ReRoof ReportWind mitigation inspections and new-roof insurance credits in Florida
A new roof can lower the wind portion of a Florida homeowners premium, but only for features documented on a wind mitigation inspection (form OIR-B1-1802) and only by the amounts your insurer has filed with the state. Florida law requires insurers to offer these credits; it doesn't set their size. The roof covering, how the deck is nailed, a sealed roof deck and the roof-to-wall connection are the roof items that count.
How do wind mitigation credits work?
Under §627.0629, every residential property rate filing must include actuarially reasonable credits or other rate differentials, or reductions in deductibles, for homes with features "demonstrated to reduce the amount of loss in a windstorm." The listed features include "roof strength, roof covering performance, roof-to-wall strength" and opening protection.
- Only the wind part of the premium. OIR's notice form says the credits "apply only to the hurricane wind portion of your policy" (OIR-B1-1655).
- They don't stack. When one credit applies, others are reduced, up to a combined maximum of 90% of the wind portion.
- Each insurer sets its own amounts. Insurers must tell you which credits are available at issuance and each renewal (§627.711(1)), and since October 1, 2023 they must explain them on their websites.
Your policy terms and your insurer's filed rates control what you receive. The figures on this page are examples from state documents, not a prediction for your home.
What does the wind mitigation form ask about the roof?
The current form is OIR-B1-1802, the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (Rev. 04/26), adopted in Rule 69O-170.0155 and effective April 1, 2026. It is based on the 2024 state loss study by Applied Research Associates, which added roof age and metal panels as primary factors.
| Question | What the inspector documents | Can a re-roof change it? |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 Building code | Code era the home was built under (FBC 2001/2004, FBC 2007 or later; SFBC-94 in the HVHZ) | No |
| Q2 Design wind speed | Now references ASCE 7-22 | No |
| Q3 Roof slope | Slope of the roof | No |
| Q4 Roof covering | Permit date or product approval for the covering. The top answer ("A") needs a permit application on or after 3/1/2002, or an original roof built in 2004 or later. | Yes: a permitted re-roof is documented here. |
| Q5 Roof deck attachment | Nail size and spacing that hold the deck to the framing (for example 6d nails at 6"/12" vs 8d nails at 6"/12" or 6"/6") | Yes, if the deck is re-nailed during the re-roof. |
| Q6 Roof-to-wall attachment | Toe nails, clips, single wraps or double wraps | Sometimes. Homes not originally permitted under the Florida Building Code, in the wind-borne debris region and insured for $300,000 or more, must get roof-to-wall retrofits on re-roof, capped at 15% of the re-roof cost (FBC-EB 706.8). |
| Q7 Roof geometry | Hip, flat or other (gable) | No, but it's recorded and carries large credits. |
| Q8 Secondary water resistance | A sealed roof deck. "Standard underlayment or hot-mopped felts do not qualify as an SWR." | Yes, if a qualifying SWR method is installed. |
| Q9 Opening protection | Shutters and impact-rated windows and doors | No (not a roof item) |
Who may sign the wind mitigation form?
Under §627.711(2) and the form itself:
- a home inspector who has completed hurricane-mitigation training and a proficiency exam;
- a building code inspector;
- a general, building or residential contractor (s. 489.111);
- a professional engineer or an architect;
- others the insurer accepts.
Roofing contractors are not on the statutory list for this form, unlike the roof-age inspector list in the 15-year rule. Knowingly providing a false mitigation form to obtain a premium credit is a first-degree misdemeanor (§627.711(7)). The answers have to match what is actually on the house.
OIR says a completed form is valid "for up to five (5) years provided no material changes are made to the structure or inaccuracies are found on the form" (OIR). A new roof is a material change, so a new inspection after the re-roof is what records it. Prices for this inspection and the 4-point are on our page about roof inspections for insurance.
How big can the credit for a new roof be?
No statute sets a percentage, and any "up to X%" claim is only meaningful against a specific insurer's filing. The closest public table is OIR's 2006 range of wind-premium credits for existing homes (OIR-B1-1699). Selected cells for a home in Terrain B with a 2% deductible and no opening protection:
| Roof cover (Q4) | Deck (Q5) | Roof-to-wall (Q6) | Gable, no SWR | Gable + SWR | Hip, no SWR | Hip + SWR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-FBC | A (6d @ 6"/12") | Toe nails | 0% | 6.3% | 46.8% | 50.2% |
| Non-FBC | B (8d @ 6"/12") | Toe nails | 8.9% | 13.5% | 48.5% | 51.9% |
| FBC-equivalent | A | Toe nails | 11.0% | 13.5% | 54.9% | 56.1% |
| FBC-equivalent | B | Toe nails | 17.7% | 19.8% | 56.5% | 57.4% |
| FBC-equivalent | B | Clips | 69.6% | 70.9% | 77.6% | 78.9% |
| FBC-equivalent | B | Single wraps | 72.6% | 74.3% | 78.1% | 78.9% |
Read the example this way: on a gable-roofed pre-2002 home with toe-nailed trusses, a code re-roof that re-nails the deck and adds a sealed deck moved the 2006 credit from about 0% to about 20% of the wind premium. The roof-to-wall connection was worth far more than the covering. Two caveats:
- The table is old. It is a 2006 statutory range. Insurers file their own factors and are re-basing them on the 2024 study.
- New-roof credits fade. The 2024 OIR study (ARA) found "substantial separation" in claims between new and mid-age roofs and recommended that "any credits for new roofs should be mostly phased out over a period of six years or less." It groups shingle roofs as new (0–5 years), mid (6–13) and old (over 13), and tile or metal as new (0–5), mid (6–20) and old (over 20).
Our estimate from the study: future filings are likely to favor young roofs and give less to older code-era shingle roofs. Ask your insurer or agent which credits your policy carries now and which a new roof would change.
Can My Safe Florida Home help with a roof?
My Safe Florida Home (MSFH) is the state's hurricane-retrofit grant program. Status as of 2026-10-12:
- Open. The program's support center says it "is now accepting applications" (article modified 8/17/2026). Applicants complete a prioritization questionnaire and are placed into inspection or grant groups. No deadline is published, and access is "subject to legislative appropriation and available funds."
- Grant maximum: $10,000 (MSFH 2025-26 update).
- Basic eligibility: homesteaded, owner-occupied single-family home or townhouse; an MSFH inspection first; insured value of $700,000 or less; original permit applied for before 2008; work by a licensed contractor.
- Roofs after SB 1452 (2026): replacing the roof covering, in tile, metal or shingle, is eligible only if the entire roof is replaced, and replacing the covering without also improving the roof-to-wall connection, the deck attachment or adding secondary water resistance "is not an eligible roof Improvement" (MSFH). Patching and partial repairs are not eligible (MSFH).
- Funding: no new money was appropriated for 2026-27; news reports say about $378 million in unused prior-year funds was carried forward (secondary sources; the budget line item is unverified). Check mysafeflhome.com for current status. The program's call center is 850-427-2559.
What the grants have meant for premiums. The CFO reported that participants saw average premium reductions of about $1,000 a year (April 2024; self-reported). A 2026 analysis by state Rep. Brian Hodgers found an average annual reduction of only about $18 after new roofs, which took about $136 million, roughly a third of grant dollars (Insurance Journal, March 2026, secondary). The gap fits the table above: the roof covering alone earns little next to roof-to-wall and deck improvements.
Related
- 4-point inspections and roof certifications: forms, signers and prices.
- Florida roof insurance rules: the 15-year rule, Citizens, the 25% rule and the roof deductible.
- Roof replacement cost calculator: including deck re-nailing and other Florida code items.