The FORTIFIED Home standard and insurance discounts

FORTIFIED Home is a voluntary building standard from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), the research group funded by property insurers and reinsurers. It sets three levels of wind-resistant construction for houses, Roof, Silver and Gold, each verified by an independent evaluator and valid for five years. Some states require insurers to discount FORTIFIED homes, and others leave it to the insurer, so the discount you get depends on where you live and who writes your policy.

IBHS announced on May 20, 2026 that the program had passed 100,000 designations nationwide, with more than half earned in the previous three years (IBHS). The program addresses wind and wind-driven rain, with an optional hail supplement. It does not address flood, fire or earthquake.

The three levels

Each level includes everything in the one below it. The current rules are the 2025 FORTIFIED Home Standard, which applies to projects permitted on or after November 1, 2025 (FORTIFIED technical documents).

(FORTIFIED Roof, Silver, Gold.) IBHS says as much as 90% of catastrophe-related insurance claims include roof damage, which is why a FORTIFIED Roof is required at every level (FORTIFIED FAQ). The features behind the Roof level are explained in secondary water resistance and roof-deck attachment, and openings in hurricane shutters and impact windows: protection and savings.

There are two regional versions. FORTIFIED Hurricane applies where the ASCE 7 ultimate design wind speed is greater than 115 mph, and FORTIFIED High Wind applies at 115 mph or less. An optional Hail Supplement can be added to either. Under the 2025 standard, asphalt shingles for the supplement must be rated "Good" or "Excellent" in IBHS's hail shingle ratings, and a UL or FM rating alone no longer qualifies them (2025 FORTIFIED Home Standard). See Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofs and hail discounts. Single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses and some manufactured homes are eligible; manufactured homes qualify for the Roof level only.

How designation works

1. Choose a level and standard with a FORTIFIED-trained professional or evaluator from the program directory.
2. A FORTIFIED-certified roofing contractor does the roof work. Under the 2025 standard, all FORTIFIED Roof components must be installed by a qualified contractor listed in the directory.
3. An independent FORTIFIED Evaluator documents and verifies the work. Without evaluator verification there is no designation and no financial benefit.
4. IBHS reviews the file and issues the certificate.
5. Send the certificate to your insurer and ask for a re-rate in writing.

IBHS's own estimate is that re-roofing a 2,000-square-foot home to FORTIFIED typically adds $1,000 to $3,000, and a new FORTIFIED Gold home can add 1% to 3% to the budget, plus a verification fee (FORTIFIED FAQ). Your contractor's quote is the real number.

How long it lasts

A designation is valid for five years. Re-designation requires an evaluator's inspection focused on the roof covering and any changes, and the on-time window runs from one year before to one year after expiration. IBHS notes that many insurers require renewal every five years to keep the discount, so a lapse can raise your premium.

A new limit for asphalt shingles starts next year. Under IBHS Technical Bulletin FH 2026-03, first released September 29, 2026, a home with an asphalt shingle roof can stay designated for at most 15 years from the initial designation or from the documented shingle installation date. If the installation date is unknown, there is one initial term of up to five years and no re-designation until the roof is replaced. It applies to applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027, and does not shorten terms already issued (FH 2026-03). Replacing the shingles restarts the eligibility.

Does it reduce losses?

IBHS summarizes a 2025 University of Alabama study of more than 40,000 properties hit by Hurricane Sally in 2020 as finding FORTIFIED homes 70% less likely to have an insurance claim, with damage severity 22% lower than similar homes (IBHS wind policy). That is IBHS's summary of one storm in one region, and IBHS is funded by the insurance industry, so treat the percentages as indicative and not as a guarantee for your house.

Which states require a discount

The mandates differ in kind. Most require an "actuarially justified" discount and do not set a percentage.

(See Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Minnesota and North Carolina.) The percentages in the sources reviewed show the range. Alabama's 2016 benchmarks, still referenced by the Department in 2024, run from 35% for Roof (then called Bronze) to 55% of the hurricane premium for Gold in the coastal zone, and 20% to 30% on the "other wind and hail" premium (ALDOI Bulletin 2016-07). Louisiana's Department of Insurance report, as of July 1, 2026, lists company-filed FORTIFIED Roof discounts such as 26% to 30% for the Allstate group and 25% for Allied Trust, with others in the single digits, mostly applied to the wind and hail portion (LDI). Oklahoma has no mandate found; its list of voluntary Roof discounts, based on 2018 filings, runs from 3% to 42% (OID).

Two cautions. The credit usually applies to the wind or hurricane portion of the premium, not the whole bill. And in Alabama, the state grant program notes that admitted carriers must honor the certificate while surplus lines carriers are not obligated to give the discount (Strengthen Alabama Homes). If your policy is with a surplus lines insurer, ask.

The FORTIFIED roof endorsement

Separately from a discount, some policies offer an endorsement that pays the added cost of rebuilding a roof to the FORTIFIED standard after a covered roof loss. Alabama and Kentucky require insurers to offer one; Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Mississippi have insurers that offer them, and the coverage varies in what it pays, such as materials and labor up to a limit, or only the evaluator's fee (FORTIFIED FAQ). Kentucky's Department of Insurance said in Bulletin 2026-08 (September 30, 2026) that some insurers' filings illegally excluded roof framing, sheathing or decking work needed for designation, and told them to refile by November 1, 2026 (KY DOI). Read the endorsement's wording: a form that covers shingles but not the deck work will not get you to FORTIFIED.

Is it worth doing?

The honest case on each side:

• For: the extra cost is smallest when you are replacing the roof anyway; several states fund grants for it (state home hardening grant programs); a statutory discount may apply; and the construction details reduce wind loss.
• Against: the premium discount may be modest, applies mainly to the wind portion and in many states is not guaranteed; designations lapse every five years and shingle roofs will face the 15-year cap; and a retrofit on a roof that doesn't need replacing is costly.

Get the insurer's credit for Roof, Silver and Gold in writing, then run the figures in the roof and mitigation upgrade payback calculator. Also compare a wind mitigation inspection, which may earn credits for features you already have.

Key takeaways

• FORTIFIED has three levels, Roof, Silver and Gold, each verified by an independent evaluator and valid for five years; a hail supplement is optional.
• Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky and Minnesota (with the hail supplement) have FORTIFIED-specific discount laws; Florida and South Carolina require general wind-mitigation credits; North Carolina uses Rate Bureau credits. None of these fixes your exact percentage.
• Discounts generally apply to the wind or hurricane part of the premium and need renewal every five years; from 2027, asphalt shingle roofs face a 15-year limit on designation.
• Alabama and Kentucky require insurers to offer a FORTIFIED roof endorsement; read what it actually pays for.
• Get the insurer's credit in writing before you start, and add FORTIFIED when you are replacing the roof anyway.