Wind Mitigation Inspection: What the Inspector Actually Checks

The short answer: a wind mitigation inspection is a standardised survey of the features that help your house resist hurricane damage. The inspector fills out a uniform state form, and your insurance carrier uses it to apply premium credits. Impact windows and doors affect one specific section of that form — opening protection — and it is usually the section homeowners have the most direct control over.

What the form is

Florida uses a Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, commonly referred to by its form number, OIR-B1-1802. Every licensed inspector fills out the same document, which is what makes the credits comparable across carriers.

The inspection is a survey, not a pass or fail test. The inspector records what your house has. Your carrier decides what that is worth.

The seven categories

1. Building code. When the home was built or substantially re-roofed, established from permit records. Homes built to more recent code versions generally start from a better position.

2. Roof covering. The material and whether it meets current code, verified against permit history.

3. Roof deck attachment. How the plywood or decking is fastened to the trusses. Nail size and spacing matter here.

4. Roof-to-wall attachment. Whether the roof structure is held down by toe nails, clips, single wraps or double wraps. This is one of the highest-value categories, and also one of the hardest to change after the fact.

5. Roof geometry. Whether the roof is hip, gable or another shape. Hip roofs generally perform better in high wind.

6. Secondary water resistance. Whether there is a sealed secondary barrier under the roof covering.

7. Opening protection. Whether every glazed opening is protected, and to what standard. This is where impact windows and doors are recorded.

The part homeowners usually miss

Opening protection is scored on the weakest opening in the house, not the average.

That single fact changes how you should plan a project. If you replace every window with impact-rated units but leave the original sliding glass door, the sliding door sets your rating. The same is true of a garage door, a small bathroom window, or a decorative glass entry door.

Homeowners are often surprised by this after spending a substantial amount on windows and seeing a smaller credit than expected. It is not that the windows did nothing. It is that the credit is gated by whatever is left unprotected.

We wrote about how this plays out in practice in Impact Windows or Impact Doors: What Should You Replace First?

What counts as a protected opening

Broadly, an opening counts as protected when it is either impact-rated glazing or covered by a rated shutter system, and the product has documentation to prove it. Products approved to the tougher standards used in Miami-Dade and Broward's HVHZ are recorded at the higher level.

Skylights, glass block, and garage doors all count as openings. So does the glass in an entry door. If it is glazed, it is in scope.

The documentation problem

This is where projects go wrong more often than anything technical.

An inspector has to verify what is installed. That usually means a permanent label or etching on the product, plus the product approval documentation, plus a closed permit showing the work was inspected. If you have impact windows but no paperwork and no visible labels, the inspector may not be able to record them at the higher level — even though the product is genuinely rated.

Practical steps that protect you:

Keep the product approval documents your contractor files with the permit. Do not let anyone remove the etched labels from the glass during or after installation. Make sure the permit is closed with a passed final inspection, not just pulled. An open permit is a problem when you sell the house as well.

Timing and validity

Have the inspection done after the work is finished and the permit is closed, not before. The report is generally accepted by carriers for several years, and rules vary between insurers, so it is worth asking your carrier directly what they will accept and for how long.

You will normally need to send the completed form to your carrier yourself, or authorise the inspector to do it. Credits are not usually applied automatically.

Choosing an inspector

The inspection has to be performed by an appropriately licensed professional. We do not perform wind mitigation inspections ourselves, and we would be cautious about any contractor who offers to both install the product and inspect their own work. We are happy to point you toward independent inspectors in your area.

Where we fit

Our part is making sure there is nothing in your file that costs you a credit: products with full approval documentation, labels left intact, permits pulled with your local building department and closed with a passed final inspection.

If you are planning a project and want the paperwork handled properly from the start, book a free measurement and written quote or call (561) 464-6272.

FL License #CGC1530499 • In-house W-2 crews • Fixed-price written quotes • Permits pulled directly with your local building department.