What is a wind-mitigation inspection?

The short version: A licensed inspector documents seven wind-resisting features of your home on Florida’s standard form, your insurer applies whatever credits those features earn, and the report is good for up to five years. The inspection records what already exists — it doesn’t change your house.

In Florida, windstorm is the expensive part of your homeowners premium. A wind-mitigation inspection (often just called a ‘wind-mit’) is the documented way to prove your home has features that resist hurricane damage, so the insurer can apply the discounts the state requires them to offer for those features. The findings are recorded on a standard state form (OIR-B1-1802) and signed by a qualified inspector (commonly a licensed contractor, engineer, architect, or authorized inspector).

One honest point up front: getting the inspection doesn’t earn you anything by itself. The credits come from what the home actually has. A 1980s roof with toe-nailed trusses and no secondary water barrier will score differently than a post-2002 roof with clips and a sealed deck, and the form will say so. We won’t promise you a dollar figure, because the only honest answer is ‘it depends on what the inspector finds.’

What is the OIR-B1-1802 wind-mitigation form?

Florida uses one uniform mitigation form so every insurer scores the same features the same way. The current version is Rev. 04/26, effective April 1, 2026. If your report is on an older revision, an insurer can ask for the current one. Make sure whoever you hire is filling out the live version of the form.

Why this matters for timing: a report on a current-revision form, with clear photos for every feature, is far less likely to bounce back from the insurer with questions. A sloppy or outdated report can cost you weeks.

What seven things does a wind-mitigation inspection score?

The 1802 form documents seven features. These are the ones that move your windstorm premium:

  1. Building code / year built. When the home was built (and to which code) sets the baseline. South Florida’s post-Andrew codes are strict, which generally works in your favor.
  2. Roof covering. Whether your roof covering meets the current Florida Building Code or Miami-Dade product-approval standards — and whether there’s a permit to prove it.
  3. Roof deck attachment. How the plywood/decking is fastened down — nail type and spacing. Closely-spaced ring-shank nails score better than old staples or widely-spaced smooth nails.
  4. Roof-to-wall attachment. How the roof structure ties to the walls — toe nails, clips, single wraps, or double wraps, in ascending order of credit. This is often the single biggest swing on the form.
  5. Roof geometry. A hip roof (sloped on all sides) resists wind better than a gable or other shape and earns a credit.
  6. Secondary water resistance (SWR). A sealed roof-deck barrier under the covering that keeps water out if the covering is lost. Present or not — and it has to be documented.
  7. Opening protection. Whether your windows, doors, skylights, and other openings are protected to an impact rating. This one has a catch — see below.

Why is opening protection scored all-or-nothing?

The rule that surprises people: to earn the opening-protection credit, every opening has to be protected to the rated level. One unprotected window, door, skylight, or garage door, and the whole credit is gone.

This is the feature that ties impact windows and doors directly to your premium. Insurers don’t give partial credit for ‘most’ of your openings being impact-rated. If you protect the windows but leave the sliding-glass door, the entry door, or the garage door unrated, the form scores you as if nothing is protected. That’s why we tell homeowners considering impact products to plan for all openings. It’s also a life-safety point, not just an insurance one. A single breached opening during a hurricane can pressurize the house and lift the roof.

For the detail on protecting every opening, see our guide on impact windows vs. shutters.

How do you prepare for a wind-mitigation inspection?

  • Find your permits. A permitted roof with a documented Miami-Dade NOA or Florida Product Approval makes the roof-covering and deck items easy to verify. Dig out the closed-out final from your last roof.
  • Locate product approvals for your openings. If you have impact windows or doors, the NOA or product-approval numbers prove the rating. (See what a Miami-Dade NOA is.)
  • Give attic access. The inspector needs to photograph the roof-to-wall connections and deck nailing from inside the attic. Clear the hatch.
  • Don’t pay for ‘guaranteed savings.’ Be wary of anyone promising a specific discount before they’ve looked. The credit is whatever the features earn.

Frequently asked questions

Will a wind-mitigation inspection definitely lower my premium?
Not automatically. The inspection documents features your home already has; the discount comes from those features, applied by your insurer. A newer, code-built South Florida home with clips, a hip roof, secondary water resistance, and impact-protected openings typically earns meaningful credits — an older home with toe-nailed trusses and no sealed deck may earn little. We won’t quote you a number, because the honest answer depends on what the inspector finds.
How long is a wind-mitigation report good for?
Up to five years in Florida, as long as the home hasn’t changed in a way that affects the scored features. If you re-roof or add impact protection, get a new report to capture the improvements.
Who can perform the inspection?
Florida allows several qualified professionals to complete the 1802 form — commonly licensed general, building, or roofing contractors, professional engineers, architects, or authorized home inspectors. Make sure they’re using the current revision of the form (Rev. 04/26).
If I add impact windows, do I get the credit right away?
Only once every opening is protected to the rated level and a new inspection documents it. Opening protection is all-or-nothing — one unprotected door or skylight forfeits the credit — so plan the project to cover all openings, then re-inspect.
Do you perform wind-mitigation inspections?
We focus on the roofing and impact-product work itself and will hand you the permits and product approvals that make a wind-mit report straightforward. For the inspection and signed 1802 form, we point you to an independent qualified inspector — keeping it independent is cleaner for you and your insurer.

A wind-mitigation inspection is one of the few pieces of insurance paperwork that can pay for itself, but only because it documents how your home is actually built. The way to improve the score isn’t to shop for a friendlier inspector; it’s to close the real gaps: a permitted, code-compliant roof, a sealed deck, and every opening protected. Do those, and the form takes care of itself.