Wind Mitigation Inspections in Florida: What Lowers Your Insurance, and What to Fix First

Ask anyone in South Florida what their homeowners insurance costs and you will probably get a sigh before you get a number. Most of what drives that premium is outside your control: where you live, the market, reinsurance costs. The wind portion of it, though, depends partly on how your house is built, and that part you can prove and sometimes improve.

The proof is a wind mitigation inspection. It is short, it is usually cheap, and it can be worth a lot. Here is what it checks, what changed this year, and how to think about upgrades if you are already planning work on the house.

What a wind mitigation inspection is

It is a visual inspection of the parts of the house that matter in a hurricane, recorded on a standard state form called the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802. The inspector looks at the roof from outside, goes into the attic, checks the windows and doors, and backs up each answer with photos and, where needed, permit records or product approvals.

Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts or credits for construction features that reduce wind losses, and the form is how your insurer learns which features you have. Without it, the insurer usually assumes the least favorable answer on every question.

What the form checks

Two things on that table surprise people. First, the form grades roof to wall attachment and opening protection by the weakest item. One unprotected window or one toe-nailed truss can pull the whole answer down. Second, "protected" means verified. Impact windows with no visible label and no permit record often get marked as unverified, which can cost you the credit you paid for.

What changed in 2026

The Office of Insurance Regulation updated form OIR-B1-1802, and inspectors have had to use the new version since April 1, 2026. The best-known change gives more ways to qualify a roof to wall retrofit: connectors added to an existing house can count based on their tested and documented uplift capacity when they are installed to the manufacturer's instructions, instead of only by how they look. If you had straps added to an older roof, that documentation now matters, so keep it.

What South Florida houses usually score

• Concrete block houses score well on the walls but the roof is still often wood trusses. What matters is how those trusses are tied to the concrete tie beam. Many have metal straps cast into the beam, and the inspector has to see them from the attic to give credit.
• Houses permitted after the 1994 code in Miami-Dade and Broward can get credit for the building code question even if they are older than 2002, because they sit in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone.
• Hip roofs are common here and score better than gable roofs. You cannot change roof shape cheaply, so this is mostly a question of knowing what you have.
• Mixed openings are the most common problem. Owners replace the front windows with impact glass and leave a garage door, a back slider or one bathroom window unprotected, which keeps the opening protection answer at the bottom.

Which upgrades are worth it, and when

Wind mitigation upgrades are cheapest when they ride along with work you are already doing. A few examples:

1. Reroofing. This is the moment to re-nail the roof deck to current standards, add self-adhering underlayment as secondary water resistance, and, with the deck open, reach the roof to wall connections. A new roof permitted today also answers the roof covering question.
2. Window and door replacement. Finish the job. Protecting every opening, including the garage door and any skylights, is what moves the opening protection answer. Keep the permit, the product approvals and the labels.
3. Remodels and additions. If walls or ceilings are open, adding or upgrading roof to wall connectors costs far less than doing it from a finished attic.
4. Paperwork. Sometimes the cheapest upgrade is proof. Old permits and product approvals can turn an unknown answer into a credit.

Before spending money only for a discount, ask your insurance agent to show you what each answer is worth on your policy. Credits vary by insurer and by policy, and the premium savings on some items will take years to pay back the work on their own. Hurricane protection is worth more than the discount, but you should know both numbers.

The My Safe Florida Home program

The state's My Safe Florida Home program offers a free wind mitigation inspection for eligible homes: site-built, single-family, owner-occupied and homesteaded. Homes built before January 1, 2008 with an insured value of $700,000 or less can also apply for grants for the improvements the inspection recommends, such as impact windows and doors, roof to wall connectors, roof deck nailing and secondary water resistance. The standard grant pays $2 for every $1 the homeowner puts in, up to $10,000 from the state. Funding depends on the Legislature and has opened and closed more than once, so check the program's website for the current status before you plan around it.

Who can do the inspection

Florida law lists who can sign a form that insurers must accept: licensed home inspectors with hurricane mitigation training, certified building code inspectors, licensed general, building and residential contractors, professional engineers and architects. Insurers can also accept others they consider qualified, and they can pay for their own inspection to double-check a form.

The bottom line

Get an inspection if you do not have a current one, and get a new one after any roof, window or structural work. If you are planning a roof-related renovation or impact windows and doors, plan the wind mitigation items into the same job so you pay for the access once. Tell us about your project and we will point out which items are worth adding.