A wind mitigation inspection is one of the most reliable ways for a Florida homeowner to lower the cost of property insurance without giving up coverage. It is a short, standardized inspection of the features that help your home stand up to hurricane-force wind, documented on a state form your insurer is required to honor. At Cornerstone Insurance, we order and apply these reports for clients every week, and a current one is often the single biggest legitimate credit we can add to a policy.
Here is how the inspection works in 2026, what it looks at, and how to make sure you are getting every credit you have earned.
What a wind mitigation inspection actually is
Florida law (Fla. Stat. 627.0629) requires insurers to give homeowners “actuarially reasonable” discounts, credits, or deductible reductions when a home has construction features proven to reduce windstorm losses. The wind mitigation inspection is simply the documentation that proves those features exist. A qualified inspector visits the home, examines the roof and openings, takes photos, and records the findings on the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, known by its state designation OIR-B1-1802.
That form is the currency. Every admitted carrier in Florida uses the same OIR-B1-1802, so the credits travel with you if you switch companies. A completed form is generally valid for up to five years, as long as no material changes are made to the structure, which means one inspection can keep working in your favor across several renewals. The form was updated effective April 1, 2026, and the new version adds a Region (design wind speed) field and a roof slope item, and it asks inspectors for more supporting photos and documentation than before.
What the OIR-B1-1802 form looks at
The wind mitigation inspection is built around a handful of construction features, each of which can earn a credit against the wind portion of your premium. Understanding them helps you see why two nearly identical houses can pay very different rates.
Roof covering and Florida Building Code date
The inspector first looks at your roof covering (shingles, tile, or metal) and whether it meets the Florida Building Code. The key threshold is the permit application date: roof coverings permitted on or after March 1, 2002 are generally treated as FBC-compliant, which is the date the 2001 code took effect. Newer, code-compliant roofs earn stronger credits here.
Roof deck attachment
This records how the plywood or decking is fastened to the trusses below, including nail type and spacing. More robust nailing patterns resist uplift better and earn a larger credit.
Roof-to-wall connection
This is often the biggest single credit. The inspector classifies how the roof is tied to the walls, ranging from toe nails (the weakest) up to clips, single wraps, and double wraps (the strongest hurricane straps). Many Florida homes built since the 1990s have clips or straps, and confirming that on the form can meaningfully reduce the wind portion of the premium.
Roof shape
Roof geometry matters because wind behaves differently over different shapes. A hip roof, which slopes down on all sides, sheds wind better than a gable roof and typically qualifies for a better credit when it meets the form’s definition. The 2026 form also adds a roof slope item.
Secondary water resistance (SWR)
SWR is a self-adhering barrier applied to the roof deck that helps keep water out of the home if the roof covering blows off in a storm. When present and documented, it earns its own credit on the form.
Opening protection
Finally, the inspector evaluates protection on windows, doors, skylights, and garage doors, such as impact-rated glass or code-compliant shutters. To earn the full opening-protection credit, the protection generally needs to cover all openings to the required rating. The updated 2026 form adds clearer categories here, including one for damaged openings that need repair or replacement.
How much can a wind mitigation inspection save?
We deliberately avoid quoting a flat dollar figure or percentage, because the actual savings depend on your carrier’s filed rates, your location, your roof, and which features you can document. What we can say plainly is this: the credits apply to the wind portion of your premium, which in much of coastal Florida is the largest single piece of the bill. For many homes we write, the credits earned by a single inspection are substantial relative to the cost of the report, and because the form stays valid for up to five years, the value compounds over time.
The honest way to find your number is to get the inspection, send us the OIR-B1-1802, and let us apply the verified credits across our carriers to see the real impact. That is exactly the kind of review we walk clients through in our Florida homeowners insurance guide.
My Safe Florida Home: free inspections and matching grants
You may not have to pay for the inspection at all. The state-sponsored My Safe Florida Home program offers eligible homeowners a free wind mitigation inspection performed by a state-authorized inspector. After the inspection, qualifying homeowners may also be eligible for a matching grant toward hurricane-hardening improvements such as roof-deck attachment upgrades, secondary water resistance, roof-to-wall strengthening, and opening protection. The program is funded by the Legislature and is subject to funding availability and open application periods, so it is worth checking current status before you rely on it.
If you make qualifying upgrades, you also reset the math on your next inspection, because stronger features can unlock additional credits. We help clients line up the My Safe Florida Home process with the right policy changes so the improvements actually show up as savings. For more detail on the grants and how they fit with your coverage, see our overview of My Safe Florida Home grants.
When you should get a wind mitigation inspection
If you have never had one done, or your last report is approaching five years old, it is almost always worth ordering a fresh wind mitigation inspection. The same is true if you have replaced your roof, added impact windows or shutters, or bought a home where the previous owner’s form did not transfer. A current inspection is also one of the first things we review when a client’s premium jumps, alongside other 2026 cost pressures we cover in our explainer on why Florida homeowners insurance is increasing in 2026. Tampa Bay homeowners in particular, after the impacts of Helene and Milton, should make sure every wind credit they qualify for is actually on the policy; we apply these credits routinely for clients across the Tampa area, including on Tampa homeowners insurance.
Talk to a Florida-licensed advisor
Cornerstone Insurance is an independent, Florida-licensed agency, and we compare 15 to 20-plus A-rated carriers to find the policy that rewards your home’s wind features the most. Send us your wind mitigation inspection, or ask us how to order one, and we will make sure every credit you have earned is reflected in your rate. Get a quote or call our office to start the review.
