Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) Adopted by Rule 69O-170.0155, F.A.C. Page 1 Documentation Requirements
Documentation Requirements
Before getting into the nine numbered sections of the wind mitigation form, there is an unlabeled but important block of text at the top of the first page. It does not have a section number, but it sets the ground rules for everything that follows.
The note states that any documentation used to validate a construction feature must accompany the completed form, and that at least one photograph or supporting document must be included for every attribute checked in Sections 2 through 9. In plain terms — the inspector cannot simply check a box. Every answer that results in a credit must be backed by photographic evidence or documentation. Photo and documentation requirements were a part of the previous version of the form as well.
What is notable about the 2026 revision is not a change to that requirement, but rather the introduction of new sections — including the FORTIFIED Home certificate reference — that were not present on the older form at all.
What Is a FORTIFIED Home Certificate?
The note also references something that can cause genuine confusion among homeowners — the FORTIFIED Home® certificate. The form states that a FORTIFIED Home Roof, Silver, or Gold certificate may be used in place of certain individual photos and documentation to validate answers in Sections 4 through 6 and Sections 8 through 9.
Before assuming this applies to your home, it is worth understanding exactly what a FORTIFIED Home designation is — because the word “fortified” means something very specific here, and it is not the same as having a strong roof.
The FORTIFIED Program — What It Actually Is
The FORTIFIED Home® program is a voluntary certification administered by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, known as IBHS. The program was established in 2010, and the first designations were issued in 2011. It offers three progressive levels of certification — Roof, Silver, and Gold — each representing a higher standard of construction that goes beyond what the Florida Building Code requires.
To earn a FORTIFIED designation, the home must be built or re-roofed by a certified FORTIFIED contractor. During the installation, a certified FORTIFIED Evaluator — an independent third party — documents that specific construction requirements have been met. That documentation is then submitted to IBHS for review, and if everything checks out, IBHS issues a five-year designation certificate.
The critical point is that this process must happen at the time of construction or re-roofing. It cannot be applied retroactively. If a certified evaluator was not involved during the installation and did not submit documentation to IBHS, the home does not have a FORTIFIED designation — regardless of the quality of materials used or the wind speed ratings on the products installed.
This Is Not the Same as a High Wind Speed Rating
This is where confusion most commonly occurs. Many roofing products carry product approval ratings that reference wind speeds — 130 mph, 150 mph, 160 mph or higher. It is understandable that a homeowner who paid for high-quality materials and saw those numbers on a spec sheet might assume their home is “fortified.” It is not, in the official sense this form is asking about.
A product approval wind speed rating reflects how a material performed under controlled laboratory test conditions. A FORTIFIED Home designation reflects that the entire installation — materials, fastening methods, underlayment, connections — was independently verified in the field and reviewed by IBHS. They are two entirely different things, and only an actual FORTIFIED designation certificate from IBHS qualifies for the purposes of this form.
How Common Is This in Southwest Florida?
The FORTIFIED program has been growing nationally. As of May 2026, the program has surpassed 100,000 total designations nationwide, and in 2025, more than 20,000 designations were issued in a single year for the first time in the program’s history. However, that growth has been heavily concentrated in states like Alabama and Louisiana, where state grant programs have actively funded FORTIFIED re-roofing projects. Florida has seen slower adoption, and the FORTIFIED section on the wind mitigation form is still relatively new territory for most homeowners and inspectors in this area.
Because the program did not exist until 2010 and the first designations were not issued until 2011, any home that has not been re-roofed since then could not possibly have this designation. If your roof was original to a home built before 2011, or was replaced without a certified FORTIFIED evaluator involved in the process, this section of the form simply does not apply to your home.
If you believe your roof may qualify — for example, if a contractor specifically mentioned the FORTIFIED program during a recent re-roofing project — look for an official designation certificate issued by IBHS. Not a product warranty, not a manufacturer’s brochure, not a permit. An actual certificate from IBHS with a designation level listed. If you are not certain whether you have one, the answer is most likely that you do not, and that is completely normal for this area at this time.
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE: If you know for certain that you fall into a FORTIFIED category, be certain to have all documentation present at the time of inspection as your home inspector will have no way of knowing otherwise.
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