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Wind Mitigation Inspection

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 13, 2026

What a wind mitigation inspection is

Florida law says insurers must reward homes that are built or upgraded to resist wind. A rate filing for home insurance "must include actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, or other rate differentials, or appropriate reductions in deductibles" for homes with features shown to reduce windstorm losses.

To prove your home has those features, a qualified inspector fills out one standard state form, the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802). The law says this form "shall be used by all insurers" when policyholders submit it to get wind discounts. Citizens, for example, tells its policyholders to send the completed report to their agent, who submits it to Citizens.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) asks consumers to be careful when picking an inspector and to check that the inspector is authorized under section 627.711(2)(a), Florida Statutes. [1][3][4][7]

The form changed on April 1, 2026

OIR updated the form after a 2024 wind-loss study. The new edition, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), took effect April 1, 2026. The previous edition was dated January 2012.

Citizens Property Insurance told its agents that inspections done on or after April 1, 2026, must use the new form. Citizens also said it will still accept the old 01/12 form if it was completed within five years before April 1, 2026, and nothing about the structure has changed. In that March 19, 2026 bulletin, Citizens said the changes "will not result in any difference to the credits available and applied at this time." If you're with another insurer, ask your agent whether it still accepts an older form.

The current form is on OIR's website. [1][2][8][9]

What the inspector checks: the 9 questions on the form

The current form has nine questions. The previous edition (Rev. 01/12) had seven; Citizens' bulletin on the change lists region and roof slope as new features of the 2026 form.

Two things can cost you credits. If the inspector can't get into the attic, the form has a "No attic access" answer for roof deck and roof-to-wall attachment. And for opening protection, the form says homes with openings that need replacement "do not qualify for wind mitigation rate differentials, regardless of the presence/absence of other features."

The form itself also warns: "Some items listed may not qualify for a discount." [2][8][10]

Photos, documents and FORTIFIED certificates

The form requires proof. "At least one photograph or document providing proof must accompany this form to validate each attribute marked in questions 2 through 9."

Citizens' guidance to homeowners says documents that help include receipts with product specifications, work orders and invoices, roofing permits, and notice-of-acceptance letters for mitigation products. Give copies to the inspector before the inspection starts.

New on the 2026 form: a FORTIFIED Home Roof, Silver, or Gold certificate may be used to validate the answers for questions 4 through 6 and 8 through 9. The form asks for the certificate type to be checked and a copy attached. See our FORTIFIED roof guide for what those designations are. [2][8][11]

Who can do the inspection and sign the form

Under section 627.711(2), Florida Statutes, an insurer "shall accept as valid" a form signed by:

• a home inspector licensed under s. 468.8314 who has completed at least 3 hours of hurricane mitigation training approved by the Construction Industry Licensing Board and passed a proficiency exam;
• a building code inspector certified under s. 468.607;
• a general, building, or residential contractor licensed under s. 489.111;
• a professional engineer licensed under s. 471.015;
• a professional architect licensed under s. 481.213; or
• any other individual or entity the insurer recognizes as qualified to complete the form.

The person who signs must inspect the home personally. Only licensed contractors and engineers may send a direct employee instead, and they remain responsible for that employee's work. You also sign the form to certify that the inspector or employee did the inspection and showed identification to you or your representative.

You can look up a Florida contractor's license on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation website. Citizens says it may not accept a form if the inspector's Florida license "is not active or cannot be verified." [2][4][6][11]

How long a wind mitigation report is good for

The form says it "is valid for up to five (5) years provided no material changes have been made to the structure or inaccuracies found on the form." OIR's website says the same.

If you add shutters, replace the roof or make other upgrades, you can get a new inspection to document them. Citizens says that if you update your home's mitigation features, "you can request that any eligible discounts be applied to your policy." [1][2][7]

How the discounts work

• Required by law. Section 627.0629, Florida Statutes, requires residential property rate filings to include discounts, credits, or deductible reductions for wind-resistant features. OIR must re-evaluate the features and discounts "on or before January 1, 2025, and every 5 years thereafter."
• Hurricane-wind portion only. OIR's standard notice to policyholders (form OIR-B1-1655, Rev. 02/10, which OIR lists as "updates pending") says your premium is split into a hurricane-wind part and an all-other-perils part, and "These discounts apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of your policy."
• Not added together. The same notice says "Discounts are not calculated cumulatively. The total discount is not the sum of the individual discounts."
• Your insurer must tell you the ranges. Insurers must notify you of "the availability and the range of each premium discount" when the policy is issued and at each renewal, on a form OIR prescribes.
• Your insurer's website. Since October 1, 2023, each insurer covered by the law must describe its hurricane mitigation discounts on its website, reachable from its home page or main property-insurance page.

OIR's tables of wind credit ranges (forms OIR-B1-1699 for single-family homes and OIR-B1-1700 for other residences) are listed on its wind mitigation resources page as effective October 2006 with "updates pending" as of Oct. 13, 2026. For the discount you would actually get, check your renewal notice or ask your agent. Then see whether it pays off with our wind mitigation savings calculator. [1][3][4][6]

Wind mitigation inspection cost

Neither Florida's insurance regulator (OIR) nor Citizens publishes a set price for a wind mitigation inspection on the pages we checked. You choose the inspector and schedule with them, and Citizens notes that in some cases the property owner pays for inspections. Florida law lets an insurer have your form double-checked by an independent inspector or quality-assurance provider, and when it does, it is "At its expense."

Free inspections: As of Oct. 13, 2026, the My Safe Florida Home website says free wind-mitigation inspections are available to eligible Florida homeowners, and the inspection report can lead to a grant of up to $10,000 for approved upgrades. You create an account, answer a short questionnaire and wait to be placed in an inspection group. The program's FAQ says it depends on yearly funding from the Legislature and that free inspections are for site-built, owner-occupied single-family homes with a homestead exemption. See our My Safe Florida Home guide for details. [1][4][5][7][12][13]

Getting ready for the inspection

Citizens' advice to homeowners:

• Make sure the attic is accessible. Without attic access you may not be eligible for discounts for roof-to-wall attachment, roof-deck attachment, and secondary water resistance.
• Know where any stored storm shutters or panels are. The inspector checks shutters and panels whether installed or stored on the property.
• If you can't be home, you may send a representative who is 18 or older.
• Hand the inspector copies of permits, receipts and product approval letters at the start.

When it's done, the inspector gives you a copy of the report. Send it to your agent, who submits it to the insurer. The form also says to keep a copy with your insurance policy. [2][7][11]

Fraud warnings

Florida law treats a false form as a crime. Anyone who "knowingly provides or utters a false or fraudulent mitigation verification form" to get a discount they aren't entitled to "commits a misdemeanor of the first degree."

The law also bars inspectors from paying insurance agents for referrals, and bars agents from accepting such payments. Insurers can have a form independently verified before accepting it. [4]

Wind mitigation and 4-point inspections: the difference

They are different reports. The wind mitigation form only documents wind-resistant features. Citizens' guide says the OIR-B1-1802 "is not acceptable proof of roof condition or replacement." A 4-point inspection looks at the roof, electrical, plumbing and heating/cooling systems to decide whether an older home can be insured. See our 4-point inspection guide. [13][14]

Outside Florida

Form OIR-B1-1802 is a Florida form, adopted under Florida's rule 69O-170.0155. If you live in another state, ask your state insurance department or your agent which wind credits your insurer offers. Our FORTIFIED roof guide covers the IBHS FORTIFIED program, which the 2026 Florida form now also accepts as proof for several features. [2][9]

Questions people ask