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Hurricane Map

Wind Mitigation Education

A wind mitigation inspection is an evaluation of your home that looks at 7 different structural components to determine how well it will fare during a hurricane or high wind event.

 

This inspection and report was designed by the office of insurance regulation after the 04 and 05 hurricane seasons in Florida which lead to a large number of homes being damaged due to high winds. A study was commissioned that showed some homes with specific features made it through these storms with less damage than others. In 2007 the Florida legislature then passed law §627.0629 (1) to incentivize homeowners, builders and insurance companies to promote strengthening homes by mandating discounts on your homeowners insurance policy.

 

So what are these 7 features? Check the tabs below for all we have learned over the years about this specific inspection.

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  • The first item is straightforward. Your home must have been constructed after March 1, 2002. This is when the first statewide Florida building code was adopted. Homes constructed after this date are required to have certain minimum features which help them withstand high wind events. Many insurance companies will apply automatic discounts for homes built after this date.

  • The second question on the wind mitigation form is also relatively straightforward and pertains to the homes roof age. Similar to question 1 the roof over your home must have been installed after March 1, 2002 in order to qualify for this discount. The first Florida building code required shingle manufacturers to design shingles to better withstand high winds. These codes have been improved and continue to be updated with each building code revision (aprox. Every 2-4 years). The simplest way to achieve this discount is to check city or county building permit records for a roof replacement showing a date after 2002. Other acceptable methods of roof installation dates would be a recipient of materials or a roofing contract dated after 2002. All roof coverings over the main living area of the home are subject to inspection.

     

    • If the covering(s) meets the 2001 Florida Building Code or the 1994 South Florida Building Code you are able to receive a discount. The minimum discount you may receive by meeting the 2001 FBC on Roof Covering is approximately 7%.

  • The third question pertains to the size and spacing of the nail pattern as well as the thickness or type of wood the roof deck is made of. This deck is what the roofing materials (shingles, metal, tile, underlayments) are laid on top of can be viewed from inside the attic of your home. These nail and wood deck features play an important role in preventing high winds from damaging the home. Larger nails, thicker wood structural panels and more nails spaced closer together is beneficial to the home and its ability to withstand hurricane force winds. In order to determine these features the inspector must have attic access. The inspector will use a few different tools to determine these features such as a metal detector, ruler and tape measure. To receive the best discount for this category you must have ½” plywood or OSB roof sheathing attached by 8d nails spaced at 6” apart, or batten decking supporting wood shakes or shingles. 

     

    • The minimum discount for meeting these qualifications approximately 9%.

  • Question 4 on the wind mitigation form is one that probably gets the most attention. This section deals with how the roofing trusses are tied down to the structural (exterior) walls of the home. Many older homes built prior to 1960 did not have any metal or structural tie downs installed during their original construction. Home builders during this time would typically drive one or two larger nails into and through the truss which would attach it to the top of the wall. This is called a toe nail system and does not provide significant strength or uplift resistance to high winds pushing on the building from the outside. If these older roof systems are compromised and large amounts of wind are allowed to enter the structure the entire roof can be lifted off like the structural walls like a kite and brown away. A ‘toe nail’ connection does not allow for any discounts on your homeowners insurance as it has been determined that homes with this connection type are susceptible to high winds.

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    Many homes built after 1965 will have a metal connection at the roof to wall meeting point around the exterior of the structure. These metal connectors are called clips or straps. They tie the roof trusses down to the structural walls with much greater strength and help prevent the roof system from being lifted off like a sail during hurricane force winds.  Clips are usually a small triangular or square piece of metal that has nails driven into it connecting the top of the wall to the homes truss system. Straps are typically a metal band that has been embedded into the concrete block walls of the home. This metal band is then attached to the side of the truss with nails. The strap must then be wrapped up over the stop of the truss and nailed on the opposite side. This connection type is even stronger than clips.

