General information, not legal, engineering or insurance advice.
If you are replacing a roof in Louisiana, it's worth knowing about FORTIFIED Roof. It's a voluntary standard for building a roof that holds up better in high winds and heavy rain. Louisiana law requires many insurers to offer a premium reduction for homes built or retrofitted to FORTIFIED standards, and the state has run a grant program to help homeowners pay for the upgrade. This guide explains how each piece works and where to check the current details.
What a FORTIFIED Roof is
FORTIFIED is a program of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). IBHS describes FORTIFIED Roof as a voluntary construction and re-roofing program designed to help roofs resist severe weather. Compared with a typical re-roof, the standard calls for upgrades such as:
- A sealed roof deck, so that if shingles or other roof covering blow off, much less water gets into the house.
- Stronger deck attachment, using ring-shank nails in an enhanced nailing pattern to help keep roof sheathing in place.
- Stronger edges, including a wider drip edge and a fully adhered starter strip, because wind damage often starts at the roof edge.
- Roof coverings tested for high winds, such as shingles with high wind ratings, or metal and other systems tested for the design pressures at your site.
Source: FORTIFIED Roof, IBHS.
How the designation works
A FORTIFIED designation isn't something a roofer can simply declare. According to IBHS, the process works like this:
- Choose a contractor and an evaluator. FORTIFIED keeps a directory of trained roofing contractors and of FORTIFIED Evaluators, who are independent third parties. You can choose your own evaluator.
- Re-roof to the standard. Your roofer installs the required upgrades and coordinates with the evaluator so key steps can be inspected.
- Documentation. The evaluator collects photos and product information during the project and submits them to IBHS.
- Certificate. IBHS reviews the documentation and, if the standard is met, issues a FORTIFIED designation certificate, which the evaluator delivers to you.
A designation lasts for a five-year period; at the end of each period a renewal inspection by a certified evaluator is required.
Sources: Getting Started, FORTIFIED;Renew Your Designation, FORTIFIED.
Insurance discounts under Louisiana law
Louisiana Revised Statute 22:1483 says that any insurer required to submit rates and rating plans to the Commissioner of Insurance shall provide an actuarially justified discount, credit, rate differential, deductible adjustment or other premium reduction to insureds who build or retrofit a structure to the State Uniform Construction Code or to the IBHS FORTIFIED Home or FORTIFIED Commercial standards. To receive the FORTIFIED adjustment, the property must be inspected and certified by an IBHS-certified inspector, and the certification must be given to the insurer before the adjustment takes effect.
The statute doesn't set one fixed discount for every policy. How much you save depends on your insurer, your policy and how the discount is applied. Ask your agent or insurer what reduction applies to a FORTIFIED Roof designation, and send them a copy of your certificate as soon as you receive it.
Source: La. R.S. 22:1483, Louisiana State Legislature.
The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program
The Louisiana Department of Insurance runs the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP), which provides grants toward upgrading a home's roof to the FORTIFIED Roof standard. According to the program's published rules:
- Grants of up to $10,000 go toward the cost of the roof upgrade. Homeowners pay any costs above the grant amount.
- Grants are awarded through a lottery during registration periods, subject to available funding, so registering doesn't guarantee a grant.
- The home must be the owner's homestead. Condominiums and mobile homes aren't eligible, and insurance requirements apply.
- Homeowners hire a certified FORTIFIED evaluator and get bids from program-approved contractors.
- Grant funds are paid directly to the contractor after the home receives its FORTIFIED certificate.
- Starting work before you're approved by the program can make you ineligible.
Program rules, funding and registration dates change from round to round. Check the official program page for the current eligibility rules and registration schedule before you sign a roofing contract.
Sources: Louisiana Fortify Homes Program, Louisiana Department of Insurance;LFHP Homeowner Rules and Requirements.
Questions to ask a roofer
- What is your LSLBC license number, and does it cover roofing? (Look it up on the LSLBC contractor search.)
- Have you completed FORTIFIED training, and have your past FORTIFIED roofs received designations?
- Which evaluator do you usually work with, and is it all right if I choose my own?
- Does your quote include every FORTIFIED requirement, such as the sealed deck, deck re-nailing and edge details?
- How will you price replacement decking if rot is found after tear-off?
- If I'm applying for a Fortify Homes grant, are you an approved contractor for the program?
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