers to offer discounts for these features since the legislation that followed Hurricane Andrew, and a wind mitigation inspection is simply the document that proves which of them your house actually has. What we look at: roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall attachment, roof geometry, gable end bracing, wall construction type, secondary water barrier, and opening protection. The state form itself records seven of these categories; the others inform how the house is assessed. Beyond the premium discount, these are the features that determine whether you are exposed to a windstorm deductible that on many Florida policies runs well into five figures.

A wind mitigation inspection documents specific construction features that reduce hurricane damage, recorded on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802. It is not a condition inspection and it does not pass or fail a house. It is a factual survey of seven categories: building code compliance based on permit date, roof covering and its product approval, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall attachment, roof geometry, secondary water resistance, and opening protection. Florida Statute 627.0629 requires residential property insurers to file actuarially reasonable discounts for construction features that reduce windstorm loss, which is why the form exists and why carriers accept it. The size of any credit varies by carrier, by policy, and by the specific features your home has. Nobody honest will quote you a dollar figure before the inspection.

Roof-to-wall attachment is usually the single largest line on the form, and it is the one homeowners understand least. The form distinguishes toe-nails, clips, single wraps, and double wraps, based on how the truss or rafter is fastened to the top plate. Toe-nails are just nails driven at an angle, common in older frame construction and worth the least. A clip is a metal connector that does not wrap over the top of the member. A single wrap goes over the top and down one side with the required number of nails; a double wrap goes down both sides. The gap in credit between toe-nails and wraps is significant. Getting this right means physically observing enough connections in the attic to support the classification, not guessing from the build year.

Secondary water resistance is the category most homes fail, and it is worth understanding why. SWR is a sealed roof deck: a self-adhering membrane or an approved foam application over the deck joints, installed underneath the roof covering so that if the shingles or tiles come off in a storm, water still does not enter the house. Because it lives under the covering, it cannot be added without tearing off the roof. That is the point most owners miss. If you are re-roofing anyway, the incremental cost of SWR, of a code-compliant deck nailing pattern, and of documented product approval for the covering is small relative to the tear-off you are already paying for, and it is the only moment those credits are practically available. Talk to your roofer about it before the contract is signed, not after.

Opening protection is scored on the weakest opening in the house, which surprises people who have spent money on shutters. Every glazed opening, including sliders, skylights, garage door glazing, and any opening the code treats as needing protection, has to be covered by a product with documented impact-rated approval to earn the strongest classification. One unprotected bathroom window or a plain garage door can drop the whole category. The form also separates hurricane-rated protection from basic wood structural panel protection, and the documentation matters: label photographs, notice of acceptance numbers, or Florida Product Approval numbers. If your shutters have no traceable approval, the credit may not hold up when the carrier reviews the form.

The form is generally accepted for up to five years, provided the structure has not materially changed and the information on it remains accurate. That gives you a natural cadence. Order a new one after a re-roof, after installing impact windows or shutters, after a garage door replacement, or when the existing form is aging out. We inspect the attic, measure and photograph deck fastener pattern and spacing where accessible, examine connectors at multiple locations, verify roof geometry against the actual footprint, and photograph every opening and its labeling. The completed form goes to you and, if you want, straight to your agent. Expect roughly forty-five minutes to an hour and a half on site depending on attic access and how many openings there are.

Two honest caveats. First, credits are not guaranteed and not uniform. Two homes with identical forms can see different outcomes because carriers weight the categories differently and because the credit is applied to the wind portion of the premium, which is a bigger share of the bill on the barrier islands than it is inland. Second, an inaccurate form helps nobody. Carriers re-inspect, and a form that overstates a feature can be reversed, with the credit clawed back. We report what we can actually observe and document, mark unknown where access genuinely prevents verification, and tell you what would need to happen to verify it properly.

How the inspection runs, step by step

Confirm what documentation exists
Before the visit, we look for a roof permit, a permit application date, or the original year of construction. The form's roof covering and roof deck sections depend on documented dates, and a permit number from the county building department is often what turns a 'no credit' answer into a credit.
Roof covering and building code compliance
We identify each roof covering type, record permit or original construction dates, and evaluate whether the covering meets Florida Building Code or Miami-Dade product approval requirements, along with its physical condition. A covering with visible damage or leaks affects the outcome.
Roof deck attachment and roof-to-wall connection
In the attic we document the weakest form of roof deck attachment — sheathing thickness, fastener type, and nail spacing at panel edges and field — and then the roof-to-wall connection: toe nails, clips, single wraps, or double wraps. These two sections carry heavy credit weight and are also where the form is most often filled out incorrectly by inspectors in a hurry.
Roof geometry and secondary water resistance
Roof geometry is measured, not eyeballed — hip credit requires the non-hip perimeter to be within the form's threshold, so we take the perimeter measurements and do the math. Secondary water resistance (a self-adhering underlayment or foam barrier over the deck seams) is verified in the attic, not assumed from a roofer's invoice.
Opening protection on every opening
Every window, door, garage door, skylight and glass block gets checked, because the form scores you on the weakest protected opening in the building. One unprotected bathroom window can cost you the entire opening protection credit. He documents product approval labels and impact ratings where they exist.
Signed OIR-B1-1802 emailed to you and your agent
You get the completed, signed form as a PDF with the supporting photographs the carrier requires, usually the same day or next morning. Send it to your agent and to every carrier you are quoting.

