How to Read Your Florida Wind Mitigation Report

If your Florida homeowner's insurance premium feels high, a wind mitigation inspection and the report it produces may be the fastest way to reduce it. Carriers in Florida are required to give credit for wind-resistant construction features, and those credits add up. The average Florida homeowner saves $500 to $900 per year after submitting form OIR-B1-1802 with favorable results.

The problem is that the form itself is not written for homeowners. It uses construction terminology and checkbox codes that make sense to contractors and adjusters but leave most homeowners guessing. This guide walks through the key fields so you know what your report says and why each line affects your premium.

What a wind mitigation inspection is

A wind mitigation inspection is a physical examination of your home's roof and structural connections to document how well it is built to resist hurricane-force winds. A licensed inspector examines your roof covering, the way the roof deck is fastened to the framing, how the roof framing connects to the walls below, your roof shape, and your window and door protection.

The results go onto Florida's standardized form OIR-B1-1802, issued by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. You submit this form to your homeowner's insurance carrier, which then calculates your applicable discounts. The inspection is not an appraisal and does not affect your home's value.

Key fields on form OIR-B1-1802

Roof covering

This field documents what your roof is made of and whether it meets the Florida Building Code (FBC). Code-compliant materials such as architectural shingles rated to FBC wind standards, standing-seam metal, or concrete tile installed to FBC specs qualify for a discount. Older materials that were grandfathered in under earlier codes typically do not. If your roof covering was installed before 2002 and has not been replaced, it is likely grandfathered, which means no credit on this line.

A roof replacement with FBC-compliant materials is one of the most reliable ways to move this field from "no credit" to "full credit."

Roof deck attachment

This measures how the plywood or OSB sheathing is fastened to the rafters. Inspectors look at nail size and spacing.

Fastening pattern	Rating	Credit
6d nails at 6" field / 6" edge	A (weakest)	Minimal
8d nails at 6" field / 6" edge	B	Moderate
8d nails at 6" field / 6" edge, ring-shank	C	Good
Structural screws or 8d at 4" / 4"	D or higher	Best available

Most roofs built in Florida after 2002 have 8d nails at 6"/6" spacing (Category B). If your home was built or re-roofed after 2007, you may have Category C or better. The inspector accesses the attic to check this directly.

Roof-to-wall connection

This is the single highest-value field on the form. It documents how the roof trusses or rafters attach to the top of your walls.

Connection type	Description	Credit tier
Toe nails only	Nails driven at an angle, no metal connector	None or minimal
Single wraps	Metal strap wraps one side of the truss	Low
Double wraps	Metal strap wraps both sides of the truss	Moderate
Clips (single)	Metal clip on one side	Moderate
Clips (double) or structural connectors	Hurricane straps on both sides, or heavy-duty connectors	Best available

Older Florida homes built before 1994 often have toe-nail connections only. The 1994 South Florida Building Code and then the 2002 Florida Building Code drove widespread adoption of metal connectors. If your home was built after 2002, you likely have clips or wraps already.

Roof shape

A hip roof, where all four sides slope down to the eaves, performs far better in high winds than a gable roof, where two sides are vertical triangles. Carriers recognize this.

• Hip roof (100% hip): largest available discount on this line
• Combination (mixed hip and gable): partial credit, depending on the percentage of hip
• Gable roof: no credit on this line

Roof shape is not something you can easily change, but knowing where you stand helps you understand your premium.

Opening protection

This field covers your windows, entry doors, garage doors, and skylights. Impact-rated openings (tested to Florida Product Approval standards) earn the most credit. Non-impact openings with code-compliant shutters earn a secondary credit. Unprotected openings earn nothing.

Opening protection is expensive to upgrade, but if you are already replacing windows for other reasons, specifying impact-rated units makes financial sense in Florida.

My Safe Florida Home discounts

Florida's My Safe Florida Home program offers matching grants for homeowners who harden their homes against wind damage, up to $10,000. Properties must be single-family and owner-occupied. A free inspection through the program identifies which upgrades would yield the largest insurance savings, and the grant covers up to 50% of the upgrade cost.

Separately, submitting a favorable OIR-B1-1802 to your insurer can reduce your premium by $500 to $900 per year on average, though results vary significantly by home age, location, and carrier.

When the report expires

Citizens Property Insurance requires a new wind mitigation inspection every 5 years. Most private carriers follow a similar schedule, though some require a re-inspection after any roofing permit is pulled. If your roof has been replaced since your last inspection, schedule a free roof inspection: a new FBC-compliant roof almost always improves your score on multiple fields simultaneously, and the premium savings often pay for the inspection within the first month.

Coastline does wind mitigation inspections

Coastline Roofing performs wind mitigation inspections across Manatee County, South Pinellas, and South Hillsborough. The inspection is free, there is no trip fee, and you receive a written report with OIR-B1-1802 completed and ready to submit to your carrier.