Florida Wind Mitigation Inspection: How It Lowers Your Insurance

A wind mitigation inspection is one of the few things a Florida homeowner can buy for about a hundred dollars that may lower the insurance bill every year afterward. Florida law requires insurers to give credits for features that help a house resist hurricane winds, and the inspection is how you prove your home has them. If you own a house in Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, Panama City or anywhere else in the Panhandle and have never had one done, it is worth an hour of your time.

What a wind mitigation inspection is

An inspector visits the house, looks at how the roof is built and attached, checks the windows and doors, takes photographs and fills in the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, known as OIR-B1-1802. You send the completed form to your insurer, who applies whatever credits your home qualifies for to the windstorm part of your premium.

The seven things the inspector checks

1. Building code era. When the home was built or last re-roofed. Homes permitted under the Florida Building Code since 2002 start with an advantage.
2. Roof covering. The material and whether it was installed to an approved standard, shown by the permit date.
3. Roof deck attachment. The size and spacing of the nails holding the plywood to the trusses, checked from inside the attic.
4. Roof-to-wall connection. Whether trusses are held by toe nails, clips, single wraps or double wraps. Straps beat nails.
5. Roof shape. Hip roofs, which slope on all four sides, handle wind better than gable roofs and earn a larger credit.
6. Secondary water resistance. A sealed roof deck or peel-and-stick underlayment that keeps water out if shingles blow off.
7. Opening protection. Impact-rated glass or rated shutters on windows, doors, skylights and the garage door.

What it costs and how long it lasts

Expect to pay roughly $75 to $150, and the report is valid for five years. It can be completed by a licensed home inspector, a licensed general, building or residential contractor, a professional engineer, an architect or a building code inspector. This 2026 guide to the OIR-B1-1802 form has a full breakdown of each section.

How much can it save?

It depends on the house. A newer home with a hip roof, strapped trusses, a sealed deck and full opening protection can see a large reduction. An older gable-roofed home with toe-nailed trusses may see little. Two points are worth knowing before you get your hopes up:

• The credits apply to the windstorm portion of the premium, not the whole bill. In coastal counties that portion is large, so the saving can still be meaningful.
• Opening protection is all or nothing. Every window, door and the garage door has to be protected. One unrated opening and the credit is lost.

Upgrades that improve the report

If you are replacing the roof anyway, three choices cost relatively little during the job and are very hard to add later: re-nailing the deck to current spacing, adding a secondary water barrier, and upgrading roof-to-wall connections where they can be reached. Ask your roofer to photograph each step, because the inspector needs evidence. A wind-rated garage door and shutters for every opening complete the list.

How to get your inspection done

1. Find your last roof permit on the county website (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton and Bay all have online permit searches).
2. Book a licensed inspector and ask for the OIR-B1-1802 with photos.
3. Clear access to the attic hatch before they arrive.
4. Send the signed form to your agent and ask for the premium to be re-rated.
5. Put a reminder in your calendar for five years' time.

Where solar panels come into it

Rooftop solar is not one of the seven items, so panels neither add nor remove credits by themselves. What matters is how they are attached. A properly engineered array is fixed into the rafters with flashed, sealed attachments and designed for local wind speeds, so it does not weaken the roof beneath. Our articles on wind uplift calculations and wind exposure on coastal homes explain how that design work is done. You should tell your insurer about the system so it is covered; see documenting solar damage after a storm for how to keep records.

The ideal order is: new roof built to code, wind mitigation inspection, then solar. If you are planning any of those in Gulf Breeze, Niceville or Fort Walton Beach, we are glad to look at the roof and tell you where it stands. MSM Solar handles new installations from survey to switch-on, and site surveys are free.

What the inspector will photograph

Insurers reject forms that are not backed by photos, so expect the inspector to take pictures of each feature they check off. Typically that means the roof from several sides, the nail pattern on the underside of the deck, a strap or clip at the top of a wall, the permit or product approval label, and the rating stamp on windows, shutters and the garage door. If the attic is blocked or the labels have been painted over, the inspector has to mark the feature as unknown, and unknown earns no credit. Ten minutes spent clearing the attic hatch and finding your window paperwork is worth it.

Older homes: what to expect

Homes built before 2002 in Pensacola, Milton or Chipley were often framed with toe-nailed trusses and a gable roof. They can still earn credits, especially after a re-roof done to current code, which resets the roof covering and deck attachment sections. Some owners also add clips or straps from inside the attic where the wall plate can be reached. Whether that is worthwhile depends on the quote and on how much windstorm premium you pay, so ask your agent what each improvement would be worth before you spend money.

Common mistakes that cost the discount

• Sending an expired form. After five years it has to be redone.
• Protecting the windows but not the garage door or a side door with glass.
• Losing the re-roof permit, so the inspector cannot confirm the installation date.
• Assuming the insurer already has the form. A new insurer needs its own copy.
• Not asking for the policy to be re-rated after sending it in.

Frequently asked questions

Is a wind mitigation inspection required in Florida?

It is not required by law for most policies, but without one you will not receive the credits you may be entitled to, and some insurers ask for it before quoting.

How long does the inspection take?

Usually 30 to 60 minutes, most of it in the attic and walking around the outside.

Is it the same as a four-point inspection?

No. A four-point inspection reports the condition of the roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC on older homes. Wind mitigation looks only at wind-resistance features. Many inspectors do both in one visit.

Do solar panels affect my wind mitigation report?

Panels are not scored on the form. A properly attached array does not reduce your credits, and you should tell your insurer about the system so it is covered.

Conclusion

For a small one-off fee you get a five-year document that can lower your premium and tells you exactly how your home is put together. If your report shows weak points, you also have a clear list of what to upgrade the next time the roof is replaced.

MSM Solar works with homeowners in Bonifay, and in every town between Pensacola and Apalachicola.

A stronger, well-documented roof is also the best base for solar. If you are planning a re-roof, an inspection or a solar installation, talk to us about the right order to do them in. Call MSM Solar at (850) 737-5197 or request a free quote, and we will call you back no later than two business days.