Secondary Water Resistance on Florida's Wind Mitigation Form: What Counts as a Sealed Roof Deck

	Other roof, no SWR	Other roof, SWR	Hip roof, no SWR	Hip roof, SWR
Deck A (6d @ 6"/12"), toe nails	0%	6%	47%	50%
Deck A (6d @ 6"/12"), clips	35%	42%	62%	66%
Deck B (8d @ 6"/12"), toe nails	9%	14%	49%	52%
Deck B (8d @ 6"/12"), clips	58%	65%	68%	73%

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

What question 8 asks

The form titles question 8 "Sealed Roof Deck/Secondary Water Resistance (SWR)" and describes it as "applied as a supplemental means to protect the dwelling from water intrusion in the event of roof covering loss." It then says: "Standard underlayment or hot-mopped felts do not qualify as an SWR." There are three answers: A, Sealed Roof Deck (also called SWR); B, No Sealed Roof Deck; and C, Unknown or undetermined.

OIR's notice to policyholders, OIR-B1-1655, defines SWR as "a layer of protection between the shingles and the plywood underneath that protects the building if the shingles blow off."

Citizens' Wind Loss Mitigation Guide says that on the previous form, SWR was simply "yes, no, or unknown." It says Rev. 04/26 defines multiple qualifying methods, including spray foam products, and retitles the section "Sealed Roof Deck."

The four ways to qualify

Fully adhered membrane: fully adhered polymer-modified bitumen roofing underlayment complying with ASTM D1970.
Taped deck seams: tape over the roof deck seams, with felt or synthetic underlayment. The tape must be a strip at least 3.75 inches (95 mm) wide of self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen membrane complying with ASTM D1970, or self-adhering flexible flashing tape complying with AAMA 711, Level 3, for exposure up to 176°F (80°C).
Double layer, no tape: two layers of ASTM D226 Type II, ASTM D4869 Type III or Type IV, or ASTM D8257 underlayment.
Spray foam: spray foam products, installed along rafter deck intersections, all panel joints and similar areas. The inspector can check a box if the entire underside of the roof deck is covered.

Spray foam also appears in question 5. Rev. 04/26 added answer E there for spray foam products with an uplift resistance of 110 psf (FOS 1.5), installed the same way. See roof deck attachment: 6d vs. 8d nails.

Why a sealed roof deck is hard to prove

Citizens' guide says that "because the secondary water barrier is generally not visible on completed roofs, confirming a sealed roof deck can be difficult." Before it enters Sealed Roof Deck/SWR in its systems, Citizens says the inspection should include photos, permits, a Fortified Home certificate or other supporting documentation to validate that the feature exists.

The form says at least one photograph or document must accompany it to validate each attribute marked in questions 2 through 9, and any documentation used to validate an attribute must be attached. A FORTIFIED Home Roof, Silver or Gold certificate may be used to validate questions 4 through 6, 8 and 9. Citizens' guide says underwriting may ask for additional photographs or other documentation.

Citizens' page on wind inspections says attic access is required to verify certain mitigation features. It says that if the inspector cannot access your attic, you may not be eligible for discounts for roof-to-wall attachment, roof-deck attachment and secondary water-resistance features.

How Citizens enters each answer

A. Sealed Roof Deck: entered as SWR.
B. No Sealed Roof Deck: entered as No SWR.
A current Fortified Home Roof, Silver or Gold certificate: entered as SWR.
C. Unknown or undetermined: entered as Unknown or Undetermined.

If the roof deck attachment is a reinforced concrete roof deck, Citizens' guide says to check its Wind Loss Mitigation Help Chart to decide whether SWR or Not Applicable should be entered, and that the correct selection varies by year built and terrain. OIR-B1-1699's new construction table notes that a reinforced concrete roof deck includes SWR.

What SWR can be worth

OIR-B1-1699 gives separate columns for no SWR and SWR in every row. In the rows above, where the roof covering is not equivalent to the Florida Building Code, SWR adds between 3 and 7 percentage points. In the rows where the roof covering is FBC-equivalent, the gap is smaller: with deck A, clips, a non-hip roof and no opening protection, the table shows 49% without SWR and 50% with it.

