Florida law requires residential property-insurance rate filings to include actuarially reasonable mitigation discounts, credits, rate differentials, or deductible reductions for qualifying wind-loss features. Impact windows can matter, but they are one line on a whole-home wind-mitigation inspection. Florida Statutes section 627.0629 names opening protection and window, door, and skylight strength among the relevant features.
The discount amount varies by carrier, your home, the insurer’s current rating plan, and the features documented on the inspection form. Florida requires each insurer covered by the statute to publish the hurricane-mitigation discounts available to policyholders on or through the property-insurance page of its website, according to Florida Statutes section 627.0629.
Our job at Salty LLC is to install the approved product, pull and close the permit, and preserve the records your inspector needs. As a general contractor, we can also handle an opening that needs structural work, not just a size-for-size glass swap.
What Florida law actually requires insurers to offer
The key statute is Florida Statutes section 627.0629, not a contractor sales sheet. It says a residential-property rate filing must include actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, other rate differentials, or deductible reductions for wind-loss-reducing fixtures and construction techniques. The statute text also says features meeting minimum Florida Building Code requirements must be included in the rate filing.
The law does not say that one new impact window creates one fixed savings amount. It identifies a group of features: wind-uplift prevention, roof strength, roof-covering performance, roof-to-wall strength, wall-to-floor-to-foundation strength, opening protection, and window, door, and skylight strength, per Florida Statutes section 627.0629. Your carrier applies its own approved rating plan to the completed inspection.
A second statute, section 627.711, requires insurers to notify applicants and policyholders at issue and renewal about the availability and range of mitigation discounts, credits, rate differentials, deductible reductions, and combinations of them, as documented in Florida Statutes section 627.711. It also calls for the uniform mitigation verification form used when a policyholder submits it to factor wind-insurance discounts, as stated in that same statute.
What is the OIR-B1-1802 wind mitigation form?
OIR-B1-1802 is Florida’s Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation updated the form effective April 1, 2026 after the agency’s wind-loss mitigation study review. OIR’s wind-mitigation resources identify the updated form and effective date.
It says that some listed items may not qualify for a discount and that an insurer may ask additional questions about a verified feature, according to the current OIR-B1-1802 form.pdf?Status=Master). That is why the right next step is to give the completed form to your agent or carrier and have the policy re-rated, not to assume a result from a product brochure.
What mitigation features does the form rate?
The form does more than ask whether you have impact glass. It records the original-code basis, wind region, roof slope, roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, roof shape, secondary water resistance, and opening protection, per Florida OIR’s OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master).
| Form feature | What the inspector is rating | Why it matters to the form |
|---|---|---|
| Building code and region | Code in force at original permit and location by design wind speed | The form establishes the home’s code and wind context before rating the components. OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master) |
| Roof covering | Type, permit/product approval information, installation year, and whether it meets the listed approval/permit criteria | The form has separate selections for asphalt/fiberglass shingle, tile, metal, built-up, membrane, and other coverings. OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master) |
| Roof deck attachment | The weakest deck fastening system, with choices from staples/6d nailing through 8d patterns, reinforced concrete, spray foam, other, unknown, or no attic access | The rating is based on the weakest verified attachment. OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master) |
| Roof-to-wall connection | The weakest connection, including toenails, clips, single wraps, double wraps, structural, other, unknown, no access, or improperly installed connections | The form supplies specific connector conditions and uplift-capacity paths. OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master) |
| Roof geometry | Hip, flat for certain multi-unit buildings, or other | The form defines hip by limiting non-hip features to 10% of total roof-system perimeter. OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master) |
| Secondary water resistance | A sealed roof deck/SWR, no sealed roof deck, or unknown | The form says standard underlayment or hot-mopped felts do not qualify as SWR. OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master) |
| Opening protection | The weakest protection on glazed and non-glazed windows, doors, garage doors, skylights, and glass block | This is where approved impact windows and doors fit. OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master) |
Where impact windows fit—and why partial protection is different
Impact windows are evaluated under opening protection. The form covers all wall and roof openings, including windows, doors, sliding glass doors, skylights, and garage doors; it directs the inspector to use the weakest form of protection, as documented in Florida OIR’s current form.pdf?Status=Master).
For the form’s stronger verified opening-protection answers, all glazed openings must have at least the stated qualifying protection. The Level A path, for example, requires all glazed openings to be protected with approved impact-resistant coverings or products and meet cyclic-pressure/large-missile requirements, as stated in OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master).
That is the practical reason protecting only some glass usually does not earn the same classification as protecting the whole house. The form’s “X” outcome applies where one or more glazed openings are at Level X or Z, and the form tells the inspector to choose based on the weakest protection found, as shown in Florida OIR’s OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master).
