Wind mitigation inspection.
Before you book the inspection, see what the records already say: your home's code era, roof geometry, and the wind-mitigation features it likely qualifies for.
The features that pay.
Code era does the heavy lifting
Homes permitted under the 2002 Florida Building Code or later were built with stronger roof-deck attachment and roof-to-wall connections, the two features inspectors weight most.
Hip roofs score better
A hip roof sheds wind from every direction and typically earns a better rating than a gable. Your roof geometry is already in the county record, and in your result above.
Retrofits count too
Older homes are not locked out. Re-nailed decks, added straps or clips, secondary water resistance, and opening protection can all be documented on the inspection form.
What the inspector is looking for.
What a wind mitigation inspection is
A wind mitigation inspection is a short, standardized survey of how well your home resists hurricane winds. The inspector works through a state-standard form and documents seven things: when the home was built, the roof covering and when it was permitted, how the roof deck is nailed to the trusses, how the roof is tied to the walls, the shape of the roof, whether there is a secondary water barrier under the covering, and whether windows and doors have impact protection.
Florida law requires insurers to give premium credits for these features on the wind portion of a homeowners policy. The wind portion is often the largest single piece of a Florida premium, which is why this one-hour inspection is the most reliably worthwhile paperwork in the state's insurance system.
The seven questions, in plain language
- Building code era. Homes permitted on or after March 1, 2002 fall under the Florida Building Code and start from a stronger baseline. In the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, homes built to the 1994 South Florida Building Code also qualify.
- Roof covering. Was the current roof permitted to the modern code? A permit-dated re-roof is the cleanest proof, which is why our lookup leads with the county permit record.
- Roof deck attachment. The nail size and spacing holding the sheathing to the trusses. Larger nails at closer spacing earn more credit.
- Roof-to-wall connection. Toe nails, clips, single wraps, or double wraps. Hurricane straps are the difference-maker on older frame homes.
- Roof geometry. Hip roofs generally rate better than gable roofs.
- Secondary water resistance. A sealed or taped deck that keeps water out even if the covering blows off.
- Opening protection. Impact-rated glass or shutters on every opening, verified by product approval, not by appearance.
What the records can tell you before you pay
Three of the seven answers are usually knowable from public records alone. The construction year fixes the code era. The county permit history dates the roof covering. The assessor record and aerial footprint reveal the roof geometry. That is exactly what the lookup above reads, and it is why the result shows a code-era inference next to the roof facts.
The remaining answers, deck nailing, wall connections, secondary water resistance, and opening protection, live inside the attic and the window specs, and they are the reason the physical inspection exists. Treat our result as the informed starting point: if the records already show a 2002-plus home with a young permitted roof, the inspection is largely a formality that converts known features into credits.
When the inspection is worth booking immediately
Book one if any of these is true: you have never filed a wind-mitigation form with your current carrier; your roof was replaced since the last form; your last form is approaching five years old; or you are shopping carriers and want your file to price correctly everywhere. Homeowners with pre-2002 houses and no documented retrofits have the most to gain from the retrofit-then-inspect path, since strapping and deck sealing are among the more cost-effective structural upgrades in Florida.
How it interacts with the rest of your insurance file
The wind-mitigation form works alongside, not instead of, the 4-point inspection. The 4-point tells a carrier whether it wants to write the home at all; wind mitigation tells it how to price the wind risk it is taking. A strong wind-mitigation form cannot rescue a roof past its serviceable life, but on an insurable home it is the single most direct lever a Florida homeowner controls.
Public records, not guesswork.
Free, no signup, and we don’t sell your data.
We match it to the county property record and its permit history.
Roof permits date the roof; the construction year sets the building-code era for wind features.
FEMA flood zones, the Florida wind-speed map, and evacuation zones overlay the parcel location.
No. It is a records-based assessment of the factors Florida insurers weigh: roof age, wind and flood exposure, 4-point likelihood, and wind-mitigation features. It shows where you stand before you talk to a carrier or agent.
County permit and assessor records, FEMA flood maps, the Florida Building Code wind-speed map, and county evacuation zones. Permit-backed roof ages are flagged high confidence; everything else is labeled as an estimate.
No. The lookup is free, needs no signup, and the address you type is not sold or shared.
The standard Florida wind-mitigation form is valid for five years, as long as the home is not materially altered in that time. A new roof is a good reason to re-inspect early, because it usually improves the answers.
Licensed general, building, or residential contractors, licensed home inspectors, professional engineers, and architects can complete the form. Many 4-point inspectors offer both inspections in one visit.
No. The form can only document features that qualify for credits. If a feature is absent, you simply do not receive that credit; carriers do not surcharge you for taking the inspection.