Four-point, wind mitigation and roof age rules in Florida
What a four-point, roof and wind mitigation inspection checks, what Florida's roof-age law says, and where each fits when you buy a home.
The short answer
A four-point inspection checks a home's roof, electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling (HVAC); Citizens requires one on homes over 20 years old2. A wind mitigation inspection, on the state's form, documents the features behind the windstorm discounts insurers must offer56. By law, an insurer can't refuse to issue or renew a homeowner's policy solely because the roof is under 15 years old1.
- Below this roof age, an insurer can't refuse to issue or renew a homeowner's policy solely because of the roof's age1
- 15 years
- Citizens requires a four-point inspection on homes more than this old2
- 20 years
- How long a wind mitigation form stays valid, at most, if the home hasn't materially changed5
- 5 years
- The most the state pays toward one home's mitigation project under My Safe Florida Home14
- $10,000
On this page
If you're buying with a mortgage, your lender needs proof of homeowners insurance before it funds the loan12. To write that policy, a Florida insurer may ask how old the roof is and for one or more inspections2.
Here is what each inspection checks, what Florida's roof-age law says, and where each fits when you buy. Every rule links to the statute, state form or Citizens page it comes from.
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Which inspections a Florida insurer may ask for
This guide covers three: a four-point inspection, a roof inspection and a wind mitigation inspection. The first two help an insurer decide whether it will write the policy34. The third documents features that can lower the price67.
| Inspection | What it checks | Why an insurer asks | Who can do it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four-point | The roof, electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling (HVAC): the age, type and condition of each2 | To decide whether the home is insurable. Citizens requires one on homes more than 20 years old23 | A Florida-licensed professional, such as a home inspector, a building code inspector, or a general, building or residential contractor3 |
| Roof | The covering, its age and remaining useful life, the last roofing permit and the roof's condition4 | For a roof 15 years or older, the insurer must allow one before it can require a new roof. Citizens asks for proof of remaining life on older roofs12 | Under the roof-age law, an inspector the insurer approves: a home inspector, building code inspector, general, building, residential or roofing contractor, engineer, architect or another it recognizes1 |
| Wind mitigation | Nine questions, from the building code and roof covering to roof-to-wall attachment and opening protection5 | To apply the windstorm discounts that insurers' rates must include67 | A home inspector with hurricane mitigation training, a building code inspector, a general, building or residential contractor, an engineer, an architect or another the insurer recognizes7 |
The four-point and older-roof rules shown are Citizens' own. For another insurer, ask your insurance agent which inspections it asks for.
A four-point isn't a home inspection
Citizens' four-point form says it's used only to decide insurability and isn't a warranty of the systems it checks3. For the home's overall condition, arrange your own inspection with a licensed home inspector.
What a four-point inspection checks
A four-point inspection reports the age, type and condition of four systems: the roof, electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling. Citizens requires one on all property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications for homes more than 20 years old, done by a Florida-licensed inspector2. Citizens' sample form asks for:
- Electrical: each panel's type, amps and age, the kinds of wiring, and hazards such as exposed wiring, double taps or scorching3.
- Heating and cooling: whether there's central air and heat, whether the systems are in good working order, their age and last service, and signs of blockage or leaks at the air handler3.
- Plumbing: the water heater and its pressure relief valve, any active or past leaks, and the type and age of the pipes3.
- Roof: the covering, its age and remaining useful life, the last roofing permit, and visible damage or leaks. With photos of each slope, this part can replace Citizens' separate roof form3.
Citizens accepts another inspector's report in place of its sample, if it has at least the same detail. A licensed tradesperson, such as an electrician, can sign only the section for their own trade3.
Serious hazards, such as exposed wiring, active leaks or signs of past leaks, should be repaired before an application goes to Citizens2. Insurance agents may not submit a Citizens application for a home whose electrical, heating or plumbing isn't in good working order or has hazards3.
What Florida's roof-age law says
An insurer can't refuse to issue or renew a homeowner's policy solely because the roof is under 15 years old. The rule covers policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 20221.
“An insurer may not refuse to issue or refuse to renew a homeowner's policy insuring a residential structure with a roof that is less than 15 years old solely because of the age of the roof.”
For a roof 15 years or older, the insurer must let you have it inspected, at your expense, before it requires a new roof as a condition of the policy. If the inspection shows 5 or more years of useful life left, age alone still can't be the reason it refuses to issue or renew1.
Under 15 years
Age alone can't decide
The roof's age can't be the only reason to refuse to issue or renew.
15 years or older (key date)
An inspection comes first
Before requiring a new roof, the insurer must allow one by an authorized inspector, at your expense.
After the inspection
5 years or more of life left
Then, too, age alone can't be the reason to refuse to issue or renew.
How the roof's age is counted
From the last date the whole roof surface was built or replaced under the building code of the time. If it was replaced in parts that together covered the whole surface, the age runs from the first of those partial replacements1.
So the date of the last roofing permit matters, and Citizens' roof and four-point forms both ask for it43.
