Insurance & wind mitigation · 6 min read
The 7 wind mitigation features on the OIR-B1-1802 form — explained
A plain-English walkthrough of the seven wind mitigation features Florida insurers credit on the OIR-B1-1802 inspection form, what each one is worth, and how to make sure your home gets credit for every one it qualifies for.
What is the OIR-B1-1802 form?
The OIR-B1-1802 is the standardized Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form used by every admitted Florida homeowners insurer. A licensed inspector physically checks seven specific wind-mitigation features on your home, photographs each, and submits the form to your carrier. Your carrier then applies the corresponding premium credits to your policy. The form is valid for five years. No form, no credit — even if your home has every feature on the list. The seven features below are exactly what gets checked, in the order they appear on the form.
1. Roof covering
Is your roof covering installed to the 2001 or later Florida Building Code? FBC-compliant shingles, tile, or metal earn the credit; older roofs generally don't, unless a re-roof brought them up to current code. The inspector needs the permit number for the roof or visible product identification. This is a modest credit on its own but pairs with the next two for a meaningful combined effect.
2. Roof deck attachment
How is the plywood or OSB roof deck nailed to the trusses? The credit ladder goes from staples (smallest credit) up to 8d common nails at 6"/6" spacing (largest credit). The inspector confirms this from inside the attic. On a new roof, ask the contractor to use the 8d/6"/6" pattern even if it isn't required by code — the labor delta is small and the credit lasts as long as the roof does.
3. Roof-to-wall connection
How is the roof structure attached to the wall? Toe-nails (smallest credit) → clips → single wraps → double wraps (largest credit). Double wraps are often the single biggest dollar mover on the form for older Florida homes, because retrofitting them costs much less than the cumulative credit over the life of the home. The inspector verifies this from inside the attic on each visible truss.
4. Roof geometry
What shape is your roof? Hip roofs (slopes on all four sides) outperform gables in wind because there's no flat vertical face for the wind to pry against. Hip roofs earn the largest geometry credit. Other shapes (gable, flat, complex) earn less or nothing. You can't change your roof geometry without a major rebuild — but if you have a hip roof and didn't know it earns a credit, file the form.
5. Secondary water resistance (SWR)
Is there a self-adhering peel-and-stick membrane over the roof deck seams underneath the shingles? SWR keeps the home dry if the shingles fail — a common failure mode in major hurricanes. This is one of the cheapest features to add at the next re-roof and earns a meaningful credit. If you're planning a roof, ask for it explicitly — many contractors don't include it by default. See our deeper secondary water barrier guide.
6. Opening protection
Are all glazed openings (windows, glass doors, skylights, garage door) protected by impact-rated products or coverings? This is the largest single credit on the form for most Florida homes — full impact protection commonly cuts the wind portion of the premium 25–45%. Partial protection (some openings, not all) earns a partial credit. The garage door is the most commonly missed opening — an unrated garage door zeros out the 'full protection' credit even if every window is impact-rated. For deeper context, see impact windows vs. shutters.
7. Gable end bracing
Only applies if your home has gable ends (see #4). Reinforced gable end bracing reduces the risk of catastrophic gable failure in extreme wind. Modest credit, but worth claiming if you have it.
How to make sure you get credit for every feature you qualify for
Three rules. First, book the inspection from someone on your carrier's preferred-vendor list when possible — credits filed by approved inspectors are less likely to be disputed at renewal. Second, keep a single folder (paper or digital) with the original 1802, every product approval number, every closed permit, and every roof / shutter invoice. Carriers re-inspect, and the folder is what makes the credit stick. Third, re-file the form whenever you do a major upgrade — new roof, new shutters, new garage door — so the new credits flow through to your premium immediately instead of waiting until the five-year renewal. For the full insurance picture, see our wind mitigation & insurance credits guide.
Have you filed an 1802 in Central Florida or Tampa Bay?
Most of the verified wind mitigation stories on this site come from South Florida — but the OIR-B1-1802 process in the Orlando metro and Tampa Bay is where homeowners are getting the least guidance right now, especially after Helene and Milton reshaped Tampa Bay underwriting in 2024. If your carrier credited (or refused to credit) a specific feature on your home, tell us what happened. Real numbers from real Central Florida and Tampa Bay homes help the next homeowner reading this page more than anything we can write. Submit your project →. For the rest of the insurance picture, see our wind mitigation & insurance credits guide.