Florida wind mitigation inspection: what it is and how much it saves

Florida homeowner's insurance has gotten meaningfully more expensive in NCF over the last several years — and most of that increase has been concentrated in the wind / hurricane portion of the premium. The wind mitigation inspection is the single highest-ROI thing most NCF homeowners can do to push that line item back down. It's a 30-60 minute on-site visit, costs less than $150, and the discounts stack year after year for the life of your roof.

What surprises people: the inspection isn't a pass/fail. It's a documentation exercise. The inspector records what your home already has (roof attachment, roof geometry, secondary water barrier, impact windows, etc.) and the insurer applies a standardized credit for each documented feature. You don't have to upgrade anything to benefit — most homes get a meaningful discount just by documenting what's already there.

What a Florida wind mitigation inspection is

The wind mitigation inspection (often abbreviated "wind mit") is a standardized inspection product unique to Florida, created by the state legislature in response to the post- Hurricane Andrew insurance crisis. The output is a 4-page form called the OIR-B1-1802 (Office of Insurance Regulation form 1802) that documents your home's hurricane-resistance features. Every Florida insurer is required by law to apply mitigation credits when the form is on file.

The form was last revised in 2012 and remains the universal format. Any other "wind inspection" or "hurricane inspection" form that isn't the OIR-B1-1802 is not what your insurer needs. Make sure your inspector is filling out the actual standardized form, not a custom template.

The 7 items the inspection documents

1. Roof covering

What's on top of your house, and whether it has current Florida product approval. Asphalt shingles installed under the 2007 FL Building Code or later get a credit; older installs don't. Metal and tile installed to current code typically get better credits than shingles. The inspector photographs the roof covering and looks up the manufacturer's Florida product approval number.

2. Roof deck attachment

What's holding the roof deck (typically plywood) to the rafters/trusses below. The inspector usually accesses the attic to measure nail spacing and nail size. Better attachment = better credit. The categories run roughly from A (worst: 6" or wider spacing with smooth nails) through D (best: 4" spacing with ring-shank or screws). Most NCF homes built before 2002 fall in B-C; post-2008 homes are usually C-D.

3. Roof-to-wall connection

What's tying the roof structure to the wall structure — critical because wind primarily fails roofs by lifting them off. The options:

• Toe nails: worst, no credit. Common in pre-1994 NCF homes.
• Clips: small metal brackets, moderate credit.
• Single wraps: hurricane straps that wrap once around the rafter, good credit.
• Double wraps: straps that wrap top AND bottom, best credit. Standard in NCF post-2002.

4. Roof geometry

Hip roofs (4 sloped sides meeting at a point) shed wind much better than gable roofs (two big triangular ends). Hip = best credit. Gable = no credit. Other = partial credit. You can't change this short of a full re-roof — but documenting it captures the credit your existing geometry earns.

5. Secondary water resistance

A sealed underlayment on the roof deck that keeps water out even if the shingles/tiles fail. Required by 2023 FL code on all new roofs. Older roofs may or may not have it — the inspector checks from the attic. If you've re-roofed in the last 3 years and don't have this credit on your wind mit, ask your roofer to confirm and re-do the inspection.

6. Opening protection

What protects windows, doors, garage doors, and skylights from flying debris. Categories:

• None: no credit.
• Basic plywood: the lowest-tier "marked and pre-fit" plywood option; some credit.
• Hurricane shutters (accordion, roll-down, panel): good credit if rated to the right wind speed for your zone.
• Impact-rated windows and doors: best credit; integrated protection that's always "deployed."

To get the opening protection credit, ALL openings must be protected — not just some. A home with impact windows on the front but plain glass on the back gets no credit.

7. Building code year

When the home was permitted. Florida's building code has tightened significantly: 1994 (post-Andrew), 2001 (statewide unified code), 2008 (significantly tighter), 2017, 2023. Newer = better credit. Documented at the property appraiser's office; the inspector confirms.

How much it actually saves in NCF

The mitigation credits applied to your premium are standardized by the Florida OIR, but the dollar value depends on (a) your insurer's specific premium calculation and (b) how big your wind/hurricane premium is to begin with. NCF is in a lower-wind zone than coastal Florida, so the absolute savings are smaller than Miami or Tampa — but the inspection still pays for itself easily.

Multiply by the 5-year validity period and you're looking at $1,000–$15,000 of cumulative savings from a $100 inspection. That's why we describe it as the single highest-ROI thing most Florida homeowners can do.

When to get (or re-do) your wind mit

• Before your next insurance renewal if you don't have one on file in the last 5 years.
• After any roof replacement — the new roof almost certainly improves your credits.
• After installing impact windows or shutters — opening protection credit is one of the largest.
• When you buy a home in NCF — get one as part of the standard inspection bundle ($75 add-on vs. $150 standalone later). Your future insurer will need it.
• When switching insurers — many carriers will want a fresh inspection rather than accepting a 3+ year old one from your prior carrier.

How to hire a wind mit inspector in NCF

1. Verify the license. By Florida statute, only licensed home inspectors (HI#), contractors (CGC, CBC, CRC), architects (AR#), engineers (PE), and code inspectors can complete the OIR-B1-1802. Check at myfloridalicense.com. Anyone else's form is not accepted by insurers.
2. Confirm it's the OIR-B1-1802 form. Some shady operators provide a "custom inspection report" that insurers don't accept. The form is universal and free to download from the Florida OIR.
3. Get a price up front. $75–$150 standalone, $50–$100 as an add-on. Anything significantly higher is being padded.
4. Confirm attic access. The inspector needs to enter your attic to inspect deck attachment and roof-to- wall connections. If they can't get into the attic safely, they can't document those credits — and you lose 30-50% of potential savings.
5. Get the PDF emailed directly to you and your insurance agent. The inspection isn't done until the agent has the PDF on file and applies the credits to your premium.

NCF home inspectors who do wind mits

Home inspectors we've researched and listed on this directory who handle wind mitigation as a standard offering:

• K-squared Inspections — Ocala home inspection firm with 20+ years of experience. Wind mit, four-point, pre-purchase, and pre-listing inspections.

Browse the full Home Inspection category for more options across NCF. If you're also replacing your roof, getting the wind mit done after the new roof is in place captures the maximum credits — see our Ocala roof replacement cost guide (the 2023 FL code requirements covered there are what trigger the secondary water barrier credit).