Wind Mitigation Inspection Florida: Cost, Form & 5-Year Rule

Florida's wind mitigation inspection process is governed by §627.711 of the Florida Statutes. The OIR-B1-1802 form has been the state's standard inspection document since 2012. The inspector examines 7 distinct construction categories. Each category is scored independently. Your premium discount is calculated from the combination of those scores. It is not a single pass/fail grade. Homes built after 2001 often score higher automatically. They were constructed under the post-Hurricane Andrew Florida Building Code. That code introduced stricter structural requirements. Older homes built before 2002 tend to score lower on deck attachment and roof-to-wall connection. However, they can still qualify for meaningful discounts on other categories. The average Florida homeowner saves about $400–$800 per year after submitting a completed OIR-B1-1802 form to their insurer. Savings vary by carrier, location, and the specific scores on each of the 7 categories. You can use the Florida impact window insurance savings calculator to estimate your potential reduction before you even schedule an inspection.

Of the 7 categories on the wind mitigation inspection Florida form, 6 are essentially locked in once your home is built. Those 6 categories are: roof geometry, deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, secondary water resistance, roof covering, and building code year. None of those can be upgraded without a major structural renovation. Opening protection is the exception. Every window, exterior door, and skylight is an upgradeable opening. Replacing standard windows with impact-rated units immediately moves your opening protection score. It jumps from its current rating to the highest classification on the OIR-B1-1802 form. For a 2,000-square-foot home in Broward County with 15–20 openings, that shift is significant. Upgrading to impact glass can move the windstorm premium credit on that single category by 20–35 percentage points. That's why contractors and insurers treat impact windows installation as the highest-ROI mitigation upgrade for South Florida homeowners. After installation, you request a re-inspection. Then you submit the updated OIR-B1-1802 form. The discount applies at your next policy renewal cycle — not retroactively.

Florida Statute §627.711(2) specifies exactly which license types can conduct a wind mitigation inspection. It also specifies who can sign the OIR-B1-1802 form. As of 2026, the authorized inspector list includes licensed home inspectors who have completed at least 3 hours of hurricane mitigation training. It also includes building code inspectors, general contractors, and residential contractors. Professional engineers (PE) and professional architects are authorized as well. One critical rule applies: the authorized person must personally inspect the structure. They cannot delegate the physical inspection to employees or subcontractors. Some inspection firms assign unlicensed field staff to perform the on-site walk. A licensed professional then signs the form remotely. That practice violates §627.711(2). It can also render your OIR-B1-1802 form invalid with your insurer. When hiring an inspector, confirm their specific license type at the Florida DBPR contractor lookup before paying. General contractors who also perform mitigation work — such as impact window installers — can legally sign the form. This creates efficiency when you combine an inspection with a project estimate.

Once you receive your completed OIR-B1-1802 form, the opening protection section is the most actionable page for most homeowners. The form grades opening protection in 3 tiers. Those tiers are: no protection, panels/shutters, and impact-rated glazing. Impact-rated glazing is the highest class. If your report shows 'no protection' or 'panels/shutters,' you're leaving a significant premium credit on the table. Replacing shutters with impact door installation and impact-rated windows upgrades your OIR score. It also removes the need to deploy panels before storms. For homeowners in South Florida cities like Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables, or Miramar, wind speeds regularly exceed 130 mph in a major hurricane. That upgrade also closes the 30-second gap between 'storm is coming' and 'I need to cover 18 windows.' Review the Florida Building Code product approval database to confirm your replacement windows carry the Large Missile Impact (LMI) rating. That rating is required for the top opening protection tier in high-velocity hurricane zones (HVHZ). SafeGuard maintains a warranty callback rate below 3%. That means 97+ out of every 100 completed projects close out without a return visit. That track record matters when your re-inspection depends on the quality of the original installation.

Under §627.711(2), the 5-year validity clock resets after any material change to the structure. When that happens, you must obtain a new OIR-B1-1802 form. The statute lists 3 primary re-inspection triggers. The first is a roof replacement or significant repair. The second is changes to opening protection — windows, doors, or skylights. The third is other structural modifications that alter any of the 7 scored categories. This is actually good news for homeowners planning upgrades. A roof replacement that adds a secondary water resistance layer (peel-and-stick underlayment) can raise your score. A simultaneous impact window installation across all openings raises it further. Together, those upgrades can push a home from a modest 15% windstorm discount to 40–50% or higher. That shift can happen in a single re-inspection cycle. For homes in Palm Beach County or Miami-Dade, Citizens Insurance covers a large share of the market. In those areas, that jump in discount can mean $1,200–$2,500 in annual premium savings. Check the palm beach county impact window permit guide if you're planning a combined roof-and-window project in that jurisdiction. Permit sequencing matters for the re-inspection.