In Florida, wind mitigation credits are mandatory premium discounts your insurer must apply when a licensed inspector documents specific wind-resistant features on your home. They are not a courtesy and they are not a negotiation. 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. Along the 30A corridor and across coastal Walton County, the windstorm portion is usually the single largest slice of a homeowners insurance premium — often 30 to 70 percent of the total bill — so the credits attached to it move real money.
As of April 1, 2026, those credits are documented on a revised inspection form, the OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26). If your last wind mitigation report predates the change, or you have replaced a roof, windows, or doors recently, this is the year to get current. Below is exactly what the form scores, what the 2026 update changed, how much the credits are worth on a coastal home, and how the carriers we represent apply them — whether the property is your primary residence or a vacation rental.
What wind mitigation credits are, and why Florida requires them
A wind mitigation inspection is a standardized report that documents how well your home is built to resist hurricane-force wind. Florida adopted a single statewide form, the OIR-B1-1802, that every property insurer in the state must accept. Under Florida Statute 627.0629, once a Florida-licensed inspector verifies a qualifying feature, the carrier is required to apply the corresponding discount to the windstorm portion of your premium. The inspection report is valid for five years, after which a new one is needed to keep the credits active.
This matters more on the Emerald Coast than almost anywhere inland. On a Santa Rosa Beach, Miramar Beach, or Inlet Beach home, wind is the dominant peril in the rate, so the credits sit on the largest component of the bill. A home that documents strong features can carry a meaningfully different premium than an identical-looking home next door that has never had the inspection done.
The seven features the OIR-B1-1802 form scores
The form rates seven construction features. Each one produces a rating that the carrier feeds into its discount tables. Knowing what the inspector looks for tells you where your home likely stands before you ever pay for the inspection.
- Building code / year built. Which Florida Building Code was in force when the home was permitted. Homes built after 2002, under the post-Andrew code, generally score better here — which covers much of the newer construction along 30A.
- Roof covering. The type, age, and Florida Building Code rating of the roof material.
- Roof deck attachment. How the roof decking is fastened to the trusses below — nail size, type, and spacing.
- Roof-to-wall connection. The hardware holding the roof to the walls: toe-nails, clips, single wraps, or double wraps. Stronger connections earn larger credits, and the 2026 form adds performance-based options for documenting retrofitted connections.
- Roof geometry. Hip roofs, which slope down on all four sides, shed wind better than gable roofs and score higher.
- Secondary water resistance. A sealed peel-and-stick membrane under the roof covering that limits water intrusion if shingles are lost. A simple yes or no.
- Opening protection. Impact-rated windows and doors, code-approved shutters, and reinforced garage doors. This category is all-or-nothing: if even one opening lacks qualifying protection, the home receives no credit here. Interior blinds, shades, decorative shutters, and window film do not qualify.
What the 2026 OIR-B1-1802 update changed
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation revised the form for the first time in over a decade. The revised OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) was approved by the Florida Cabinet in September 2025 and became mandatory on April 1, 2026, based on the state’s 2024 Residential Wind-Loss Mitigation Study. The practical changes for homeowners:
- Inspections on or after April 1, 2026 must use the new form. 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.
- Documentation is tighter. Inspectors now have to provide more specific evidence for each feature — roof permits, product approval numbers, and installation years — so a fully documented report holds up better at the carrier.
- Performance-based roof-to-wall options were added, recognizing certain engineered retrofit solutions for the roof-to-wall credit.
If your current report is more than a couple of years old, or you have re-roofed or replaced openings since your last inspection, scheduling a fresh inspection on the new form heading into hurricane season is usually worth it — an upgrade you have already paid for does nothing for your premium until it is documented.
How much can wind mitigation credits save?
There is no single number, because the discount depends on which features your home has and on each carrier’s filed rates. What is consistent is the leverage: on coastal Florida homes the windstorm portion typically runs 30 to 70 percent of the total premium, so a credit applied there reaches a large share of the bill. The heaviest single credit is usually opening protection — a fully impact-protected home captures the most — followed by roof shape, roof-to-wall connection, and secondary water resistance stacking on top.