     

    In order to determine the type of roof to wall connection your home has the inspector must climb through the attic and look out to the exterior walls where the trusses are set to find them. They must be photographed and included in the inspector report to gain the discounts. Secondarily these clips or straps must have a minimum of 3 nails installed in each one to qualify. If the clips or straps do not have 3 nails, the inspector must mark ‘toe nails’ on the inspection report. Clips or straps present without a minimum of 3 nails will not qualify for any discounts. 

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    If your home has clips or straps you will be eligible for a minimum discount of 18%.

  • Section 5 of the wind mitigation form looks at the shape of your roof. One specific roof shape has shown to abate high winds and help structures survive much better during hurricanes than any other roof shape. It is called the hip roof shape. It is sloped on all four sides and allows the wind to travel up and over the structure without causing severe negative or positive pressures. In order to receive a discount on your homeowners insurance with the hip roof shape, 90% of the total building perimeter must be hip in shape. There can be no other roof shapes (flat, gable, mansard, etc) on the edge of the home consisting of 10% or more of the building perimeter.

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    If you have a hip roof you are eligible for a minimum discount of around 28%.

  • Question 6 is concerned with the Secondary Water Resistance Barrier, also know as SWR or Secondary Water Resistance. This is the layer of material which is underneath the shingles. There are many different types of SWR barriers but only one which qualifies for discounts on homeowners insurance. The secondary water barrier must be a peel-and-sitck underlayment. This type of underlayment has become much more common in recent years. It is a self-adhering material that is stuck directly onto the roof deck in order to prevent water intrusion in the event of a storm blowing shingles off the roof. This item can be difficult to observe and photograph inside the attic but a skilled inspector can determine the difference and document it for the wind mitigation report.

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    A hip roof with SWR will receive approximately 32% discount while any other roof shapes with SWR receive around 6%.

  • The largest and most complicated section of the OIR-B1-1802 wind mitigation form involves the opening protections for the home. In order to qualify for discounts on your homeowners insurance ALL windows and doors that have glass in them must be hurricane impact rated OR protected with hurricane impact rated products (hurricane shutters). If one small window, door or a skylight is not impact rated or cannot be identified you will not qualify for this discount.

     

    Each item must be documented and verified as hurricane impact rated and included with the wind mitigation report. Stickers, stamps, labels, receipts, material data sheets, permits, builders contracts, architectural drawings are all important items to have on hand to help verify your windows or hurricane shutters. Remember, this will also include openings such as the garage doors and skylights. Hurricane shutters or impact windows and doors must meet one of the following requirement for Cyclic Pressure and Large Missile Impact:

     

    • Miami-Dade County PA 201, 202 and 203.

    • American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E1886 and E1996.

    • Florida Building Code Testing Application Standard (TAS) 201, 202, 203.

    • Southern Standards Technical Document (SSTD) 12.

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    If all openings with glass can be documented and verified as meeting one of these standards you are eligible for a minimum 39% insurance reduction!

    An alternative way to qualify for discounts on homeowners insurance for opening protections is with plywood panels. Although this discount is considerably less in percentage than verified impact rated products, the cost of plywood panels can also be much lower. These panels must meet meet Section 1609 and Table 1609.1.2 of the 2007 Florida Building Code to be eligible for a discount. Key takeaways from this building code requirement are:

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    • Wood Panels with a minimum 7/16 inch thickness

    •  A maximum span of 8 feet

    • Precut and predrilled prior to inspection

    • Anchor spacing no greater than 16" (see table for spacing)

    Fastner Type
    Panel Span < 2'
    2' to 4' Span
    4' to 6' Span
    6' to 8' Span
    1/4 Lag screw-based anchor with 2-inch embedment length
    16''
    16''
    10''
    8''
    #8 Wood screw-based anchor with 2-inch embedment length
    16''
    16''
    12''
    9''
    #10 Wood screw-based anchor with 2-inch embedment length
    16''
    16''
    16''
    16''
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