Glossary

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.

Also called: wind mitigation credit, mitigation discount, hardening discount

A mitigation credit is a rate reduction for features that make a home less likely to be damaged by a specific hazard, such as hurricane wind, hail or wildfire. Eligible features include roof-to-wall connections with hurricane straps, a sealed roof deck (secondary water resistance), impact-rated windows or shutters, a hip roof shape, an impact-resistant roof covering, and, for wildfire, ember-resistant vents, noncombustible siding and cleared defensible space.

A qualified inspector documents the features. In Florida, insurers use the state's uniform mitigation verification inspection form (OIR-B1-1802), and section 627.0629, Florida Statutes, requires insurers to give discounts or deductible reductions for demonstrated windstorm-loss reduction. Other states use their own programs or insurer schedules. Say a $3,000 premium drops 20% after an inspection finds a hip roof and shutters (hypothetical): that is $600 a year, which you can weigh against the inspection fee and any upgrade cost.

Pitfalls include credits that vanish when an inspection expires or after a roof replacement, features never reported to the insurer, and wide differences in credits between companies. Ask for a new inspection after upgrades, and get quotes from several carriers. See the wind mitigation guide, the FORTIFIED guide and the roof and mitigation upgrade payback calculator.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

In the index now

Related terms

Wind mitigation inspection An inspector's checklist of a house's storm-resistant features, such as roof fastening and window protection, that insurers use to apply wind discounts. Opening protection Impact-rated glass or tested shutters over a home's windows, doors, skylights and garage door that keep debris and wind from breaching the walls in a storm. Roof-to-wall connection The hardware that fastens roof rafters or trusses to the top of the walls, which decides whether a high wind can lift the roof off the house. 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. Protective device discount A premium credit for installing safety equipment such as monitored burglar or fire alarms, sprinklers, smoke detectors, deadbolts or water-leak shutoffs.

Related guides

How the age of your home affects insurance Older homes cost more to insure and can be harder to place because of aging wiring, plumbing and roofs. Newer homes earn credits that fade. What to document. How catastrophe models shape your premium Catastrophe models estimate yearly losses from hurricanes, wildfires and storms. How that output reaches your rate, who checks the models and what you can fix. Climate change and home insurance: what's changing How wildfire, storms, flooding and heat, plus more homes in harm's way and costlier repairs, feed into premiums, deductibles and availability. 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. Elevating a home and other flood mitigation How elevation, flood openings, raised equipment, floodproofing and buyouts work, what each does to flood insurance premiums, and where the money comes from. 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.

Related tools

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.