Insurance discounts for impact windows
What the wind mitigation credit actually is, why it is all or nothing, and why we will not put a percentage on your policy.
The credit is real, and it is not a number we can give you
Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts for wind mitigation features, and opening protection is usually the largest single credit available on a policy. That much is solid, and it is often a meaningful part of why a job pays for itself.
What we will not do is tell you it will save you a specific percentage. The amount depends on your insurer, your county, how your home is built and what your roof is like, and any company quoting you a flat figure for your policy is guessing with your money. What we do instead is hand you the documentation your inspector needs to credit the work on the state wind mitigation form.
Opening protection is all or nothing
This is the part that changes how you should plan the job, and it is the part most often left out of a sales conversation. Every glazed opening in the house — every window, every exterior door and the garage door — has to have approved impact protection to earn the full opening protection credit. A single unprotected opening can reduce or wipe out the credit for that whole category.
The commercial implication is uncomfortable and we would rather say it than have you discover it later: selling you the eight windows at the front of the house and leaving the garage door or the back door bare may mean you get no insurance credit at all. If the credit is part of why you are doing this, the quote has to cover the whole envelope.
How the form works
The credit is claimed through Florida’s uniform mitigation verification form, OIR-B1-1802. It can only be signed by inspectors authorised under state law — your contractor cannot sign it, and neither can you.
Once completed, the form is valid for up to five years provided no material changes are made to the structure. That is worth knowing: you do not need a new inspection every renewal, and if your insurer is not applying a credit you believe you earned, the form is the document to go back to.
What we hand you when the permit closes
The permit closeout documentation, the product approvals for every unit installed, and the product labels left legible on the glass. Those are what an inspector looks for. Companies that leave before the final inspection tend also to leave you without them, which is how people end up having paid for protection they then cannot get credited.
Before you sign anything, ask
Does this quote cover every glazed opening, including the garage door
Will you give me the documentation my wind mitigation inspector needs
Who signs the OIR-B1-1802 form, and when
Will the product labels still be legible on the glass at the end
Do you close the permit, and do I get the Certificate of Completion
If I phase the work, what does that do to the credit
Questions about the credit
How much will I actually save?
We do not know, and neither does anyone who tells you a percentage over the phone. It depends on the insurer, the county, the construction of the home and the roof. Opening protection is normally the biggest single credit on the form, which is why it is worth doing properly — but the number belongs to your insurer, not to us.
Do I need a new inspection every year?
No. The form is valid for up to five years as long as there are no material changes to the structure.
Can you sign my wind mitigation form?
No, and be wary of a contractor who offers to. Only inspectors authorised under Florida law may sign it. We give you the documentation; an authorised inspector completes the form.
Does window film or plywood count?
Neither ever qualifies. Film does not meet the code for opening protection, and plywood is not accepted as a mitigation feature. If a quote implies otherwise, that is a serious warning sign about everything else in it.
What if I already replaced some windows years ago?
Bring us what you have. If the older units are approved and documented, they may already count, and then the job is only the remaining openings. If they are not, you should know that before spending more.
We will quote the whole envelope
Including the openings other companies leave out of the number so their quote looks smaller.
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