A wind mitigation inspection is a visual assessment of the condition of a roof and the techniques used during its construction. While anyone can perform a wind mitigation inspection, only a  licensed general contractor, building contractor, architect, engineer, building inspector, or home inspector can perform it legally. 

If you’re about to do or have done a wind mitigation inspection for your house, you might be wondering how long the inspection is good for. Keep reading to find out the answer and understand more about wind mitigation inspections.

About the Wind Mitigation Inspection

A good reason to have a roof assessed with a wind mitigation inspection, aside from general safety, is to save money. Insurance carriers provide discounts for homes that get a passing grade in their wind mitigation inspections. Typically, the higher the grade is, the higher the discount is. 

The inspection report will cover seven key areas that will dictate how well a roof can withstand strong wind. 

  1. Construction Year

The construction year tells a lot about the roof and the home itself. Aside from giving people an idea how old the materials are, it also tells the inspector how strict the building code was back when it was constructed. 

  1. Roof Covering

Roofs can come in all shapes and sizes but they still have to be made with typical roofing materials such as tiles, panels, or shingles. The inspection will take note which roofing materials are used and how old the roof is in general. 

  1. Roof Decking

After checking out what the roof is covered with, the inspector will check the construction and materials of the decking, or where the roofing material is attached to. The inspection will check what material the decking is made of, how the roofing materials are attached, what type of nails are used to attach the roofing materials to the decking, and so on. 

  1. Roof to Wall Attachment

Some hurricanes that have come by in the past have been strong enough to rip entire roofs off of houses. Thus, it is important to assess how well the roof is attached to the walls of the house.  

  1. Roof Shape

The shape and slope of the house will play a major factor when it comes to wind resistance. The length of how much the roof hangs over houses have even been limited to 20 inches in the past to help minimize the damage caused by strong winds.

  1. Secondary Water Resistance

The material used in between the roofing material and the decking.

  1. Opening Protections

Additional openings in the roof such as windows, vents, skylights, etc. 

How Long is a Wind Mitigation Inspection Good for?

Assuming no substantial changes have been made, legal wind mitigation inspections performed by licensed professionals can be valid for up to five years. However, if significant changes have been made to the roof within the last 5 years, you can have another wind mitigation inspection to be sure. 

Conclusion

Wind mitigation inspection is not required by any means but it does help assess how well your roof can withstand strong wind. Since safety is always a priority, it is recommended to get your roof inspected every now and then to ensure that your roof will be fine when the time comes.