A wind mitigation report is a standardized inspection document, filed on Florida's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802), that records the wind-resistant features of a home so the insurer can apply the premium credits state law ties to those features. An authorized inspector examines the house, completes the form, signs it, and Florida carriers accept that form for five years from the date of the inspection.
Out here on the barrier island, where every roof has spent at least one hurricane season arguing with the Atlantic, it is the most valuable page most homeowners never think to read. People file it with the closing paperwork and forget it exists, then go hunting for it the week the policy renews. So before that week arrives, here is what the report actually is, what each line on it means, where your copy is probably hiding, and how long it still counts.
What is a wind mitigation report in Florida?
A wind mitigation report is the state inspection form (OIR-B1-1802) adopted by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and read by every home insurer admitted in the state. It documents how a house is built to hold up against hurricane-force wind, and nothing else. Only an authorized professional may complete and sign it: a licensed home inspector, a general, building, or residential contractor, a professional engineer, an architect, or a building-code inspector.
The reason the state put it on one uniform form is so that any carrier reads the same lines the same way. Whether the house is an 1890s frame Victorian a few blocks off Centre Street or a 2016 build out toward Yulee, the inspector grades it against the identical categories, and the insurer applies credits based on what the form reports. Florida law requires insurers to offer those wind credits, and the report is the document that unlocks them. It is paired in practice with the inspection itself; for what that inspection costs and what each credit is actually worth, that is its own subject, covered in the companion post on wind mitigation inspection cost.
What does the report actually show?
The report shows the construction features that decide how a home handles wind, and on most houses that comes down to the roof. Each line is a category the inspector verifies, measures, and photographs: the roof covering and its code status, how the roof deck is fastened, how the roof connects to the walls, the roof's shape, whether a secondary water barrier exists, and how the windows and doors are protected.
| Section of the form | What it records | What to look for on yours |
|---|---|---|
| Roof covering | Whether the roof material meets the Florida Building Code, with the permit date | A permit dated on or after March 1, 2002, or a current product approval |
| Roof deck attachment | The nails and spacing holding the sheathing down | Nail size and spacing (8d nails, tighter spacing, score better) |
| Roof-to-wall connection | How the roof framing ties into the walls | "Double wrap" beats clips, clips beat "toe nails" |
| Roof geometry | The overall shape of the roof | "Hip" (sloped on all four sides) is the strongest category |
| Secondary water resistance | A sealed barrier under the roof covering | "Yes" if a self-adhering underlayment was installed |
| Opening protection | How windows, doors, and skylights resist impact | A rating that covers every opening, not just some |
A few of these carry more weight than people expect. Roof shape is one: a hip roof, sloped on all four sides, sheds wind far better than a gable end and lands in the strongest geometry category on its own. Roof-to-wall is where older island homes tend to lose ground, because a house framed before the current building code took effect on March 1, 2002 was usually toe-nailed, meaning the rafters are held by nails driven at an angle rather than by the metal straps or clips used today. Salt air does those fasteners no favors over the decades either.
Opening protection trips people up too. The form only credits it when every window, door, and skylight is covered to an impact rating; leave one bathroom window bare and the whole line can fail. None of this is a reason to skip the inspection. It is the reason to get one, because a single strong feature, a hip roof or a recent re-roof with a sealed underlayment, can still earn a credit you are otherwise paying to go without. The dollar value of each feature lives in that companion post on inspection cost.
Is it the same as a home inspection?
No. A wind mitigation report only documents wind-resistant construction, mostly the roof, and it exists to set insurance credits. A buyer's home inspection looks at the whole house and its condition, and a 4-point inspection rates the age and state of the roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC for insurability. They are different forms with different purposes, and an inspector can perform more than one in the same visit without them overlapping.
That distinction matters most on an older home, where a carrier may want both a wind mit and a 4-point before it will write a policy at all. The two are commonly scheduled together, and the order you book them in is worth understanding. Both have their own posts; this one stays on the wind mit report.
Where can I find my copy?
There are four places to look, fastest first: your insurance agent or carrier, who keeps the form on file once it has been submitted; the inspector who performed it, who archives the signed form and the photos; your closing documents, if you bought the home in the last few years; and the previous owner. If none of those turns it up, the report no longer exists in any usable form, and you order a fresh inspection.
Start with the agent. Most homeowners never touched the form themselves, because the agent ordered it at binding and slid the credit onto the policy without much ceremony, which is exactly why it is so easy to lose track of. If you are in the middle of a sale, the report often rides along in the closing packet, and the title company or listing agent may already have a copy.
One thing to check before you rely on a copy: a complete report includes the photo pages the inspector shot. A form with the pictures missing sometimes gets rejected by a new carrier, so confirm yours is whole, not just the front sheet.
How long is it good for in Florida?
Five years from the date of the inspection. Florida insurers accept the OIR-B1-1802 for five years, after which they can require a new one to keep the wind credits on the policy. The clock can also reset early: if the roof is replaced, the home is altered, or a storm changes any feature the form documented, the report no longer describes the house, and a carrier can ask you to re-verify before that five years is up.
On the coast, the five-year window and the roof's life rarely line up. Re-roofs come around more often here than the calendar would suggest, between age, salt, sun, and the occasional named storm. When you re-roof, order a new wind mit as soon as the work passes inspection rather than waiting for renewal. A re-roof done to current code usually lifts several lines at once, a newer covering, tighter deck nailing, and a secondary water barrier that may not have been there before, and you want those improved numbers on file the day they become true, not a year later when you finally remember.
What if your home has never had one?
If you have owned an older home for years and never seen this form, there is a fair chance no one ever pulled it, and you have been paying full premium on a house that may qualify for credits. Order the wind mit inspection, and the signed report is what you get at the end. If the home is also thirty years or older, your insurer will likely want a 4-point inspection alongside it, and the two are usually booked together, which is worth reading up on before you schedule.
When we list an older home with Salt Harbor, we ask the seller for a current wind mit up front, because it answers a buyer's first insurance question before the buyer thinks to ask it, and on a coastal house that question can decide a deal. A clean report sitting in the file is one less unknown standing between a listing and a closing.
Frequently asked questions
What is a wind mitigation report in Florida?
It is a standardized state inspection document, recorded on the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802), that documents a home's wind-resistant construction so insurers can apply the premium credits Florida law requires for those features. A licensed home inspector, contractor, engineer, architect, or building-code inspector completes and signs it.
What does a wind mitigation report show?
It shows the construction features that determine how a home handles hurricane-force wind, mainly the roof: the roof covering and its code status, the roof deck attachment, the roof-to-wall connection, the roof shape, whether a secondary water barrier exists, and how the windows and doors are protected. The inspector verifies and photographs each line.
Where can I get a copy of my wind mitigation report in Florida?
Check four sources, fastest first: your insurance agent or carrier, who keeps it on file once submitted; the inspector who performed it, who archives the signed form and photos; your closing documents if you bought recently; and the previous owner. If none of those has it, you order a new inspection.
How long is a wind mitigation report good for in Florida?
Five years from the date of the inspection. Florida insurers accept the OIR-B1-1802 for five years, then can require a new one to keep the wind credits in place. The clock can reset earlier if the roof is replaced, the home is altered, or a storm changes any documented feature.