What a wind mitigation inspection costs in Florida

Do you actually need one?

Not always. A wind mitigation inspection only pays off if your home has features worth crediting — hurricane straps, a hip roof, impact-rated windows, a secondary water barrier. If your house is an older flat- or gable-roofed build with original single-pane windows and no shutters, the inspection will document exactly that, and you will have spent $75–$150^† to learn it.

It is worth doing if any of these are true: your roof was replaced after 2002 (when Florida’s building code tightened), you have added shutters or impact glass, you bought the home recently and no report was passed on, or your last report is more than five years^† old.

What it really saves — the arithmetic nobody shows

Wind mitigation credits reduce 30–45% of the wind portion^† of your premium. That sounds enormous, and it is where most articles stop. But the wind portion is only 30–50% of the total premium^†.

Multiply those together and the realistic saving on your total bill is 20–30% of the total premium^†. On a $4,000 policy that is roughly $800 to $1,200 a year — genuinely worth having, and roughly a tenth of what “up to 45% off” implies.

What the inspector checks

Findings are recorded on form OIR-B1-1802 (the “1802 form”)^†, a standard document every Florida insurer reads the same way. Seven things are assessed:

1. Roof covering — material, and whether it meets the current building code
2. Roof deck attachment — nail size and spacing holding the deck down
3. Roof-to-wall connection — clips, single wraps or double wraps. Usually the largest single credit
4. Roof geometry — hip roofs earn more than gable, because they shed wind better
5. Secondary water resistance — a sealed barrier beneath the covering
6. Opening protection — impact glass or shutters, and whether every opening is covered
7. Building code compliance — the year of construction or re-roof

The inspection takes 30 to 45 minutes and needs attic access. There is no pass or fail — a point that causes needless anxiety. The form records what exists; each feature either earns a credit or does not.

How this connects to your roof

Wind mitigation and roof age are separate rules that people constantly conflate. An insurer cannot refuse or decline to renew a policy solely because a roof is under 15 years^† old. Past that, an authorised inspector certifying five years of remaining useful life^† blocks a roof-age-only non-renewal.

The practical consequence: if you are replacing a roof anyway, do it to earn credits — hip geometry, better deck attachment, a secondary water barrier — and have the wind mitigation inspection done immediately afterwards. The same money buys a new roof and a permanent premium reduction. How roof age affects your policy covers the non-renewal rules in full.

What to ask before you book

• Are you licensed to complete form OIR-B1-1802, and under which licence?
• Is the report sent directly to my insurer, or to me?
• Does the price include a re-inspection if I add shutters later?
• Will you photograph the roof-to-wall connections? Insurers reject reports without them.
• Do you also do 4-point inspections, and what is the bundled price?

How to check the inspector is licensed

In Florida a wind mitigation inspection may be completed by a licensed general, building or residential contractor, a professional engineer, a registered architect, a building code inspector, or a licensed home inspector. Insurers reject reports from anyone else, so this is worth verifying before the appointment rather than after.

Licence verification through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is being added. Until then, ask for the licence number and check it directly at myfloridalicense.com.

Figures on this page are imported from our Florida rate data with each source attached — they are not typed into the text, because several are adjusted annually. Sources: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Florida Statutes §627.7011, My Safe Florida Home.