Glossary

Home hardening

Upgrades to a house's roof, openings, vents and materials so it resists a specific hazard such as wind, hail or wildfire embers, not just insures against it.

Also called: retrofitting, storm hardening, wildfire hardening, resilience upgrades, mitigation upgrades

Home hardening is physical risk reduction: changing the house so the same storm or fire does less damage. The right measures depend on the hazard. For wildfire, embers carried ahead of the flames are a leading way houses ignite, so the checklist centers on a Class A roof assembly, fine-mesh ember-resistant vents, noncombustible gutters and siding, enclosed eaves, tempered dual-pane windows, and clearing the first five feet around the walls. For hurricanes and hail it means a properly nailed and sealed roof deck, stronger roof-to-wall connectors, impact-rated windows or shutters, and an impact-resistant roof covering.

IBHS publishes programs for both hazards, FORTIFIED for wind and hail and Wildfire Prepared Home for fire, and a designated house is easier for an insurer to recognize. Many states fund grants for the work, and some require insurers to give credits for documented upgrades.

Hardening reduces risk but does not guarantee an insurer will write or renew you, and credits can be smaller than the bill. Get the quote adjustment from your agent first, keep invoices and photographs, and ask whether the carrier needs an inspector's form. See home hardening for wildfire and insurance discounts, state home hardening grant programs and the roof and mitigation upgrade payback calculator to compare cost against premium savings.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

FORTIFIED Home A voluntary construction standard from the insurer-funded IBHS that strengthens a house against wind, hail and storm damage, with certified designations. Defensible space The managed buffer of trimmed, thinned and cleared vegetation around a house that slows a wildfire and gives firefighters room to defend the structure. Mitigation credit A premium discount for building features shown to reduce storm or wildfire damage, such as a reinforced roof, impact windows or defensible space. Impact-resistant roof A roof built with a covering tested to withstand hail and debris impact, which can earn a premium credit from some insurers in hail-prone states. Class 4 roof A roof covering that earned the top impact rating under the UL 2218 test, which simulates hail with a dropped steel ball, and that insurers may discount. Wildfire risk score A number a modeling vendor assigns to a property to estimate its exposure to wildfire, which insurers use to accept, price or decline coverage.

Related guides

Construction type and rates: frame, masonry and more How insurers classify frame, masonry veneer and masonry homes, why walls matter for fire and wind, and why a brick house is not always rated as brick. Defensible space and wildfire insurance What defensible space and California's new Zone 0 rules require, how insurers inspect and score your vegetation, and what to do if renewal depends on clearing. The FORTIFIED Home standard and insurance discounts What IBHS FORTIFIED Roof, Silver and Gold require, which states mandate discounts, what it costs, how long it lasts, and the 2027 shingle limit. Home hardening for wildfire and insurance discounts Which wildfire retrofits matter most, what the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home standard requires, and which measures California insurers must credit. Owning a home in a wildfire area: keeping your coverage Fire is covered. Staying insured is the hard part. What to do before renewal, what a nonrenewal leaves you with, and how FAIR Plans and surplus lines fit. Hurricane season insurance checklist A dated checklist for homeowners: what to review before the season, what has a lead time, what to do at a watch and what to gather before evacuating.

Related insurers

AAA - CSAA Insurance Group Walnut Creek-based AAA insurer, a reciprocal exchange, selling home, condo and renters policies to members of partner AAA clubs in 23 states and D.C.

Related states

Montana Montana has no FAIR plan. State Farm and Liberty Mutual lead, premiums rose 74% from 2018 to 2024, and wildfire nonrenewals hit Ravalli and Flathead counties. New Mexico New Mexico home insurance: State Farm leads, wildfire and burn-scar floods drive nonrenewals, and the FAIR plan now covers homes up to $750,000 at cash value.

Related tools

Hurricane and wildfire season insurance checklist A checklist for the insurance side of hurricane and wildfire season: what to do before the season, as a storm or fire nears, and after the event. Roof and mitigation upgrade payback calculator Weigh a roof or storm-hardening upgrade, after grants, against the premium discount it earns and see how many years it takes to pay for itself.