How to Read Your Florida Wind Mitigation Report (OIR-B1-1802)

You paid for a wind mitigation inspection, and a day or two later a multi-page form lands in your inbox — full of checkboxes, code citations, and phrases like "8d ring-shank" and "double wrap." Most homeowners glance at it, forward it to their insurance agent, and hope for the best. But the OIR-B1-1802 is the document that decides how big a discount you get, and a few of its rules quietly cost people money they're entitled to. Knowing how to read it is how you make sure none of your credit gets left on the table.

Your OIR-B1-1802 wind mitigation report scores seven features of your home — building code era, roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, roof shape, secondary water resistance, and opening protection — and each one maps to a separate credit on the windstorm portion of your premium. Two rules decide most of your discount: the roof-to-wall section is graded on your home's weakest connection, and opening protection is all-or-nothing, so a single unprotected window can erase that credit. Hip-roof geometry and strong roof-to-wall connections are usually the two biggest levers.

This article is the section-by-section companion to our overview of Florida's new wind mitigation form and how much you can save. If you want the big picture on cost and savings, start there; if you've got a report in hand and want to understand it, keep reading.

Why reading your own report pays off

Insurers apply mitigation credits from the form, but they don't audit it for your benefit — they take what's marked and price accordingly. If a feature is documented poorly, scored conservatively, or missed because of one weak detail, you simply pay more, and nobody calls to tell you. Reading the report yourself is how you catch a section that should have earned a credit, decide whether a small upgrade is worth chasing, and know exactly what to fix before your next inspection.

As a Florida-licensed home inspector (License #JE303969) and an InterNACHI Certified Wind Mitigation Inspector, the question I'm asked most often right after handing over a 1802 is simply, "So… is this good?" The honest answer is that "good" depends on which sections carry weight — and on two rules most homeowners have never heard of. Let's walk the form the way I read it on site.

The seven sections at a glance

Every OIR-B1-1802 documents the same seven features. Here's what each one measures, the answer you want to see, and roughly how much it tends to move your discount:

Section	What it documents	The answer you want	Relative impact
1. Building Code	The code in effect when the home or roof was permitted	Built or re-roofed under the 2002 Florida Building Code or later (HVHZ compliance in Miami-Dade/Broward)	Baseline–High
2. Roof Covering	Roofing material, age, and Florida Product Approval	Covering that meets current FBC product approval, properly installed	Moderate
3. Roof Deck Attachment	How the sheathing is fastened to the trusses	8d nails (ideally ring-shank), closely spaced — the stronger "Option C/D" beats "Option A"	High
4. Roof-to-Wall Attachment	The connectors tying the roof to the walls (weakest one counts)	Clips, single wraps, or double wraps with three or more nails each	Highest (for many homes)
5. Roof Geometry	The overall shape of the roof	Hip roof — sloped on all four sides	Highest
6. Secondary Water Resistance	A sealed/peel-and-stick layer under the covering	A self-adhering membrane (SWR) present	Moderate
7. Opening Protection	Windows, doors, skylights, garage door	All openings impact-rated or shutter-protected	High (all-or-nothing)

Exact credit amounts vary by insurer, but the hierarchy is stable: roof shape and roof-to-wall connections are the heavy hitters, opening protection is valuable but all-or-nothing, and the rest stack on top.

Reading the form, section by section

Section 1 — Building code

This records which Florida Building Code applied when your home (or your roof) was originally permitted. The 2001/2002 code was a sweeping, post-Hurricane Andrew strengthening of construction standards, so homes permitted in 2002 or later generally start with a stronger baseline. In Miami-Dade and Broward — the state's High Velocity Hurricane Zone — compliance is judged against the stricter South Florida standards. Most of Accurate Building Inspections' Palm Beach service area sits just outside the HVHZ but is still a wind-borne debris region, which matters for opening protection (Section 7).

Section 2 — Roof covering

Here the inspector documents your roof material, its age, and whether it carries a current Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance. A properly permitted, approved covering scores well; an undocumented or expired-approval roof can cost you here even if it looks fine.

Section 3 — Roof deck attachment

This is about how the plywood or OSB sheathing is nailed to the trusses — the difference between a roof that holds and one that peels in high wind. The form's weaker option is essentially older, widely spaced nailing; the stronger options describe 8d nails (ring-shank is best) spaced closely in the field. You usually can't see this without attic access, which is one reason attic entry matters during the inspection.

Section 4 — Roof-to-wall attachment

This is the one to understand. The form grades the weakest connection found, climbing from toe-nails (no meaningful credit) up through clips, single wraps, and double wraps. And to count above toe-nail, each metal connector generally needs at least three nails, placed so they're loaded in shear. This is frequently the single largest credit on the form for an older masonry home — and the one most often lost on a technicality.

Section 5 — Roof geometry

The shape of your roof. A hip roof — sloped on all four sides, with no large flat gable ends for wind to push against — earns the top geometry credit, and it's one of the most valuable single features on the whole form. Gable and other shapes earn less. Roof shape is structural, so this section is more about understanding your standing than changing it.

