Could a stronger roof-to-wall connection lower your insurance costs? Florida’s revised OIR-B1-1802 form now recognizes certain performance-based retrofit solutions for wind mitigation credits. Learn how proper installation, documentation, and Simpson Strong-Tie retrofit solutions can help improve resilience and qualify for savings.

Purpose, History, Roof-to-Wall Attachment Overview and Simpson Strong-Tie Solutions

Background 

In Florida, a roof-to-wall connection is not just a detail on a drawing. It is a critical part of the structure’s continuous load path, and in high-wind events, its performance can influence whether a roof system remains engaged with the supporting walls or begins to fail. That reality is one reason the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802) matters to engineers, inspectors, contractors, insurers, and homeowners alike. The form provides a common framework for identifying and documenting residential wind mitigation features, and it increasingly ties field observations to performance-based criteria that affect both risk evaluation and insurance premium credits. 

History of Form OIR-B1-1802 

OIR-B1-1802 form first appeared in July 2007 as Florida continued refining how residential wind mitigation features should be documented after hurricane losses and code evolution exposed the need for greater consistency in the field. Since then, the Office of Insurance Regulation has revised the 1802 form several times to keep pace with changes in building science, regulatory expectations, and insurance practice. The latest revision, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), approved by the Florida Cabinet in September 2025, is especially notable because it introduces performance-based options for roof-to-wall attachments and updates the form to better reflect current engineering principles. Beginning April 1, 2026, all wind mitigation inspectors must use the recently revised 1802 form to document their wind mitigation inspection evaluations. 

Purpose of the OIR-B1-1802 Form 

From a practical standpoint, the purpose of OIR-B1-1802 form is straightforward: create a consistent basis for documenting wind-resistant features that may influence insurance eligibility and pricing. For inspectors, the form provides a structured way to record observed mitigation measures. For insurers, it provides documentation that can support premium credits. For homeowners, it gives a clearer connection between specific upgrades and potential resilience benefits. And for the broader wind mitigation industry, it supports Florida’s statutory requirement that qualifying mitigation features be recognized in residential property insurance rating. 

Mitigation features assessed include: 

1. Building Code compliance (version in force at time of permit application) 
2. Region (location based on design wind speed) 
3. Roof Slope (main roof area slope) 
4. Roof Covering type and compliance documentation 
5. Roof Deck Attachment (weakest form present) 
6. Roof-to-Wall Attachment (weakest connection present) 
7. Roof Geometry (shape of the roof) 
8. Sealed Roof Deck / Secondary Water Resistance (SWR) 
9. Opening Protection (wind-borne debris protection for all openings) 

Roof-to-Wall Attachment Classifications  

One of the more significant changes in the OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) form is the addition of performance-based retrofit options for Clips, Single Wraps, and Double Wraps roof-to-wall attachment classifications. This update recognizes that retrofit solutions can be evaluated based on tested and documented allowable wind uplift capacity rather than just visual geometry as long as the retrofit solution is installed per the manufacturer’s installation specifications and the installation is properly documented. For existing homes, especially those being reroofed, that distinction creates new cost-effective opportunities to qualify for wind mitigation insurance premium credits when using engineered retrofit metal connectors or structural fasteners that meet allowable wind uplift capacities even if the connectors or fasteners do not physically wrap over the truss/rafter.

Importance of Proper Installation 

As with any performance-based solution, installation is just as important as product selection. A retrofit connector or fastener that is not installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements may not achieve its published capacity, even when the connector itself is appropriate for the application. That is one reason visual inspection by itself isn’t always enough. For example, a flat tension strap such as a Simpson Strong-Tie LSTA attached at the top of the wall and wrapped over a truss may appear to create a roof-to-wall connection, but that condition alone doesn’t automatically satisfy the form’s performance-based uplift resistance requirements because strap configuration, fastener type, edge distance, and load path continuity all govern the resulting capacity — not just the presence of a wrapped strap. To support wind mitigation credit, the installation must follow the connector or fastener manufacturer’s installation requirements and be backed by documentation demonstrating both compliance and the required uplift performance. 

Need for Site-Specific Documentation 

Because the revised form allows certain retrofit solutions to qualify on a performance basis, documentation becomes a central part of the evaluation. Site-specific documentation helps verify that the installed connector or fastener assembly meets the required allowable uplift capacity, confirms that installation conditions are consistent with the manufacturer’s published requirements, and gives insurers a defensible basis for applying mitigation credits to the property being inspected. 

Depending on the application, supporting documentation may include manufacturer literature showing published uplift capacities and installation requirements, Florida product approval details, project records or purchase documentation tied to the inspected property, and photographs that document the installed conditions in the field. The key is that the documentation should be specific enough to connect the evaluated hardware, the installation configuration, and the subject property location. 

Because the OIR-B1-1802 form remains valid for a five-year period, it is essential that all documentation supporting the initial inspection be retained by the building owner. In many cases, retrofit connectors or structural fasteners may not be visible during future inspections, and the original documentation may be the only means for a future inspector to verify continued compliance for insurance purposes. 

Simpson Strong-Tie Retrofit Roof-to-Wall Attachment Solutions 

To support the performance-based retrofit provisions added to the OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) form, Simpson Strong-Tie has published engineered roof-to-wall retrofit solutions in the Products for Florida Wind Mitigation Retrofit When Reroofing technical bulletin, TEB‑C‑FLRETRO. These solutions are particularly relevant for reroofing projects, where access conditions may make retrofit improvements more practical and cost effective to implement.

When installed and documented properly, the Simpson Strong-Tie roof-to-wall attachment retrofit solutions shown in the technical bulletin can be used to help homes qualify for wind mitigation insurance premium credits.  Under the revised form, performance-based retrofit solutions must meet a minimum allowable wind uplift capacity consistent with the target classification wind uplift thresholds (e.g., 535 lb. for “Single Wraps” and 891 lb. for “Double Wraps”).  

The final roof-to-wall attachment classification approval remains subject to field verification by a qualified inspector and acceptance by the insurer. 

Retrofit Season Is Open 

Now is the time for homeowners to act! With the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation now recognizing performance-based roof-to-wall retrofit solutions that are more economical to install and qualify for the highest level of insurance premium credits, there’s a clear opportunity to improve your home. Strengthening the roof-to-wall connection enhances structural resilience, reduces wind-related risk, and helps safeguard the home’s occupants when it matters most.   

Let’s Keep Your Roof On!