Plan on thirty to sixty minutes, including attic access. The report is the completed Florida OIR-B1-1802 form your insurer needs on file, which matters when you are working against a deadline — this is normally by owners at renewal, or by buyers before closing to price the policy. Same-week appointments are usually available across St. Augustine and the surrounding St. Johns County.

Wind Mitigation Inspections cost in St. Augustine

A wind mitigation inspection in St. Augustine typically runs $100–$225 per inspection. Where a specific job lands depends on whether it's bundled with a 4-point or full home inspection on the same visit, which is materially cheaper, home size and the number of openings that have to be individually documented and attic accessibility — a low-clearance or inaccessible attic changes how deck attachment can be verified. We quote before we schedule, not after — you will know the number before the appointment goes on the calendar. Call 904-806-7679 and we can usually give you a figure on the phone.

Typical Northeast Florida range

$100–$225 per inspection

What moves an inspection within that range:

Whether it's bundled with a 4-point or full home inspection on the same visit, which is materially cheaper
Home size and the number of openings that have to be individually documented
Attic accessibility — a low-clearance or inaccessible attic changes how deck attachment can be verified
Travel distance, particularly to Palatka, Bunnell and outlying Putnam and Flagler addresses
Whether permit research is needed to establish roof covering and deck attachment dates
Report turnaround if you need it in hand for a same-day quote

That is a typical range, not a quote. Call 904-806-7679 for a firm price on your address.

St. Johns County: permitting, wind, flood and insurance

Permit records for St. Augustine are held by St. Johns County Building Department.

Permits in unincorporated St. Johns County are issued by the St. Johns County Building Department; the City of St. Augustine and the City of St. Augustine Beach run their own permitting inside their limits, and St. Augustine adds historic-district architectural review on top. That split matters when we find work that was never inspected. Re-roofs, window and door replacements, HVAC changeouts, water heaters, electrical panel swaps, and structural additions all require a permit. When we flag an addition or an enclosed porch with no permit history, the fix is a records search at the correct jurisdiction before closing — not after. A wind mitigation inspection in St. Johns County is worth pairing with a permit search at St. Johns County Building Department, since unpermitted work is one of the few things an inspection cannot see directly.

St. Johns County sits in the coastal band of the Florida Building Code wind map. Ultimate design wind speed (Vult) for a Risk Category II home runs near 130 mph along the Atlantic and eases as you move inland toward the county's western edge. Because the contour crosses the county rather than stopping at it, the governing number is site-specific — the Building Department confirms it at permit review. St. Johns County has long designated its wind-borne debris region as the area east of Interstate 95, and the statewide Florida Building Code rule also pulls in anything within one mile of the coastal mean high water line where Vult is 130 mph or greater. In practice, that covers St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach, Anastasia Island, Vilano, and Ponte Vedra Beach. Inside that region, every glazed opening — windows, glass doors, skylights, and the garage door — needs impact-rated product or an approved shutter system.

Flood exposure here is layered: Atlantic surge on Anastasia Island and Vilano, Intracoastal and tidal creek flooding along the San Sebastian and Tolomato, and stormwater ponding in the flatter inland subdivisions. AE and VE zones are common downtown and on the islands, and older buildings frequently predate the current flood maps.

Carriers writing in St. Johns County want two things on older homes: a 4-point inspection covering roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, and a wind mitigation report on form OIR-B1-1802. Requirements vary by carrier. Confirm with your insurance agent, your realtor, or your lender whether a 4-point is needed — we can include it with your inspection. Because so much of the county is in the wind-borne debris region, the opening protection line on the wind mit form is worth real money here. Documented impact glazing or code-approved shutters on every opening moves the premium more than any other single item. Keep that in mind when you decide how quickly to schedule.

Why this is worth doing properly

Credits your home already qualifies for get applied instead of quietly ignored
The photographs and measurements are done to the standard carriers actually accept, so the form doesn't bounce back
One form works across every carrier you shop, making quotes directly comparable
If a feature is missing, you learn exactly which upgrade would move the needle and which wouldn't
For a strongly built home, the credit typically recovers the cost of the inspection many times over in the first year

What Northeast Florida clients say

Published on the High Tide Inspections Google Business Profile.

5.0

68 Google reviews

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“William was professional and thorough. He was able to schedule the appointment within the timeline I needed and delivered the wind mitigation inspection report that same day. I would recommend High Tide Inspections for anyone needing his services.”
D Rappvia Google · July 2026
“William was extremely professional and thorough throughout the entire process. He was able to schedule the appointment within the timeline I needed and delivered both the 4-Point and full home inspection reports the following day.…”
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Christa Teddervia Google · May 2026
“As a Realtor, I really appreciated how thorough and professional High Tide Inspections was during this new construction inspection. William provided a detailed, easy-to-read report with great photos and clear explanations.…”
Excerpt — Google truncates longer reviews in its listing. Read the full review on Google (opens in a new tab).
Coral Babb · Realtorvia Google · May 2026

Reviews are published on the High Tide Inspections Google Business Profile and are reproduced here word for word. Rating and review count verified 2026-08-17.