Section 6 — Secondary water resistance (SWR)

A "yes" here means a self-adhering, peel-and-stick membrane (or sealed deck seams) sits under your roof covering, keeping water out even if shingles are lost. It's a relatively inexpensive feature to add — but only practically during a re-roof, when the covering is already off.

Section 7 — Opening protection

This covers every window, door, skylight, and garage door, and it's all-or-nothing: the weakest opening sets the rating for the whole home. Impact-rated glazing or code-approved shutters on every opening earns the credit; a single unprotected or non-rated window or a standard garage door drops you to the bottom tier. The new 2026 form also added a clearer category for damaged openings that need repair or replacement.

The rules that quietly cost homeowners credit

What we typically see during inspections across Palm Beach and Broward: a strap that looks like solid hurricane hardware to the homeowner has only two nails, so it scores as a toe-nail and earns nothing in Section 4. Or a home with a newer addition has great connections everywhere except the addition — and because the form takes the weakest connection, that one area sets the grade for the entire roof. On opening protection, it's almost always the garage door or one back bedroom window that nobody upgraded that knocks out the whole credit.

None of these are the inspector being harsh; they're how the form is written. But they're also the most fixable. Which leads to the question I get next.

Should you upgrade something to chase a bigger credit?

Sometimes yes, often no. Here's the logic I'd use:

• Opening protection, when you're one or two openings short: Finishing the set — the last window, or a rated garage door — can flip you from no credit to the full all-or-nothing credit. This is the upgrade most likely to pay for itself.
• Secondary water resistance or roof-to-wall straps during a re-roof you're already doing: Cheap to add while the roof is open. Do it then and capture the credit for years.
• A standalone roof-to-wall retrofit just for the discount: Rarely worth it. Opening up a finished roof solely to add straps is often a five-figure project that doesn't pencil out against the credit alone.
• Roof geometry or deck attachment: Structural. Not worth changing for insurance credit.

The rule of thumb: chase the credits that ride along with work you're already planning, and don't tear into structure purely for a discount. After any qualifying upgrade, schedule a fresh inspection once the permit closes — the new OIR-B1-1802 goes to your insurer and the credit applies at your next renewal.

What's new on the 2026 form (Rev. 04/26)

If your report is dated on or after April 1, 2026, it's on the revised OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26). The reorganized form adds items like your home's wind-design region and roof slope, recognizes certain engineered roof-to-wall retrofit connections the old form ignored, clarifies the opening-protection categories, and leans harder on photo and document proof for everything marked. The practical effect when you read it: expect more supporting photos attached, and know that the same home can score a little differently than it did under the old 2012 form. The seven core features, though, are the same ones above.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the "weakest roof-to-wall connection" mean on my report?

The form grades the roof-to-wall section on the single weakest connector the inspector finds — not the best one and not the average. One area with toe-nails or a two-nail strap drags the whole rating down. That's why a home with an addition or a partial retrofit can lose the credit even though most of the roof is well connected.

Why did my hurricane straps get no credit?

To count above the toe-nail level, each metal connector generally needs at least three nails and correct placement. A strap with only two nails, or one nailed so the fasteners are in withdrawal rather than shear, reverts to the toe-nail category — which earns no roof-to-wall credit. It can look like a hurricane strap to a homeowner and still score as nothing.

What is secondary water resistance (SWR) on the form?

SWR is a self-adhering, peel-and-stick membrane (or sealed deck seams) applied to the roof deck beneath the covering, so the roof keeps water out even if shingles are blown off in a storm. If your report marks SWR "yes," you earn a credit for it. It's one of the cheaper features to add during a re-roof.

Why does one unprotected window cancel my opening-protection credit?

Opening protection is all-or-nothing. Every window, door, skylight, and garage door has to meet the protection standard for the credit to apply, and the weakest opening sets the rating. A single unprotected or non-rated opening drops the whole home to the lowest level, which is why finishing the last one or two openings often unlocks a disproportionate discount.

What changed on the OIR-B1-1802 in 2026?

The revised OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), effective April 1, 2026, reorganized the form, added items such as wind-design region and roof slope, recognized certain engineered roof-to-wall retrofit connections, clarified the opening-protection categories, and now requires more photo and document proof for each feature marked.

More on This Topic

This article is part of our Florida Insurance Inspections series:

• Florida's new wind mitigation form and how much you can save — the pillar overview of the 2026 form and your savings
• Wind mitigation vs. 4-point: which inspection your Florida home needs (coming soon)
• What a Florida 4-point inspection covers — and why insurers require it (coming soon)
• Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels: why Florida insurers flag them (coming soon)

You can also meet the inspectors who complete these reports.

Schedule Your Wind Mitigation Inspection

If your wind mitigation report is more than five years old, missing entirely, or you've upgraded windows or re-roofed since it was written, a fresh OIR-B1-1802 is usually the fastest way to recover discounts you're already entitled to.

Accurate Building Inspections completes wind mitigation inspections across South Florida and Central Florida, including Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Boca Raton. Inspections are $150, on the current Rev. 04/26 form, with clear photo documentation delivered within 24–48 hours.

Schedule online or call (786) 863-4866. Learn more about our wind mitigation inspections or bundle it with a 4-point through our insurance inspection package.

Sources: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802) and Wind Mitigation Resources; Florida Statute §627.0629; InterNACHI.