What the law leaves out
It doesn't apply to mobile home policies. And it doesn't stop an insurer from refusing or not renewing a policy because the home doesn't meet its underwriting criteria for replacement cost or law and ordinance coverage, or for other lawful reasons1.
Citizens' rule for older roofs
At Citizens, a shingle or other soft roof older than 25 years, or a tile, slate, clay, concrete or metal roof older than 50, needs a Florida-licensed inspector's documentation of at least 5 years of useful life left. With less, Citizens wants proof of a full roof replacement before it writes a policy2.
- Roof age: Florida law, any insurer15 yearsUnder it, age alone can't be why a homeowner's policy is refused or not renewed.
- Home age: Citizens' four-point inspection20 yearsRequired on homes older than this.
- Roof age: Citizens, shingle or other soft roof25 yearsOlder roofs need proof of at least 5 years of life left.
- Roof age: Citizens, tile, slate, clay, concrete or metal roof50 yearsOlder roofs need the same proof.
How a wind mitigation inspection can lower your premium
A wind mitigation inspection records the features that reduce a home's losses in a windstorm, on the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802). Every insurer must use that form when a policyholder sends one in for wind discounts57.
Florida law requires residential property insurers' rates to include discounts, credits, other rate differentials or lower deductibles for those features, such as roof strength, roof covering performance, roof-to-wall strength and opening protection6.
The Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) approves each insurer's range for each discount7. Your insurer must tell you its discounts and their ranges when the policy is issued and at each renewal, and describe them on its website76.
What the form records
OIR revised the form from April 1, 2026, after a 2024 study of how wind-resistive features reduce losses8. It asks nine questions. For roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall attachment and opening protection, the inspector records the weakest kind on the home5.
| Question | What it records |
|---|---|
| 1. Building code | Which building code was in force when the home's permit was applied for5 |
| 2. Region | The home's location by its design wind speed5 |
| 3. Roof slope | Whether the main roof's slope is at least 6 in 12, or less5 |
| 4. Roof covering | Each covering type, its permit date or product approval number, the year it was installed or replaced, and whether all coverings meet the code's product approval rules5 |
| 5. Roof deck attachment | The weakest way the roof sheathing is fastened to the trusses or rafters5 |
| 6. Roof to wall attachment | The weakest connection between the roof and the walls: toenails, clips, single wraps, double wraps or structural5 |
| 7. Roof geometry | The roof's shape: hip, flat (on buildings of five or more units) or other5 |
| 8. Secondary water resistance | Whether a sealed roof deck keeps water out if the roof covering is lost; standard underlayment or hot-mopped felt doesn't count5 |
| 9. Opening protection | The weakest wind-borne debris protection on the windows, doors, sliding glass doors, skylights and garage doors5 |
Each answer to questions 2 to 9 needs at least one photo or document as proof. A FORTIFIED Home Roof, Silver or Gold certificate can stand in for questions 4 to 6, 8 and 9. The form notes that some items may not qualify for a discount5.
The inspector needs the attic
Citizens says that without attic access, you may not get the discounts for roof-to-wall attachment, roof deck attachment and secondary water resistance. Give the inspector any roofing permits, receipts or notice-of-acceptance letters for mitigation products9.
How long it lasts
A completed form is valid for up to 5 years, as long as the home hasn't materially changed and the form has no inaccuracies58. Inspections from April 1, 2026 use the revised form. Citizens accepts a Rev. 01/12 form completed in the five years before April 1, 2026, if the home hasn't changed10.
A new roof, an added room or new mitigation features can call for a new form, so they can earn their discounts11. An insurer may have a form independently verified, at its own expense, before accepting it7.
When to order each inspection when you buy
Once you're under contract, early enough to compare insurance quotes before closing. Your lender needs proof of homeowners insurance before it funds the loan12.
Before you offer
Ask what the seller has
The roof's age and last roofing permit, and any wind mitigation form. A form stays valid up to 5 years if the home hasn't materially changed.
Under contract (key date)
Get quotes and the inspections insurers ask for
Ordering early leaves time for repairs or another quote.
Before closing (key date)
Have the policy in place
Your lender needs proof of homeowners insurance before it funds the loan.
After closing
Homestead, then My Safe Florida Home
The program's inspections are for owner-occupied homes with a homestead exemption.
After improvements
Update the wind mitigation form
A new form lets new features, such as a new roof, earn their discounts.
Insurance is one cost of owning the home. The property tax you'll pay after you buy is another.
Want the roof questions for a real home?
Paste its link. Comped's report shows the year the home was built, and the questions to ask the seller about the roof and the wind mitigation report.
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If Citizens is your insurer
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is a government entity, an integral part of the state. It insures applicants who, in good faith, can't get insurance in the voluntary market13.
If an authorized insurer offers a new applicant coverage including wind at its approved rate, the home is eligible for Citizens only if that offer's premium is more than 20% above Citizens' premium for comparable coverage13.
