What Is a Wind Mitigation Inspection in Florida?
A wind mitigation report is the credit we most often help Florida homeowners claim. Here is what the inspector checks, what each feature is worth to you, and how we put the report to work across 20+ carriers.
In this guide
- The short answer
- What a wind mitigation inspection actually is
- What the OIR-B1-1802 form looks at
- How much can a wind mitigation inspection save?
- My Safe Florida Home: free inspections and matching grants
- Who can perform it, what it costs, and how long it lasts
- When you should get a wind mitigation inspection
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.
The short answer
A wind mitigation inspection is a licensed inspector’s documentation, on Florida’s OIR-B1-1802 form, of the construction features that help a home resist hurricane wind: the building-code era, the roof covering, how the roof deck and the roof-to-wall connections are fastened, the roof shape, whether the deck is sealed, and how every opening is protected. Under section 627.0629, Florida Statutes, admitted carriers must give actuarially reasonable credits for the features the form verifies, so the report can lower the wind portion of a premium, and it generally holds for five years. Working with you, we apply a verified report across the 20+ Florida homeowners carriers we compare; our wind mitigation pillar covers the discount economics and retrofits, and our 4-point vs. wind mitigation page explains which inspection does what.
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.
| Form item | What the inspector marks | How it reaches your premium |
|---|---|---|
| Region and roof slope (new in 2026) | Your design wind-speed region from the updated wind hazard maps, and the measured roof pitch | Informational; they feed rating and replacement-cost data and change no credit on their own |
| Building code | When the home was permitted: the 2002 statewide Florida Building Code era, the 2007-or-later selection (permit application after December 8, 2006), or the South Florida Building Code path for Miami-Dade and Broward (permits after September 1, 1994) | The code era is carried in base rating; the form documents what sits on top of it |
| Roof covering | Each covering on the house, shingle, tile, metal or synthetic/composite, with a permit application date or product approval number and the year it went on | A covering that meets Florida Building Code product standards earns the covering credit; an undocumented one earns nothing |
| Roof deck attachment | Nail size and spacing that fasten the sheathing to the framing, read against defined uplift-resistance thresholds, with a spray-foam option | Stronger attachment classifications earn larger credits, carrier by carrier |
| Roof-to-wall attachment | The ladder from toenails to clips, single wraps, double wraps and rated purpose-made connectors, with the manufacturer’s documentation where a connector is claimed | Often the largest single credit; a third-nail retrofit moves this item |
| Roof geometry | Hip, flat or other, with photographs; hip earns its selection when no other shape adds up to more than 10 percent of the perimeter | The hip credit, where the shape qualifies |
| Sealed roof deck (formerly secondary water resistance) | Whether a water barrier was applied to the deck beneath the covering, by one of the defined methods, spray foam among them | A credit where the method and documentation qualify |
| Opening protection | Every window, door, skylight and garage door, rated by the weakest opening; category Z marks a damaged or compromised opening | Class A (hurricane-rated) or Class B (intermediate) credit; wood panels satisfy insurability in the wind-borne debris region but earn no discount, and a category Z opening sets the credit aside until it is repaired |
Every carrier is slightly different about how much each classification is worth, and the form does not state a dollar amount; it verifies the features, and the carrier’s filed rates turn them into credits.
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 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.
Who can perform it, what it costs, and how long it lasts
Florida limits who can sign the form: licensed home inspectors, licensed contractors and licensed engineers are the qualified signers, and carriers deny the credits when the form comes from someone unlicensed, so a minute on the state’s DBPR license lookup protects everything downstream. The homeowner signs as well. The inspector sets the price, it commonly runs lower when the wind mitigation and a 4-point are done in the same visit, and eligible homeowners can have it done free through the My Safe Florida Home program while it is funded. A completed report generally holds for about five years from its inspection date, and the Rev. 01/12 reports written before April 1, 2026 stay usable for their five years; order a fresh one sooner after a re-roof, new openings or a retrofit, because the old report cannot see the newest features.
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 20+ 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.
Wind Mitigation FAQ
When does a wind mitigation report earn no credit?
When the signer is not a licensed home inspector, contractor or engineer; when a feature is claimed without the photo, permit or product-approval documentation the form asks for; when a report is past its five-year window or predates a re-roof or retrofit; when a damaged opening is marked category Z, which sets the opening-protection credit aside until it is repaired; when the openings are wood panels, which satisfy insurability in the wind-borne debris region but earn no discount; and when a hip roof does not qualify because other shapes make up more than 10 percent of the perimeter. Each of those is fixable, which is why we read the report with you before it goes to the carriers.
Who can perform a wind mitigation inspection in Florida?
Licensed home inspectors, licensed contractors and licensed engineers, checked on the state’s DBPR license lookup; carriers deny credits on a form signed by anyone else. The homeowner signs too, and the inspector sets the fee, which commonly runs lower when the inspection is done in the same visit as a 4-point.
How long is a Florida wind mitigation inspection valid?
A completed OIR-B1-1802 form is generally valid for up to five years, as long as no material changes are made to the structure. After that, or after a roof or opening upgrade, you should order a new inspection so your insurer can re-verify the credits.
What does a wind mitigation inspection check?
It documents the features proven to reduce hurricane losses: roof covering and Florida Building Code compliance, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, roof shape, secondary water resistance, and opening protection. The 2026 form also adds a design wind-speed region and a roof slope item.
How much will a wind mitigation inspection save on my insurance?
There is no fixed amount. The inspection earns credits against the wind portion of your premium, which in coastal Florida is often the largest part of the bill. The actual savings depend on your carrier, your location, and which features you can document, so the only accurate way to know is to apply the verified form to your policy.
Can I get a wind mitigation inspection for free?
Possibly. The state-sponsored My Safe Florida Home program offers free wind mitigation inspections to eligible homeowners, plus matching grants toward hurricane-hardening upgrades. The program is subject to funding availability and open application periods, so check current status before relying on it.
Why did the wind mitigation form change in 2026?
Effective April 1, 2026, the OIR-B1-1802 form was updated based on the state’s residential wind-loss mitigation study. It adds a Region (design wind speed) field and a roof slope item, clarifies the opening-protection categories, and requires more supporting photos and documentation for the features being claimed.
Do I need a new inspection if I switch insurance companies?
Usually not, if your form is still within its validity window. Every admitted Florida carrier uses the same OIR-B1-1802 form, so the documented credits travel with you. We can apply an existing, valid report across our carriers when we compare carriers for your policy.