Find Out If FORTIFIED Can Save You Money
Because FORTIFIED homes meet a standard that is scientifically proven to be more resilient than homes built to ordinary building codes, they may provide financial benefits to homeowners in more than a dozen states. In some, insurers offer specific discounts to homes with a FORTIFIED designation, and they can be as high 55%! In other states, discounts are offered for specific upgrades included in the FORTIFIED standard. Four states also offer tax credits – which can be as high as $5000 – to homeowners who strengthen their homes against storms.
Find out if you might be eligible for these incentives.
State-Specific Incentives
Depending on where you live, there may be different opportunities to help you strengthen your home or to save money once you’ve done so. Check the lists below to see if mitigation incentives are available in your state.
Incentives Offered Specifically for FORTIFIED
In these states, it pays to have the added protection of a FORTIFIED home. Incentives like insurance discounts, grants and/or tax credits are available to help offset the costs of upgrading to the standard. Additionally, FORTIFIED endorsements may be available, as well.
Alabama
- With over 30,000 FORTIFIED homes, Alabama leads the nation in resilient construction and reroofing. So, it’s no surprise there are numerous incentives available to homeowners. Click here to learn more.
Georgia
- Discounts – The Georgia Underwriting Association Mitigation Program specifies insurance discounts for FORTIFIED construction in the State and how to qualify.
Mississippi
- Discounts – Many insurers in Mississippi offer discounts for homes meeting the FORTIFIED standards—some as high as 55% off the wind portion of a homeowners premium.
- Endorsements– One of the largest insurers of coastal residences, the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association (MWUA), offers a free FORTIFIED endorsement to its policyholders. When a covered claim results in a roof replacement, the endorsement is triggered, and MWUA will pay additional funds to help offset the cost of upgrading to a FORTIFIED Roof.
North Carolina
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North Carolina has invested heavily in making its coastal communities more resilient, and now nearly 5000 homes, there, have a FORTIFIED designation. Numerous incentives are available to North Carolina homeowners. Click here to learn more.
Oklahoma
- Discounts – Many insurers in Oklahoma offer discounts for homes meeting the FORTIFIED standards—some as high as 42% off the wind and hail portion of your homeowners premium.
South Carolina
- Discounts – A 2016 survey identified 17 insurers providing FORTIFIED discounts to residents of South Carolina, with some offering savings of more than 50% on the wind portion of your homeowners premium.
- Tax credits – South Carolina provides an income tax credit for the costs incurred to retrofit a home to make it more resistant to hurricanes or other catastrophic windstorm events. The tax credit for any taxable year is limited to 25% of the total costs incurred or $1,000, whichever is less.
Additionally, the State allows an income tax credit of up to $1,500 for State sales or use taxes paid on purchases of tangible personal property used to strengthen one’s legal residence.
FORTIFIED Qualifies for Other Incentives
Although FORTIFIED is not specifically named, the upgrades required in the standard may make homeowners eligible for incentives in these states. Items like impact-resistant shingles, hurricane shutters, or pressure-rated garage doors can result in insurance discounts, grants and/or tax credits.
Connecticut
- Discounts – Most Connecticut insurers offer premium discounts for homes with permanent storm shutters or impact-resistant glass (a requirement of FORTIFIED Gold and FORTIFIED Silver in hurricane areas).
Florida
- Discounts – Insurers in Florida provide discounts for residential properties that use construction materials or techniques to reduce the risk of storm damage. You can use the Florida Wind Insurance Savings Calculator to estimate the insurance savings you will receive for various home features, upgrades and mitigation measures—including those required by the FORTIFIED standards.
- Grant program – The Hurricane Loss Mitigation Retrofit Grant funds retrofits, inspection fees, and construction upgrades designed to increase the ability of a structure to withstand hurricane-force winds.
- Homeowners can also access the Florida Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program to finance up to 100% of the costs of making a home resilient to hurricanes. Property owners repay the financing for the PACE improvements through a special assessment that is added to their property tax bill each year of an agreed-upon term.
Louisiana
- Discounts – Most insurers in Louisiana offer discounts when a homeowner builds or retrofits a structure to comply with the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code or installs mitigation improvements demonstrated to reduce the amount of loss from a windstorm or hurricane. Click here for more details.
- Tax Deductions – Louisiana provides a tax deduction of up to $5,000 (or 50% of the cost, whichever is lower) for retrofitting an existing residential structure to the updated codes. Some of the qualifying retrofits include a sealed roof deck, enhanced roof attachment, gable-end bracing, and opening protection—all of which are included in the FORTIFIED standards.
Maryland
- Discounts – Insurers in Maryland offer discounts to homeowners who have made improvements or repairs that mitigate loss or damage from a hurricane or storm. Some of the qualifying improvements include hurricane shutters, a sealed roof deck, braced gable ends, reinforced roof-to-wall connections, tie downs, and updated exterior doors (including garage doors)—all of which are addressed in the FORTIFIED standards.
New Jersey
- Discounts – Many insurers in New Jersey offer premium discounts for homes with permanent storm shutters or impact-resistant glass (a requirement of FORTIFIED Gold and FORTIFIED Silver in hurricane areas).
New York
- Discounts – Many insurers in New York offer premium discounts for homes with permanent storm shutters or impact-resistant glass (a requirement of FORTIFIED Gold and FORTIFIED Silver in hurricane areas).
Rhode Island
- Waiver of Deductible – In Rhode Island, homeowners may have their hurricane deductible waived if they complete certain specified mitigation measures, specified by law, and have those measures inspected by their insurer.
Texas
- Discounts – Homes with a FORTIFIED designation may qualify for insurance discounts through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) and some insurance companies. FORTIFIED can also qualify a home for many other discounts for mitigation features such as opening protection, wind-resistant construction, and a secondary water barrier.
Don’t Miss Out on Incentives.
Many of the incentives listed on this page require not only that upgrades have been made, but also that the work has been documented by an evaluator and a FORTIFIED designation has been issued.
01
Get a Contractor
Contractor includes all upgrades required by FORTIFIED standard
02
Get an Evaluator
FORTIFIED evaluator verifies key elements and provides documentation to IBHS for review.
03
Get the Designation
IBHS provides designation, which you can provide to your insurance agent or tax preparer.
04
Get Discounts!
Get discounts or tax credits!
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Stay In The Know
Do you want to keep up with the latest resiliency research? Would you like timely tips and reminders to keep your home safe from Mother Nature? Are you interested in the science behind the FORTIFIED standard? Then sign up for the FORTIFIED Update, today!