OIR-B1-1655 says discounts "are not calculated cumulatively," the total is not the sum of the individual discounts, and the discounts apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of your policy. OIR's resources page says it continues to evaluate OIR-B1-1699 and OIR-B1-1655 for updates, so ask your insurer for its current figures. See how much a wind mitigation inspection saves and roof shape.

Adding SWR when you reroof

Florida Statutes s. 553.844(2)(b)2. directs the Florida Building Commission to adopt, for site-built, single-family homes built before the Florida Building Code, secondary water barriers for roofs and standards for them. It says the criteria may not be limited to one method or material. Section 553.844(3)(a) says the rules must require that a roof replacement on a site-built, single-family home incorporate that technique, along with strengthening or correcting roof-decking attachments. See new roof: Florida reroof rules.

Florida Statutes s. 215.5586(2)(e) says that when recommended by an initial hurricane mitigation inspection, My Safe Florida Home grants may be used for roof improvements that include installing secondary water resistance and replacing the roof covering. Section 215.5586(2)(a)4. says the home must have been built before January 1, 2008, and s. 215.5586(2)(f) says improvements must be identified by the final hurricane mitigation inspection to receive grant funds. See My Safe Florida Home vs. a private inspection.

Before your inspection

Clear the attic access: Citizens says attic access is required to verify secondary water-resistance features, and that your representative should know where to find it if you can't attend.
Gather roofing paperwork: Citizens lists receipts with product specifications, work orders, invoices and roofing permits as acceptable documentation, and our guide to finding your roof permits shows where to look.
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 city pages such as Jupiter and Delray Beach list inspectors by area.

FAQ

Does regular roof underlayment count as secondary water resistance?

No. Question 8 of the OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) says standard underlayment or hot-mopped felts do not qualify as an SWR. A double layer of ASTM D226 Type II, ASTM D4869 Type III or Type IV, or ASTM D8257 underlayment is one of the qualifying methods.

What counts as a sealed roof deck on the wind mitigation form?

The form lists four methods: fully adhered polymer-modified bitumen underlayment complying with ASTM D1970, tape at least 3.75 inches wide over the deck seams, two layers of qualifying felt or synthetic underlayment, or spray foam installed along rafter deck intersections and all panel joints.

How does the inspector verify secondary water resistance?

Citizens says the secondary water barrier is generally not visible on completed roofs, so it wants photos, permits, a Fortified Home certificate or other supporting documentation. Citizens also says attic access is required to verify secondary water-resistance features.

How much is secondary water resistance worth?

In OIR's OIR-B1-1699 table, a non-hip roof with deck B nailing, clips and no opening protection shows 58% without SWR and 65% with it, when the roof covering is not FBC-equivalent. OIR-B1-1655 says the discounts apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of the policy and are not cumulative.

Does a FORTIFIED roof certificate count for SWR?

Yes, according to the form and Citizens. The OIR-B1-1802 says a FORTIFIED Home Roof, Silver or Gold certificate may be used to validate question 8, and Citizens' guide enters a current certificate as SWR.

Sources

Florida OIR, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), questions 5 and 8 and photo requirements: floir.gov (PDF) (checked Oct 30, 2026)
Citizens Wind Loss Mitigation Guide (Rev. 04/26), section 8 and the documentation and Fortified Home requirements: PDF (checked Oct 30, 2026)
Citizens Property Insurance, Your Wind Inspection (attic access, documents): citizensfla.com (checked Oct 30, 2026)
Florida OIR, Windstorm Mitigation Discounts; Single Family Residences, OIR-B1-1699: floir.gov (XLS) (checked Oct 30, 2026)
Florida OIR, Notice of Premium Discounts for Hurricane Loss Mitigation, OIR-B1-1655 (Rev. 02/10): floir.gov (PDF) (checked Oct 30, 2026)
Florida OIR, Wind Mitigation Resources (form list and dates): floir.gov (checked Oct 30, 2026)
Florida Statutes s. 553.844 (2026), windstorm loss mitigation; requirements for roofs and opening protection: leg.state.fl.us (checked Oct 30, 2026)
Florida Statutes s. 215.5586 (2026), My Safe Florida Home Program, subsection (2): leg.state.fl.us (checked Oct 30, 2026)