TL;DR: A wind mitigation inspection documents hurricane-resistant features of your home, like roof shape, roof-to-wall connections, and opening protection, on Florida’s official OIR-B1-1802 form. Insurers are legally required to apply discounts for verified features, and for many Orlando-area homeowners the roof is where the biggest credits (and the biggest gaps) show up.
If you own a home in Orlando, Azalea Park, Conway, Pine Castle, Lockhart, or Union Park, you’ve probably heard your insurance agent mention a ‘wind mitigation inspection’ when discussing your premium. It’s one of the few tools Florida homeowners have to directly lower the cost of hurricane coverage, and it starts with a close look at your roof.
What Is a Wind Mitigation Inspection?
A Florida wind mitigation inspection is a state-standardized assessment of how well your home resists hurricane wind, documented on the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802), that every Florida insurer must use to apply premium credits.
The form documents seven construction features of a home, from the building code applied at construction to the type of opening protection installed, and each section produces a rating that the insurer uses to reduce the homeowner’s wind premium.
Unlike some home inspections, such as a four-point inspection, this one is not mandated by your insurance company or your lender: it’s completely optional.
But skipping it almost always means leaving money on the table.
Why Florida Requires These Discounts
Florida Statute 627.0629 requires carriers to reduce the windstorm portion of your premium for verified features such as a hip roof, impact-rated windows, a reinforced roof-to-wall connection, and a sealed roof deck.
Insurance companies are required by law to offer mitigation discounts or credits.
This isn’t a sales pitch from your agent or a courtesy —
they are not a courtesy and they are not a negotiation
once a licensed inspector verifies the features exist.
What the Inspector Actually Checks
A qualified inspector rates seven construction features: building code era, roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, roof shape, secondary water resistance, and opening protection, and the resulting credits apply only to the windstorm portion of your premium.
- Roof shape: Hip roofs generally score better than gable roofs because they perform better in high wind.
- Roof deck attachment: How the plywood or OSB decking is nailed or glued to the trusses.
- Roof-to-wall connection: Whether straps, clips, or single wraps tie the roof structure to the walls.
- Secondary water resistance: A sealed roof deck (self-adhering membrane or taped seams) that keeps water out even if shingles or tiles are lost.
- Opening protection: Impact-rated windows, doors, garage doors, and skylights, or code-compliant shutters.
Of these, opening protection tends to carry outsized weight.
Opening protection carries the single largest dollar-discount opportunity on the entire OIR-B1-1802 form, with the credit alone ranging from roughly 10% to 45% of the wind premium, depending on the rating the inspector assigns.
But it’s also unforgiving:
this category is all-or-nothing, so if even one opening lacks qualifying protection, the home receives no credit here, and interior blinds, shades, decorative shutters, and window film do not qualify.
Several of these items live on the roof, which is exactly why a roof inspection often goes hand in hand with a wind mitigation inspection — you want to know your deck, flashing, and attachment points are sound before an inspector documents them for your insurer.
What the 2026 Form Update Changed
Florida updated the official form this year, so it’s worth knowing the current rules before you schedule an inspection.
Effective April 1, 2026, all inspections conducted on or after this date must use the new OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) form.
The update added design-wind-speed Region and Roof Slope fields and requires at least one photo of proof per rated feature.
If your last inspection was done before the change, don’t panic.
Inspections on or after April 1, 2026 must use the new form, but older reports completed before that date generally remain valid for their full five-year window, as long as no structural changes have been made to the home.
How Much Can a Wind Mitigation Inspection Save You?
The savings vary by carrier, county, and the features your home actually has, but the law sets real limits and real floors.
Citizens applies up to an 88% maximum total wind mitigation discount across all seven sections combined, making a fully credentialed form worth thousands of dollars per year.
More broadly, industry estimates suggest
the average Florida homeowner saves $500 to $900 per year after submitting form OIR-B1-1802 with favorable results.
Keep in mind these are credits against the wind portion of your bill specifically.
Wind mitigation discounts apply specifically to the windstorm portion of a homeowners insurance premium, and the result depends on the carrier, county, roof details, opening protection, inspection form, and whether the quote applies the documented features correctly.
Who Can Perform the Inspection, and What It Costs
The form must be signed by one of four qualifying professionals: a licensed home inspector, a general, building, or residential contractor, a professional engineer, or a licensed architect.
The inspection generally costs $75 to $150 on its own, or a bit more bundled with a four-point inspection, with the inspector documenting the seven features, photographing each finding, completing the form, and submitting it to your carrier, which applies the discount at renewal or mid-term with a prorated adjustment.
The form is valid for 5 years from the date of inspection, after which a new inspection is required to keep your discounts active.
Mark your calendar, because an expired report silently drops your credits at your next renewal.
When a Wind Mitigation Inspection Matters Most
- Buying or selling a home in Orlando, Conway, or Pine Castle — a favorable report is a selling point and travels with the house for the remainder of its five-year window.
- After a roof replacement — new roofs installed to current Florida Building Code often score better on deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, and secondary water resistance than roofs built decades ago.
- Before hurricane season renewal — if your last inspection is approaching five years old, schedule a new one before your policy renews.
- If your home was built before 2002 —
you’re not out of luck; you may still qualify for discounts if you have since installed mitigation features or construction techniques.
The Roof Connection: Why Upgrades Pay Off Twice
Because four of the seven OIR-B1-1802 categories relate directly to the roof, a roof replacement is one of the most effective ways to improve your wind mitigation score, not just your curb appeal. Features like hip roof shape and sealed decking are structural, which is why it pays to work with a contractor who understands wind uplift resistance and common hurricane failure points and builds in reinforcements like properly fastened hip and ridge shingles rather than treating them as an afterthought.
If you’re planning a full roof replacement, whether in Orlando proper, Lockhart, Union Park, or the surrounding Windermere area, timing it before your next wind mitigation inspection can mean the difference between a modest discount and a substantial one.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
Pros:
- Mandatory discounts once features are verified — insurers can’t refuse to apply them.
- Relatively low cost ($75–$150) compared to potential multi-year savings.
- Valid for five years, so it’s not an annual expense.
- Transfers value to future buyers if you sell within that window.
Cons:
- Older homes with original roofs, gable shapes, or unprotected openings may qualify for little or no discount without upgrades.
- Some categories are all-or-nothing, like opening protection, where partial compliance earns zero credit.
- Credits apply only to the windstorm portion of the bill, not the full premium.
- An inspection done on an outdated roof deck or failing flashing may actually reveal deficiencies that need repair first.
Getting Started
Before you schedule a wind mitigation inspection, it’s worth having your roof’s condition and construction details reviewed so you know what an inspector will find. Thomas Roofing & Repair, Inc. serves Orlando, Azalea Park, Conway, Pine Castle, Lockhart, and Union Park from its Orlando headquarters, and our HAAG Certified Inspectors can evaluate roof covering, deck attachment, and secondary water resistance before you pay for a formal wind mitigation report. Learn more about our Orlando roofing services or schedule a roof inspection to see where your home stands.
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Recommended Reads
- Roof Inspections – Thomas Roofing and Repair, Inc.
- Roof Installation in Windermere, FL
- What Is a Hip and Ridge Shingle and Why Does It Matter for Wind Resistance?