At a glance
| Form | OIR-B1-1802 (new version April 1, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Valid for | Up to 5 years |
| Discount applies to | Hurricane-wind premium only |
| 2001-code homes | Minimum 68% credit |
| Free inspection | My Safe Florida Home (eligible homesteads) |
What a wind mitigation inspection is
It is a short inspection that records how well a home is built to resist hurricane wind, on a state form every Florida insurer must accept. Section 627.0629, Florida Statutes, requires insurers to offer premium discounts for proven wind-resistant features, and section 627.711 requires a single uniform form so the findings travel between insurers. The discounts apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of your premium, not the whole bill.
The OIR-B1-1802 form
The form is the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802. FLOIR updated it effective April 1, 2026, after a 2024 wind-loss study by Applied Research Associates. The new version asks for at least one photo or document proving each feature claimed, and it accepts a FORTIFIED Home Roof, Silver or Gold certificate as proof of several roof items.
How long the form is valid
A completed OIR-B1-1802 is valid for up to five years, as long as no material changes are made to the structure and no inaccuracies are found. A new roof or new windows are material changes worth a fresh inspection, because they can raise the discount.
The nine items on the 2026 form
Each question asks the inspector to record the weakest feature present, because the weakest link sets the wind resistance. These are the items on the April 2026 form.
1. Building code
Whether the home was permitted under the 2001 or 2004 Florida Building Code, the 2007 code or later, or, in Miami-Dade and Broward's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, the 1994 South Florida Building Code. Homes built in transition years need a permit application date to prove which code applied.
2. Wind region
The design wind speed at the address: the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, Region 1 (140 mph or more), Region 2 (130 to 139 mph) or Region 3 (under 130 mph).
3. Roof slope
Whether the main roof is at least 6:12 or flatter, a question added in 2026.
4. Roof covering
Each covering type (shingle, tile, metal, membrane and so on) with its permit date or product approval number, and whether all coverings meet the Florida Building Code or Miami-Dade approval.
5. Roof deck attachment
How the plywood or OSB is fastened: staples or 6d nails at 6 inches on the edge and 12 in the field (A), 8d nails at 12 inches in the field (B), 8d nails at 6 inches (C), or a reinforced concrete deck (D).
6. Roof-to-wall attachment
Toe nails, clips, single wraps, double wraps or structural anchors. Metal connectors must be installed as intended, with a minimum number of nails, to count.
7. Roof geometry
A hip roof, sloping down on all sides with non-hip features under 10% of the perimeter, earns the most. Flat roofs qualify only on buildings of five or more units.
8. Secondary water resistance
A sealed roof deck, such as a fully adhered underlayment or self-adhering tape over the deck seams, that limits water entry if the covering blows off. Standard underlayment and hot-mopped felt do not count.
9. Opening protection
The weakest wind-borne debris protection on any opening in the walls or roof, including windows, doors, sliding glass doors, skylights and garage doors. Roof vents are not included, and all openings must be in good condition.
How big the discounts are: the official credit table
FLOIR's form OIR-B1-1699, adopted under Rule 69O-170.017, sets out reference wind premium credits for existing single-family homes. The rows below are for a home whose roof covering does not meet the Florida Building Code, in terrain B with a 2% hurricane deductible. Each figure is the percentage taken off the hurricane-wind premium.
| Roof-to-wall, deck, openings | Other roof, no SWR | Other roof, SWR | Hip roof, no SWR | Hip roof, SWR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toe nails, deck A, no shutters | 0% | 6.3% | 46.8% | 50.2% |
| Clips, deck A, no shutters | 34.6% | 42.2% | 61.6% | 66.2% |
| Toe nails, deck B, no shutters | 8.9% | 13.5% | 48.5% | 51.9% |
| Clips, deck B, no shutters | 57.8% | 64.6% | 67.9% | 73.0% |
| Clips, deck B, hurricane-rated shutters | 66.2% | 72.2% | 73.4% | 76.8% |
At the top of the table, homes with code-compliant roof coverings, the strongest deck and roof-to-wall connections and full opening protection reach credits of about 80% to 86%. Insurers file their own discount factors with FLOIR based on these studies, so your insurer's numbers can differ; its OIR-B1-1655 notice shows what it actually offers. FLOIR says it is evaluating updates to the 1699 and 1655 forms after the 2024 study.
Homes built under the 2001 code or later
The OIR-B1-1655 notice states that homes built under the 2001 Florida Building Code or later, or the 1994 South Florida Building Code in Miami-Dade and Broward, are eligible for a minimum 68% discount on the hurricane-wind portion of the premium. A wind mitigation form is how you prove the code year.
Discounts are not added together
The notice also explains that credits are not cumulative. Adding a feature reduces the value of the others until you reach a maximum, which is why the table moves in steps rather than simple sums.
Worked example: what an upgrade could save
This example applies the table above to an illustrative $2,000 hurricane-wind premium for a pre-2001 home with toe-nailed rafters, deck type A, no shutters and a gable roof. It is an illustration of the official credit percentages, not a quote.
| Home's features | Credit | Hurricane-wind premium |
|---|---|---|
| As built: toe nails, deck A, no SWR | 0% | $2,000 |
| Re-roofed with 8d nails (deck B) and clips added | 57.8% | $2,000 × (1 − 0.578) = $844 |
| Same, plus sealed roof deck (SWR) | 64.6% | $2,000 × (1 − 0.646) = $708 |
| Same, plus hurricane-rated shutters | 72.2% | $2,000 × (1 − 0.722) = $556 |
Two of these upgrades, deck nailing and a sealed roof deck, are roof work, so a planned roof replacement is a natural time to ask a licensed roofer to quote them. Keep the permit and product approval numbers, because the inspector needs them to verify the roof items.
