Do Hurricane Shutters Lower Home Insurance in Florida?
How hurricane shutters can earn a wind mitigation insurance discount in Florida, what the inspection form checks, and the steps Port St. Lucie and Treasure Coast homeowners should take.
Updated 2026-10-21. This is general information, not insurance advice. Ask your insurer or agent what discount applies to your policy. Lucie Home Link is a free referral service operated by Doorstep Digital. We are not a contractor and do not perform any work ourselves. We connect homeowners in St. Lucie and Martin counties, Florida, with independent local service providers, who set their own prices and are responsible for their own work and licensing.
Quick answer
Yes, approved hurricane shutters can lower the windstorm part of a Florida homeowners insurance premium, but only after a qualified inspector documents them on a wind mitigation inspection form and you send it to your insurer. To get the best rating, every glazed opening (windows, sliders, glass doors, skylights) needs verified protection.
Steps for Treasure Coast homeowners
- Find your current wind mitigation report, if you have one, and check what it says under opening protection.
- List every window, sliding door, glass entry door, garage door and skylight, and note which ones are protected today.
- If any openings are unprotected or damaged, get written quotes for approved shutters or screens that cover them. Ask for the product approval number (Florida or Miami-Dade) and whether the installer pulls the permit. See our hurricane shutter page to get connected with a local installer.
- Check the installer's license with our guide to checking a contractor's license in Florida.
- After installation and permit final, schedule a wind mitigation inspection and send the form to your insurer or agent.
- Ask your insurer to confirm, in writing, the credits applied to your policy.
Plan before storm season
Custom shutters and screens can take weeks to make and install, and installers in Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Stuart and the rest of St. Lucie and Martin counties get busy once a storm is forecast. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30.
Sources: Florida Statute 627.0629, Florida Department of Financial Services: mitigation inspections and forms, and the DFS consumer guide Premium Discounts for Hurricane Loss Mitigation.
Common questions
Do hurricane shutters lower homeowners insurance in Florida?
They can. Florida law (Statute 627.0629) requires insurers to offer discounts, credits or deductible reductions for verified wind mitigation features, and opening protection such as approved hurricane shutters is one of them. The discount applies to the windstorm portion of your premium, and the amount depends on your insurer and your home's other features.
How do I get the shutter discount?
Have a qualified inspector complete the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802), often called a wind mitigation inspection, and send it to your insurance company or agent. Shutters you own don't earn credit until they are documented on that form.
Does every window need shutters to get credit?
For the best opening protection rating, yes. The form rates the weakest protection on any glazed opening, including windows, glass doors, garage doors with glass and skylights. One unprotected window or slider can lower the rating for the whole house.
What kind of shutters qualify?
The top ratings go to products that are approved as windborne debris protection under the Florida or Miami-Dade product approval systems and tested for cyclic pressure and large-missile impact. Products that look rated but can't be verified, such as with no product approval label or paperwork, are generally classed as unverified. Keep your permit, product approval number and invoice.
Who can do a wind mitigation inspection?
Licensed home inspectors with the required hurricane mitigation training, general, building or residential contractors, professional engineers, architects, and certified building code inspectors, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services.
How long is a wind mitigation report good for?
A completed form is valid for five years as long as there are no material changes to the house and no inaccuracies are found. Adding or upgrading shutters is a good reason to get a new one.
Which form is used now?
A revised form, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), must be used for inspections done on or after April 1, 2026. It adds a category for damaged or compromised openings, which must be repaired before opening protection credit is applied.
Do I need a permit for hurricane shutters in Port St. Lucie or Martin County?
Permanent shutter installations commonly require a building permit. Check with the City of Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County or Martin County building department for your address, and ask your installer who pulls the permit. A finalized permit also helps document the shutters for your inspection.