Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) Adopted by Rule 69O-170.0155, F.A.C. Page 1 Documentation Requirements Section 1 – Building Code
Section 1 — Building Code
The first question on the form asks which version of the Florida Building Code was in effect when your home’s original building permit was submitted. This is not asking what year you moved in, when you bought the home, when construction was completed, or when the roof was last replaced. It is asking specifically about the code that governed the original construction of the structure when on the permit application date.
The reason this matters is that Florida’s building codes have been strengthened significantly over the decades, particularly in response to the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Homes built under newer, more demanding codes are already required to incorporate certain wind-resistant construction methods as a baseline. The building code designation on this form helps the insurance company understand what your home was built to, before looking at any of the specific features documented in the sections that follow.
The inspector determines the answer to this question by looking up the original building permit through public records. The year your home was built is the starting point, but the permit application date is what actually controls the answer — which is why the form asks for that specific date in certain cases.
Here is what each answer means:
Answer A — Your home was built under the Florida Building Code 2001 or 2004. This generally applies to homes where the original building permit was submitted on or after March 1, 2002. For homes built in 2002 or 2003, the inspector will need to verify the actual permit application date to confirm which code applied, since the cutover date falls within those years.
Answer B — Your home was built under the Florida Building Code 2007 or a later edition. This is the answer that applies to most newer construction in the Cape Coral and Fort Myers area. The 2007 FBC introduced more stringent requirements across the board, and homes built under this code or any version that followed it tend to fare better across multiple sections of the wind mitigation form. For homes built in 2007 or 2008, the permit application date again needs to be verified, since the effective date for the 2007 code was December 8, 2006.
Answer C — This answer applies exclusively to homes located in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which covers only Miami-Dade and Broward counties on Florida’s east coast. It references the South Florida Building Code 1994, which predates the statewide Florida Building Code. This answer does not apply to any homes in Southwest Florida and will not be selected for properties in the Cape Coral, Fort Myers, or Naples areas.
Answer D — The building code is unknown, or the home does not meet the requirements of answers A, B, or C. This is selected when permit records cannot be located and the year built alone is not sufficient to determine which code applied, or in cases where the home predates the code thresholds entirely. Older homes — particularly those built in the 1970s and 1980s — will often fall here, as they predate the FBC codes referenced on this form. Answer D does not result in a building code credit but does not prevent the inspector from documenting other features of the home that may qualify for discounts.
A Note on Permit Records
The inspector will typically attempt to pull permit information through county public records portals. In Lee county, these records are generally available online through the online permit portal for your county / city. Unfortunately, online permit portals are not always fully up to date. If you have original construction documents, a survey, or a closing disclosure that references the permit application date, having those available can be helpful, particularly for homes that fall near one of the cutover dates mentioned above.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you work in law enforcement or another profession that qualifies for address privacy under Florida law — or if you have your property records restricted from public access for any reason — your permit information will not be visible to the inspector through online county or city permit portals. If this applies to you, you will want to have your permit documentation ready before the inspector arrives, or send it ahead of the appointment if possible. This will allow the inspection to be completed accurately and without delay.
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