The document matters as much as the glass. The form requires documentation validating each construction or mitigation attribute and at least one photo or document for every attribute marked in questions 2 through 9, according to OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master). A product approval or NOA, installed-product labels, permit record, final inspection, paid invoice, and clear opening photos give the inspector a defensible package.
If you are still deciding between permanent protection and removable panels, compare the whole strategy in our impact windows versus hurricane shutters guide. Protecting only a few openings may be the right budget choice, but it should be a deliberate choice rather than an assumed full-credit plan.
Who can perform a wind mitigation inspection?
A qualified inspector must certify the form. Section 627.711 permits a properly trained and licensed home inspector, a building code inspector, a general/building/residential contractor, a Florida professional engineer, a Florida architect, or another individual or entity the insurer recognizes as qualified, as shown in Florida Statutes section 627.711. The form repeats those categories and says mitigation inspections must be certified by a qualified inspector, per OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master).
Have the documents ready before the visit. The form uses permits, product approvals, proof photos, and other validating records; it also says all openings must be in good condition and homes with openings needing replacement do not qualify for wind-mitigation rate differentials, as documented in Florida OIR’s current form.pdf?Status=Master).
How long is the form good for, and is My Safe Florida Home available?
A completed OIR-B1-1802 is valid for up to five years, provided there have been no material changes to the structure and no inaccuracies are found, according to OIR’s wind-mitigation resource page. That is a maximum validity period, not a reason to wait after a major upgrade. Re-run the form when the completed work changes a rated feature.
The official My Safe Florida Home landing page describes two program components: a no-charge inspection identifying recommended hurricane-mitigation improvements and matching grants for eligible homeowners in defined areas, per My Safe Florida Home. A March 2025 Department of Financial Services update said its survey was open and that grant-application opportunities would be communicated by email after the required survey information was supplied; it also described grants up to $10,000, as documented in DFS program update.
We could not confirm a newer official statewide intake status from the public material reviewed here. Check the program directly before treating a window project as grant-funded.
What should I do after an impact-window project closes?
- Get the final permit result. A closed permit confirms the jurisdiction’s required final inspection is complete. Review our Sarasota and Manatee permit guide if you need the sequence.
- Collect the project file. Keep product approvals or NOAs, installation instructions, invoices, photos, and final-inspection/permit records. The OIR form requires proof for rated attributes, as stated in OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master).
- Hire a qualified inspector for a new or updated OIR-B1-1802. The form must be certified by a qualified inspector, as shown in Florida OIR’s form.pdf?Status=Master).
- Send the completed form to your agent or carrier. OIR tells homeowners to take the completed form to their agent to start processing policy discounts, as stated in Florida OIR’s premium-discount guidance.
- Ask for the policy to be re-run. Review the carrier’s written response and its published mitigation-discount information rather than relying on an estimate, as shown in Florida Statutes section 627.0629.
For broader product questions, visit our impact-window FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
Do impact windows automatically lower Florida insurance premiums?
No. Impact windows can support the opening-protection rating, but the form rates the home’s wind-mitigation features as a set and the carrier applies its approved rate plan, according to Florida Statutes section 627.0629. Have your agent process a current OIR-B1-1802 after the permit closes.
Does every window have to be impact-rated for the strongest opening-protection result?
For the form’s verified A or B protection answers, all glazed openings must meet the applicable minimum protection, according to Florida OIR’s OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master). One unprotected or damaged glazed opening can drive the classification down because the form uses the weakest protection present.
Can my window contractor complete the wind mitigation form?
Sometimes, but only if the signer is a qualified inspector under the statute. The eligible list includes general, building, and residential contractors, qualified home inspectors, building code inspectors, engineers, architects, and insurer-recognized qualified parties, per Florida Statutes section 627.711. The inspector must also document observed conditions.
How long can I use a wind mitigation report?
The official form is valid for up to five years if no material structural change occurs and no inaccuracy is found, as documented in Florida OIR. A new roof, opening-protection upgrade, or correction to a rated feature is a good reason to get an updated form sooner.
Are My Safe Florida Home grants guaranteed for new windows?
No. The program describes inspections and matching grants for eligible homeowners, but eligibility and application opportunities are program-controlled and can change, as stated in My Safe Florida Home. Funding is not automatic. Confirm the active program terms before committing your project budget to grant proceeds.
Close the project, then document it
Salty LLC, Florida Certified General Contractor CGC1538098, handles the permit, installation, inspection coordination, structural work, and finish work that a complete impact-window project can require. Call (941) 807-2199 or contact Salty LLC to discuss your openings. Visit the Salty LLC homepage for the full scope we carry under one contract.