A home with a dwelling replacement cost of $700,000 or more isn't eligible. In counties where OIR finds there isn't a reasonable degree of competition, a home under $1,000,000 is eligible13.
Citizens also requires flood insurance on its home policies that cover wind, condo unit owners' policies aside, phased in by date13. When Citizens requires flood insurance is set out step by step in our flood guide.
Help from My Safe Florida Home after you buy
My Safe Florida Home is a state program run by the Florida Department of Financial Services148. When the Legislature funds it, it provides hurricane mitigation inspections and grants for mitigation work. The statute says it creates no entitlement14.
The inspection is for a single-family, site-built home on its own parcel that you live in and have a homestead exemption on: detached, or attached and no more than three stories14. So for a buyer, the homestead exemption comes first.
Its report lists recommended improvements, a range of cost estimates and estimated premium discounts. Grants can pay for recommended work on exterior and garage doors, windows and skylights, roof-to-wall connections, roof deck attachment, and secondary water resistance with a new roof covering14.
As the statute reads in 2026, a grant also needs a home built before January 1, 2008, insured for $700,000 or less, a program inspection within the 24 months before you apply, and a low- or moderate-income applicant14.
The state matches $2 for every $1 you put in, up to $10,000 from the state14.
Illustrative mitigation project$12,000
StateYou
Of each $3$2$1
Of the project$8,000$4,000
The most the state pays toward one home's project$10,000
The Office of Insurance Regulation links to the program's own site among Florida's mitigation programs8.
General information, not advice on a home or a policy
This guide explains the rules. A licensed inspector reports on a home's roof and systems, the insurer decides, and an insurance agent can tell you what a policy will cost. Your licensed Comped agent can walk you through the timing.
Questions buyers ask
It depends on the insurer. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation requires one on property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications for homes more than 20 years old. It checks the roof, electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling. For another insurer, ask your insurance agent what it asks for.
Not solely because of age if the roof is under 15 years old. For an older roof, the insurer must let you have it inspected, at your expense, before requiring a new one. If the inspection shows at least 5 years of useful life left, age alone can't be the reason it refuses or doesn't renew. An insurer can still decline for other lawful reasons.
Up to 5 years, as long as the home hasn't materially changed and the form has no inaccuracies. Inspections from April 1, 2026 use the revised state form, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26). A new roof, an added room or new wind mitigation features can be reasons for a new form, so the new features can earn their discounts.
There's no single figure. Florida law requires insurers' rates to include discounts for features that reduce windstorm losses, and the Office of Insurance Regulation approves each insurer's ranges. Your insurer must show you its discounts and their ranges when the policy is issued and at each renewal. Your insurance agent can price a given form.
No. A four-point inspection covers four systems, the roof, electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling, for an insurer deciding whether to write a policy. Citizens' form says it isn't a warranty of the systems' suitability, fitness or longevity. For the home's overall condition, arrange your own inspection with a licensed home inspector.
Insurers must accept the state form signed by a certified building code inspector, a licensed general, building or residential contractor, a professional engineer, an architect, someone else the insurer recognizes, or a licensed home inspector with at least 3 hours of approved hurricane mitigation training and a proficiency exam. The signer must inspect the home personally, though an engineer or a licensed contractor may send a qualified direct employee and stays responsible for the work.
Sources
Primary sources only: the statutes, rules and agency documents each figure comes from.
- 1.Fla. Stat. §627.7011, Homeowners' policies; offer of replacement cost coverage and law and ordinance coverage
The Florida Senate · flsenate.gov · checked
- 2.Inspections
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation · citizensfla.com · checked
- 3.4-Point Inspection Form, sample (Insp4pt 03 25)
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation · citizensfla.com · checked
- 4.Roof Inspection Form, sample (RCF-1 03 25)
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation · citizensfla.com · checked
- 5.Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), adopted by Rule 69O-170.0155, F.A.C.
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation · floir.gov · checked
- 6.Fla. Stat. §627.0629, Residential property insurance; rate filings
The Florida Senate · flsenate.gov · checked
- 7.Fla. Stat. §627.711, Notice of premium discounts for hurricane loss mitigation; uniform mitigation verification inspection form
The Florida Senate · flsenate.gov · checked
- 8.Wind mitigation resources
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation · floir.gov · checked
- 9.Your wind inspection
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation · citizensfla.com · checked
- 10.Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form changes (March 19, 2026)
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation · citizensfla.com · checked
- 11.Wind inspection results
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation · citizensfla.com · checked
- 12.What can I expect in the mortgage closing process?
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · consumerfinance.gov · checked
- 13.Fla. Stat. §627.351(6), Citizens Property Insurance Corporation
The Florida Senate · flsenate.gov · checked
- 14.Fla. Stat. §215.5586, My Safe Florida Home Program
The Florida Senate · flsenate.gov · checked
General information about Florida law, not legal or tax advice. For your home, ask your county's property appraiser, a tax professional or your Comped agent.
What changed
When a law, a rule or a county's figures change, we update the guide and note it here.
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