The state's own comparison
FLOIR's CHOICES tool prices the same 1990 masonry home, with a $150,000 replacement value and a 2% hurricane deductible, twice: once with no wind mitigation features and once with the maximum. The medians across the 19 insurers it lists, retrieved in September 2026, show how much of a premium mitigation can remove on an older home.
| County | No mitigation (median) | Maximum mitigation (median) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade | $11,750 | $5,656 | 52% |
| Palm Beach | $10,215 | $4,120 | 60% |
| Pinellas | $5,803 | $2,540 | 56% |
| Orange | $4,047 | $2,420 | 40% |
| Lee | $6,383 | $2,534 | 60% |
| Polk | $3,900 | $2,264 | 42% |
How the savings work on a real policy
Find the hurricane-wind premium on the OIR-B1-1655 notice your insurer sends at each renewal, then compare the credit for your current features with the credit after the upgrade. Only the wind portion changes; the all-other-perils premium stays the same. Our Florida homeowners insurance guide shows how the full premium compares by county.
How to get a free wind mitigation inspection in Florida
My Safe Florida Home
The Department of Financial Services' My Safe Florida Home program offers a free, no-obligation wind mitigation inspection to eligible owners of site-built, single-family, owner-occupied homes with a homestead exemption. You apply online, are placed in an inspection group, and a program-contracted inspector visits. You cannot use your own inspector for the program. The report shows which discounts you may already qualify for and which upgrades would help.
Grants of up to $10,000
If the inspection recommends upgrades, a matching grant pays $2 for every $1 you spend, up to $10,000, on opening protection, roof-to-wall attachment, roof-deck attachment or secondary water resistance. For example, $9,000 of impact windows earns a $6,000 grant and you pay $3,000. The home must be insured for $700,000 or less and built before January 1, 2008, you need approval before work starts, and low-income grants of up to $10,000 need no match. Funding depends on the Legislature each year.
Paying an inspector yourself
Outside the program, inspectors set their own fees, and no state agency publishes an average. Many bundle it with a 4-point inspection when you buy an older home.
Who can sign the form
Under section 627.711(2), insurers must accept a form signed by a licensed home inspector with at least three hours of approved hurricane mitigation training, a certified building code inspector, a licensed general, building or residential contractor, a licensed engineer or architect, or anyone else the insurer recognizes as qualified. The signer must inspect personally, although engineers and contractors may send a direct employee. Signing a form that claims features the inspector did not see is misconduct, and knowingly using a false form to get a discount is a first-degree misdemeanor. Insurers may pay to have a form independently verified.
Getting the discount on your policy
- Book the inspection, or apply to My Safe Florida Home if you qualify.
- Get the completed OIR-B1-1802 with its photos.
- Send it to your agent or insurer. Citizens asks policyholders to send it to their agent, who submits it.
- Check the next declarations page for the new credits. If an insurer refuses a properly completed form, DFS's Division of Consumer Services takes complaints.
- After a new roof, windows or shutters, get a new form rather than waiting for the five years to run out.
Buyers should ask the seller for any existing form during the inspection period; if it is under five years old and nothing has changed, your insurer may use it. See the Florida hurricane insurance guide for how the deductible interacts with these credits.
Common questions
Is wind mitigation required in Florida?+
No. A wind mitigation inspection is voluntary. Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts for wind-resistant features and to send you a notice of those discounts with each new policy and renewal, but you only get them if you submit a completed OIR-B1-1802 form. Without one, the insurer rates the home as if it has no qualifying features.
How long are wind mitigations good for in Florida?+
A completed OIR-B1-1802 form is valid for up to five years, provided no material changes are made to the structure and no inaccuracies are found. Replacing the roof, windows or doors is a good reason to get a new inspection sooner, because the upgrade can raise your discount.
How do I get a free wind mitigation inspection in Florida?+
Apply to the My Safe Florida Home program run by the Department of Financial Services. It offers free inspections to owners of site-built, single-family, owner-occupied homes with a homestead exemption, done by inspectors the program assigns. The program depends on state funding, so check the program website for current availability.
How much does a wind mitigation inspection cost in Florida?+
It is free through My Safe Florida Home for eligible homesteaded single-family owners. Otherwise, inspectors set their own prices and no state agency publishes an average, so ask for quotes. Many inspectors offer a combined price with a 4-point inspection when you are buying an older home.
How much can wind mitigation save on insurance in Florida?+
The official reference table, OIR-B1-1699, shows credits from 0% for the weakest pre-2001 construction to over 80% of the hurricane-wind premium for the strongest. Homes built under the 2001 Florida Building Code or later are eligible for at least 68% off the hurricane-wind portion. The savings apply only to that portion, not the whole premium.
What is the new wind mitigation form in 2026?+
FLOIR updated form OIR-B1-1802 effective April 1, 2026, following a 2024 wind-loss study. The new form adds questions on wind region and roof slope, requires at least one photo or document for each feature claimed, and accepts FORTIFIED Home certificates as proof of several roof features. It remains valid for up to five years.
Sources
- FLOIR: Wind Mitigation Resources
- FLOIR: Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26)
- FLOIR: Windstorm Mitigation Discounts, Single Family Residences (OIR-B1-1699)
- FLOIR: Notice of Premium Discounts for Hurricane Loss Mitigation (OIR-B1-1655)
- Florida Statutes s. 627.711: Uniform mitigation verification inspection form
- Florida Statutes s. 627.0629: Residential property insurance; rate filings (mitigation discounts)
- My Safe Florida Home: Frequently Asked Questions
- My Safe Florida Home: Program home page
- FLOIR: CHOICES Homeowners Rate Comparison Tool (examples retrieved September 2026)
- Citizens Property Insurance: Wind Mitigation Inspections