Hip roof vs. gable roof: roof shape on the wind mitigation form

OIR-B1-1699 wind premium credits for existing construction: roof covering not equivalent to the Florida Building Code, no secondary water resistance, no opening protection, terrain B, 2% deductible. Rounded to whole numbers. OIR lists this form as effective October 2006 with updates pending.

What question 7 asks

The form asks: "What is the roof shape?" It tells the inspector not to count roofs of porches or carports that are attached only to the fascia or wall of the house over unenclosed space when working out the roof perimeter or roof area. There are three answers: A, Hip Roof; B, Flat Roof; and C, Other Roof, which is any roof that does not qualify as A or B.

OIR's notice to policyholders (OIR-B1-1655) describes a hip roof as "your roof sloping down to meet all your outside walls (like a pyramid)." Citizens' Wind Loss Mitigation Guide says a mitigation discount applies to hip roofs "due to the reduced uplift pressure it provides."

The 10% rule

Answer A is a "hip roof with no other roof shapes greater than 10% of the total roof system perimeter." The inspector writes down two numbers: the total length of non-hip features, in feet, and the total roof system perimeter, in feet. Citizens' guide repeats the 10% limit and says photographs are required. It lists no key changes to question 7 on the Rev. 04/26 form.

Gable and other roof shapes

Citizens' guide says any roof geometry that is not hip or flat will be classified as Other Roof by the inspector, including gable roofs. When agents enter the roof shape in Citizens' systems, the guide tells them to refer to the photographs to decide when Gable or Flat should be selected, and to select Other only if the main roof shape is not one of the options in Citizens' systems.

Flat roofs

Answer B, Flat Roof, is for a roof on a building with five or more units where at least 90% of the main roof area has a slope of less than 2:12. The inspector records the roof area with a slope under 2:12 and the total roof area, in square feet. Citizens' guide words it slightly differently, saying a flat roof shape only applies to a building with more than 5 units. Under the form's wording, a flat roof on a building with fewer than five units does not meet answer B, and answer C covers any roof that does not qualify as A or B.

Roof slope is a separate question

Question 3, new on Rev. 04/26, asks whether the slope covering at least two-thirds of the main roof area is 6:12 or steeper, or less than 6:12. Citizens' guide says roof slope does not impact credits or discounts, but the slope on the form should match the roof style and slope on Citizens' replacement cost estimate.

Photos instead of a full inspection

Citizens' Wind Loss Mitigation Guide lists cases where the Rev. 04/26 form may not be required. One is "applying only for a hip roof credit," where it says "clear photographs can be submitted instead of a full inspection." That is Citizens' guidance; if another company insures your home, ask it what it accepts.

When the full form is used, it says at least one photograph or document must accompany it to validate each attribute marked in questions 2 through 9. A FORTIFIED Home Roof, Silver or Gold certificate may be used to validate questions 4 through 6 and 8 through 9, according to the form; question 7 is not in that list.

What a hip roof can be worth

OIR describes OIR-B1-1699 as displaying the range of wind premium credits for existing construction on single family residences. In each of the rows at the top, the hip column is higher than the other-roof column, and the gap is widest in the first row, the weakest combination shown: 0% versus 47% with 6d deck nails and toe nails, and 58% versus 68% with 8d deck nails and clips. OIR-B1-1655 says discounts "are not calculated cumulatively" and apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of your policy. OIR's resources page says it continues to evaluate OIR-B1-1699 for updates, so ask your insurer for its current figures. See how much a wind mitigation inspection saves.

Florida Statutes s. 627.0629(1) says a residential property rate filing must include actuarially reasonable discounts, credits or other rate differentials, or appropriate reductions in deductibles, for properties with fixtures or construction techniques "demonstrated to reduce the amount of loss in a windstorm."

Hip and gable ends in the reroof law

Florida Statutes s. 553.844(2)(b) directs the Florida Building Commission to adopt mitigation techniques for site-built, single-family homes built before the Florida Building Code, starting with prescriptive techniques for installing gable-end bracing. For improved roof-to-wall connections, it says that for houses with both hip and gable roof ends, the priority is to retrofit the gable end roof-to-wall connections unless the width of the hip is more than 1.5 times greater than the width of the gable end. See new roof: Florida reroof rules and roof-to-wall attachment.

Before your inspection

• Ask about photos: if a hip roof credit is all you need and you are with Citizens, its guide says clear photographs can be submitted instead of a full inspection.
• Clear the attic access: for a full inspection, Citizens says attic access is required to verify certain features, and that without it you may not be eligible for roof-to-wall attachment, roof-deck attachment and secondary water-resistance discounts.
• Give documents first: Citizens asks you to give the inspector copies of any mitigation documents before the inspection begins.
• Compare prices: our Palm Beach County prices page lists wind mitigation prices published by inspectors, and the city pages list inspectors by area.

FAQ

Does a hip roof lower home insurance in Florida?

It can lower the hurricane-wind part of the premium. Citizens' Wind Loss Mitigation Guide says a mitigation discount applies to hip roofs due to the reduced uplift pressure it provides, and OIR-B1-1655 says mitigation discounts apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of the policy. In OIR's OIR-B1-1699 table, a home with 6d deck nails at 6"/12", toe nails, no secondary water resistance and no opening protection shows 0% with an other roof shape and 47% with a hip roof.

What counts as a hip roof on the wind mitigation form?

Question 7 of the OIR-B1-1802 counts a hip roof only when no other roof shapes make up more than 10% of the total roof system perimeter. Roofs of porches or carports attached only to the fascia or wall over unenclosed space are not counted.

Does a gable roof get the roof shape credit?

No. Citizens' Wind Loss Mitigation Guide says any roof geometry that is not hip or flat, including gable roofs, is classified as Other Roof by the inspector.

Do I need a full wind mitigation inspection for a hip roof credit?

Citizens' Wind Loss Mitigation Guide says the OIR-B1-1802 may not be required when you are applying only for a hip roof credit, and that clear photographs can be submitted instead of a full inspection. Other insurers may have their own rules.

Does roof pitch affect the wind mitigation discount?

Question 3 of the form records whether the main roof is 6:12 or steeper, or less than 6:12. Citizens' guide says roof slope does not impact credits or discounts, but it must match the roof slope on Citizens' replacement cost estimate.

Sources

• Florida OIR, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), questions 3 and 7 and photo requirements: floir.gov (PDF) (checked Oct 28, 2026)
• Citizens Wind Loss Mitigation Guide (Rev. 04/26), form requirements and sections 3 and 7: PDF (checked Oct 28, 2026)
• Citizens Property Insurance, Your Wind Inspection (attic access, documents): citizensfla.com (checked Oct 28, 2026)
• Florida OIR, Windstorm Mitigation Discounts; Single Family Residences, OIR-B1-1699: floir.gov (XLS) (checked Oct 28, 2026)
• Florida OIR, Notice of Premium Discounts for Hurricane Loss Mitigation, OIR-B1-1655 (Rev. 02/10): floir.gov (PDF) (checked Oct 28, 2026)
• Florida OIR, Wind Mitigation Resources (form list and dates): floir.gov (checked Oct 28, 2026)
• Florida Statutes s. 627.0629 (2026), residential property insurance; rate filings: leg.state.fl.us (checked Oct 28, 2026)
• Florida Statutes s. 553.844 (2026), windstorm loss mitigation; requirements for roofs and opening protection: leg.state.fl.us (checked Oct 28, 2026)