Florida's New Wind Mitigation Form (2026): Do You Need a New Inspection?

Short answer: Probably not right away. Florida's revised wind mitigation form, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), is required for inspections done on or after April 1, 2026, but a report on the older 2012 form stays valid for up to five years from its inspection date as long as nothing material about the house has changed. You need a new inspection when your old report is more than five years old, when you've replaced the roof, windows, or shutters, or when you never had one and want the wind discounts Florida law requires insurers to offer.

What changed on April 1, 2026

The Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, known as form OIR-B1-1802 and usually called the "wind mit," is the single document every Florida insurer uses to decide which windstorm discounts your home earns. The Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) revised it after a 2024 residential wind-loss mitigation study, and the new version (Rev. 04/26) became mandatory for inspections performed on or after April 1, 2026.

The biggest changes a homeowner will notice:

• Two new questions. The inspector now records your Region, based on the design wind speed for your location (the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone in Miami-Dade and Broward, then Regions 1, 2 and 3), and your Roof Slope (steeper or shallower than 6:12 for the main roof area).
• Proof for every feature. Each mitigation feature marked in questions 2 through 9 must be backed by at least one photo or supporting document. Under the old form, insurers often relied on photos alone; now permits, product approvals and other compliance documents count too.
• FORTIFIED Home certificates count. A FORTIFIED Roof, Silver or Gold certificate can now be attached to validate several roof and opening features and can stand in for some required photos.
• More detail on the roof covering. The form asks for the permit application date or the Florida Building Code / Miami-Dade product approval number, plus the year the covering was installed or replaced. Synthetic and composite tile now has its own checkbox.
• Damaged openings are called out. Opening protection now has a category for windows or doors that are damaged and need repair.

OIR has said it is still reviewing the separate discount-range forms insurers use, and Citizens told its agents in March 2026 that the new form's changes do not, by themselves, change the credits it applies today. In other words, the new form changes how features are proven, not automatically how much you save.

Does my old wind mitigation report still count?

Yes, within limits. Florida's Department of Financial Services and OIR both state that a completed wind mitigation form is valid for up to five years, provided no material changes have been made to the structure and no inaccuracies are found on the form. Inspections done before April 1, 2026 could use the 2012 version of the form, and those reports keep working until their five-year window runs out.

Your old report stops being useful when any of these is true:

1. It's more than five years old. Check the inspection date at the top of the form, not the date you sent it to your insurer.
2. You re-roofed. A new roof usually brings newer deck nailing, secondary water resistance and possibly better roof-to-wall connections. None of that is credited until a new form documents it.
3. You added impact windows, doors or shutters. Opening protection is one of the larger credit categories, and a partial upgrade documented on an old form understates what you have now.
4. Your insurer flags it. Insurers may verify a form at their own expense before accepting it. If a re-inspection finds something different, the new findings control.

Who can do the inspection

Section 627.711 of the Florida Statutes says insurers must accept a form signed by any of these:

• A licensed Florida home inspector who has completed the required hurricane mitigation training and proficiency exam
• A certified building code inspector
• A licensed general, building or residential contractor
• A licensed professional engineer
• A licensed professional architect

The person who signs must personally inspect the home. Engineers and contractors may send a qualified direct employee, but not an independent contractor. Insurers may also accept forms from other people they consider qualified, but they don't have to.

Prices vary by inspector and region, so get a quote before you book. Many inspectors bundle the wind mit with a 4-point inspection for older homes, which saves a second trip.

How to get ready so the inspection earns full credit

Because the 2026 form wants proof for every feature, the homeowner's paperwork matters more than it used to. Before the inspector arrives, pull together:

• Roof permit and final inspection from your city or county building department. Many counties have an online permit search by address.
• Product approval numbers for the roof covering, windows, doors and shutters. These are usually on the contractor's invoice, the permit, or a label on the product.
• Any FORTIFIED certificate if your roof was built or re-roofed to that standard.
• Access to the attic, so the inspector can photograph the roof deck nailing and the roof-to-wall connections (clips, single wraps or double wraps).
• Every opening. Opening protection credit depends on all glazed openings being protected. One unprotected window or garage door can drop you to a lower category.

The seven features insurers price

The form still centers on the construction features that reduce wind losses. In plain terms:

Region and roof slope are now recorded alongside these. Our longer wind mitigation guide walks through each feature in more detail.

Is a new inspection worth it?

Florida law (section 627.0629) requires insurers to offer discounts, credits or deductible reductions for wind-resistant construction, and every residential property policy must come with a notice listing the discounts available. The size of the credit depends on your insurer's filed rates, your county, and the features you actually have, so nobody can promise a number before seeing your home.

A simple test: look at the windstorm or hurricane portion of your premium on your declarations page. If it's a large share of your bill and your current report is old, missing, or predates a roof or window upgrade, a new inspection is usually a small cost against a recurring annual credit. If you have a recent report and nothing has changed, keep it until it ages out.

What to do with the report

1. Send the signed form and every photo and document to your agent or insurer. The credits apply only after the insurer accepts it.
2. Check your next renewal or an endorsement to confirm the credits appear.
3. Keep a PDF copy. When you shop for a new policy or get a non-renewal, a current wind mit is one of the first things any carrier will ask for.

If your roof is getting older, read how roof age affects your premium. A new roof plus a new wind mit together often change which carriers will quote you.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Florida Department of Financial Services: Mitigation Notices, Inspections and Forms
• Florida Office of Insurance Regulation: Wind Mitigation Resources
• OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) form, adopted by Rule 69O-170.0155, F.A.C.
• Section 627.711, Florida Statutes
• Citizens Property Insurance: Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form Changes (Mar. 19, 2026)

General information, not legal advice or a coverage determination. Your policy wording controls. Last reviewed 2026-10-23.