Wind Mitigation Inspections in Florida: The OIR-B1-1802 Form Explained

If your homeowners premium went up this year, the wind portion is probably the biggest piece of it. A wind mitigation inspection is the main way to show an insurer what your house is built to withstand, and in Florida the inspection is done on a single state form that every insurer uses.

That form changed this year. Here’s what it covers as of October 2026, who can sign it, how long it lasts and how it turns into premium credits.

What is a wind mitigation inspection in Florida?

It’s an inspection that records the hurricane-resistant features of your home on the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802. Section 627.711, Florida Statutes, directs the state to adopt one uniform form “used by all insurers,” so the same report works for any Florida carrier.

The Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) revised the form effective April 1, 2026. The current version is labeled OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), adopted by Rule 69O-170.0155 of the Florida Administrative Code. Citizens told agents that inspections conducted on or after April 1, 2026 must use the revised form, and that the changes don’t alter the credits it applies “at this time.”

Who can sign the OIR-B1-1802 form?

Under section 627.711(2), an insurer must accept the form when it’s signed by one of these:

• A home inspector licensed under section 468.8314 who has completed the required hurricane mitigation training approved by the Construction Industry Licensing Board
• A building code inspector certified under section 468.607
• A general, building or residential contractor licensed under section 489.111
• A professional engineer licensed under section 471.015
• A professional architect licensed under section 481.213

Insurers may also accept forms from anyone else they consider qualified. The form requires the inspector to inspect the home personally. Only licensed contractors and engineers may send a qualified direct employee, and they stay responsible for that employee’s work. You’ll sign the last page to confirm the inspection happened and the inspector showed identification. Knowingly submitting a false form to get a discount is a first-degree misdemeanor under section 627.711(7).

How long is a wind mitigation report valid?

Up to five years. Every page of the form carries the note that it “is valid for up to five (5) years provided no material changes have been made to the structure or inaccuracies found on the form.” If you replace the roof, add impact windows or install rated shutters, get a new inspection. Those are exactly the changes that can move your answers and your credits.

What does the inspector check?

The revised form has nine questions, and each answer needs at least one photo or document to back it up. A FORTIFIED Home Roof, Silver or Gold certificate can now be attached to validate several roof and opening answers.

#	Question	What the inspector records
1	Building code	Whether the original permit was under the 2001/2004 Florida Building Code, the 2007 code or later, or unknown
2	Region	Design wind speed zone for the address
3	Roof slope	Whether most of the main roof is steeper or flatter than 6:12
4	Roof covering	Covering type, install year and permit date or product approval
5	Roof deck attachment	Sheathing thickness and nail type and spacing, the weakest found
6	Roof-to-wall attachment	Toenails, clips, single wraps, double wraps or structural, the weakest found
7	Roof geometry	Hip roof, flat roof (five or more units) or other
8	Secondary water resistance	Whether the roof deck is sealed under the shingles or tile
9	Opening protection	Impact rating of windows, doors, skylights and garage doors, the weakest opening

The weakest link sets the answer

Questions 5, 6 and 9 ask for the weakest feature, not the typical one. One window without protection can put the whole house in the “no windborne debris protection” category. The form goes further on damaged openings: it says buildings with openings that need replacement “do not qualify for wind mitigation rate differentials, regardless of the presence/absence of other features.” Fix broken windows and doors before the inspection.

Roof shape and the building code question

A hip roof qualifies only if non-hip features make up no more than 10% of the total roof perimeter. On the building code question, a home built in 2002 or 2003 needs a permit application dated after March 1, 2002 to count under the 2001 code, and a home built in 2007 or 2008 needs a permit application after December 8, 2006 to count under the 2007 code.

How do wind mitigation credits work under Florida law?

Section 627.0629, Florida Statutes, requires residential property insurers’ rate filings to include “actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, or other rate differentials” for features that reduce windstorm loss, including roof strength, roof covering performance, roof-to-wall strength, opening protection and wall-to-foundation strength. Insurers must also post information about available hurricane mitigation discounts on their websites.

Section 627.711(1) requires insurers to tell you the availability and range of each mitigation discount when the policy is issued and at every renewal. OIR publishes the range of wind credits for existing single-family homes on form OIR-B1-1699, linked from its wind mitigation resources page.

What you actually save depends on your home’s features and your insurer’s filed rating plan. No honest agent can quote a percentage before seeing the report. What we can do is run your premium with and without it.

Wind mitigation for Lakeland and Polk County homes

Polk County is inland, but hurricane wind still reaches it. The National Hurricane Center’s report on Hurricane Milton, which made landfall at Siesta Key on the evening of October 9, 2024 and crossed the peninsula to exit near Cape Canaveral, lists a peak gust of 66 knots (about 76 mph) and more than 13 inches of rain at Lakeland Linder airport. NHC marks that station’s wind record as incomplete, so the actual peak may have been higher.

Much of Lakeland’s older housing, in Dixieland, the Lake Morton districts and Beacon Hill, was built well before the 2001 Florida Building Code. Those homes won’t earn credit on question 1, so any discounts have to come from individual features, such as a newer roof with qualifying deck nailing, secondary water resistance, roof-to-wall clips or straps, and opening protection. If your home is in one of Lakeland’s local historic districts, the city requires a Certificate of Review before roof, window or door replacements. City staff can approve those minor projects, but plan for that step before you order impact windows.

How to get a wind mitigation inspection and use it

1. Check whether you qualify for a free inspection through My Safe Florida Home. Under section 215.5586, inspections are for site-built, owner-occupied single-family homes with a homestead exemption, subject to the program’s funding, and grants carry separate income and home-value limits. See mysafeflhome.com for current status.
2. Otherwise, hire a qualified inspector and confirm they’ll use the Rev. 04/26 form.
3. Pull what you have before the visit: roof permit, product approval numbers, window and shutter paperwork, and attic access.
4. Review the finished form for errors before it goes to your insurer.
5. Send it to your agent, not just the carrier’s general inbox, and ask for the premium to be re-rated.
6. Keep a copy with your policy. The form itself tells you to.

What to have ready before you request a quote

• The completed OIR-B1-1802 form with photos, and the inspection date
• Your roof permit date and roof covering type
• Documentation for any impact windows, doors or shutters
• Your current declarations page and hurricane deductible
• The year built and any major updates since

When you’re ready, you can request a homeowners quote and attach your report, or read about our homeowners coverage. If you’re comparing your options in Lakeland, our Lakeland insurance page covers local questions, and our guide to lowering your Florida home insurance premium covers other levers beyond wind mitigation.