The honest way to see what it is worth on your specific home is to look at the premium with and without the wind mitigation form applied. We will run a homeowners quote both ways with the carriers we represent so you can see the exact dollar difference rather than an estimate. The credits are required by statute when the features are documented, so this is one of the few times in Florida insurance where the math works clearly in the homeowner’s favor.
Wind mitigation credits on 30A vacation rentals
Vacation rentals are our largest coastal specialty, and the same logic applies. Most short-term rental homes on 30A are written on DP3 dwelling-fire policies rather than standard homeowners forms, but those policies are still rated heavily on wind, and the same documented features earn the same kind of credits. For a Grayton Beach, Seagrove, or Rosemary Beach rental, the wind mitigation form can be one of the larger levers on the policy cost — which flows straight to the property’s bottom line.
There is a local pattern worth knowing: newer 30A construction built under the post-2002 code often scores well across the board, while older beach cottages frequently leave roof-deck and secondary-water-resistance credits on the table until a re-roof and a fresh inspection capture them. Because we write a large book of coastal rentals, we see which features the rental carriers weight most heavily and where the inspection is most likely to pay off. If you own a short-term rental on the Emerald Coast, it is worth confirming your wind mitigation status — and that you carry the right short-term rental insurance — the same way you would on a primary home.
How to get your inspection and apply the credit
A wind mitigation inspection is performed by a Florida-licensed inspector and generally costs $75 to $150 on its own, or a bit more bundled with a four-point inspection. The inspector documents the seven features, photographs each finding, and completes the OIR-B1-1802 form. You submit the completed form to your carrier, which applies the discount at renewal or mid-term with a prorated adjustment. The report is good for five years.
If you are not sure whether your current report reflects your home as it stands today, or you have never had the inspection done, send it our way. We will review it against the carriers we represent and show you the quote with and without the credits applied.
Frequently asked questions
What is a wind mitigation inspection?
It is a standardized inspection, documented on Florida’s OIR-B1-1802 form, that records how well a home resists hurricane wind — roof shape, roof attachment, roof-to-wall connection, secondary water resistance, opening protection, and the building code at construction. Carriers use the report to apply mandated premium discounts.
How much can wind mitigation credits save in Florida?
It varies by home and carrier, but the windstorm portion is typically 30 to 70 percent of a coastal Florida premium, and the credits apply directly to it. Opening protection (impact windows and doors) is usually the largest single credit. The clearest way to know your number is to compare the premium with and without the form applied.
Which features qualify for wind mitigation credits?
A hip roof, a roof deck fastened with proper nails and spacing, a reinforced roof-to-wall connection (clips, single or double wraps), secondary water resistance under the roof covering, impact-rated openings or code-approved shutters on every opening, and a newer building-code year. Opening protection is all-or-nothing — one unprotected opening removes that credit.
What changed with the OIR-B1-1802 form in 2026?
The form was revised for the first time in over a decade. The new version (Rev. 04/26) became mandatory April 1, 2026. It requires tighter documentation for each feature and adds performance-based options for roof-to-wall connections. Inspections done on or after that date must use the new form; older reports generally stay valid for their five-year window if the home is unchanged.
Do I need a new inspection because of the 2026 form?
Not automatically. A valid report completed before April 1, 2026 generally still counts for its full five years. But if your report is aging out, or you have re-roofed or replaced windows or doors, a fresh inspection on the new form is usually worth it — an upgrade does not lower your premium until it is documented.
Do vacation rental (DP3) policies get wind mitigation credits?
Yes. Short-term rentals are commonly written on DP3 dwelling-fire policies, which are still rated on wind, and the same documented features earn credits. On the 30A rental book this can be one of the larger levers on policy cost.
How long is a wind mitigation report valid?
Five years from the date of inspection, after which a new inspection is required to keep the credits in force.
Get a wind-mitigation review on your Emerald Coast home
Send us your current wind mitigation report — or let us help you get one — and we will compare your premium with and without the credits across the carriers we represent for your home or vacation rental. Request a homeowners quote or call our Santa Rosa Beach office at (850) 622-5283.
Written by Garrett Fuller, owner and principal agent of Fuller Insurance in Santa Rosa Beach, who handles coastal property and wind mitigation for homeowners and vacation-rental owners across Walton, Okaloosa, and Bay Counties.