Wind Mitigation Inspections in St. Augustine: common questions

How much does a wind mitigation inspections cost in St. Augustine?

Typically $100–$225 per inspection in St. Augustine. The variables are whether it's bundled with a 4-point or full home inspection on the same visit, which is materially cheaper, home size and the number of openings that have to be individually documented and attic accessibility — a low-clearance or inaccessible attic changes how deck attachment can be verified. Because St. Augustine is historic coastal building stock, square footage and the number of systems in scope set the range. Call 904-806-7679 for a firm number before you book.

How long does a wind mitigation inspections take in St. Augustine?

Thirty to sixty minutes, including attic access. You get the completed Florida OIR-B1-1802 form your insurer needs on file. We schedule across St. Augustine and the rest of St. Johns County, and same-week appointments are normally available.

What does a wind mitigation inspections find in St. Augustine homes?

Old coastal houses fail slowly and quietly, which is exactly why they need a careful inspection rather than a fast one. The findings that repeat here are balloon framing with no fire blocking between floors, and notched or drilled joists from later plumbing runs, knob-and-tube remnants left live in attics and wall cavities after a partial rewire, coquina, brick, and stucco-over-masonry walls sealed with modern latex or elastomeric coatings that trap moisture in the wall and original single-glazed wood windows with failed glazing putty, rotted sills, and no impact rating. In the historic core we are looking at masonry first: coquina and old brick that have been sealed with modern elastomeric or latex coatings, which traps moisture inside the wall and spalls it from within.

Do I need a permit record for work found during a wind mitigation inspections in St. Augustine?

Permit history in St. Johns County is held by St. Johns County Building Department. An inspection tells you what condition something is in; the permit record tells you whether it was ever inspected by the jurisdiction. On additions, re-roofs, electrical upgrades and enclosed porches, checking both is worth the hour it takes.

Who performs the wind mitigation inspections in St. Augustine?

High Tide Inspections. We are InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed and insured, Certified Wind Mitigation Inspectors, Certified Roof Inspectors and 4-point certified, with 20+ years of construction and renovation experience behind the report. Call 904-806-7679.

How much will a wind mitigation inspection actually save me?

It depends entirely on what your home has, and no honest inspector will quote you a dollar figure in advance. Credits apply to the windstorm portion of your premium, which in coastal Northeast Florida is often a large share of the total bill. A home with a hip roof, code-compliant deck attachment, wrapped roof-to-wall connections and impact-rated openings can see a substantial reduction in that windstorm portion; a 1970s frame home with toe-nailed trusses and no opening protection may see little or nothing. The inspection tells you which one you are.

How much does a wind mitigation inspection cost?

Typically $100 to $225 as a standalone visit in Northeast Florida, and less when bundled with a 4-point or full home inspection on the same trip. Call 904-806-7679 and ask about the combination price.

What exactly does the OIR-B1-1802 form evaluate?

Seven items: building code compliance and roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall attachment, roof geometry, secondary water resistance, opening protection, and the wall construction and structure type. Each answer maps to a credit schedule the carrier applies against the windstorm portion of your premium.

How long is a wind mitigation report good for?

Carriers generally accept the form for five years from the inspection date, though individual carriers set their own rules. It also becomes outdated the moment the home changes — a new roof, new impact windows or new shutters all warrant a fresh form, because those are exactly the changes that add credits.

How long does the inspection take?

Usually 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Most of the time goes to attic access for deck attachment and roof-to-wall verification, perimeter measurements for roof geometry, and walking every single opening. Rushing any of those three is how forms get filled out wrong.

Who does the work

When you call 904-806-7679 you are talking to the lead inspector, and when the report arrives it was written by the person who was standing in the attic.

William Knight, owner and chief inspector of High Tide Inspections

William Knight — Owner & Lead Inspector

Serving Northeast Florida from St. Augustine. Monday–Saturday, 8:00am–6:00pm.

Experienced inspectors, start to finish

The person who looks at the roof is the person who writes the report, and you can call and talk it through with us afterwards. Every inspection follows the InterNACHI Standards of Practice, so you know exactly what is covered.

InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed, insured

Certified Wind Mitigation Inspector and Certified Roof Inspector as well, which is what lets a single visit cover both the buyer's questions and the insurance carrier's forms.

20+ years construction and renovation experience

Two decades of building and renovating homes before inspecting them. That is the difference between noting a crack and telling you whether it matters, what caused it, and roughly what it takes to put right.

A detailed photo report, emailed quickly

Every finding is photographed and explained in plain language, organised so you can hand it straight to your agent, your carrier, or a contractor for pricing. No padding, no scare tactics, no upsell.