FORTIFIED Roof in Alabama: what your roofing estimate needs to earn it

What FORTIFIED is, and the Roof level

FORTIFIED is a voluntary construction and re-roofing program from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), designed to strengthen homes against severe weather such as high winds, hail, and hurricanes. It has three levels for homes: FORTIFIED Roof, FORTIFIED Silver, and FORTIFIED Gold.

According to the Alabama Department of Insurance, the FORTIFIED Roof level is designed to keep the roof on and the rain out during high-wind storms, and it includes sealing the roof deck, locking down roof edges, and installing impact-resistant shingles. Silver and Gold build on the Roof level, and Gold also requires the home's entire structure to be tied together.

The department also reports results from a University of Alabama study of Hurricane Sally claims: FORTIFIED, at all levels studied, reduced loss frequency by at least 55 percent, and claim severity for FORTIFIED homes decreased by 15 to 40 percent.

The designation comes from an evaluation, not the invoice

A roofer saying a roof is FORTIFIED is not the same as a designation. Strengthen Alabama Homes, a division of the Alabama Department of Insurance, describes the evaluation as a required step in the FORTIFIED process: a certified FORTIFIED Evaluator reviews the home's current condition, documents the steps needed to reach the FORTIFIED Roof level, works with your contractor to document the work, and submits the home for certification. The result is an IBHS FORTIFIED designation certificate.

Evaluators charge a fee that is the homeowner's responsibility, and the program says fees vary by evaluator, so ask before you choose one.

The documentation is not a formality. In the Hurricane Sally study, FORTIFIED homes also fared better than homes built to municipal building codes with identical criteria but without FORTIFIED's documentation and evaluation. The study did not examine why, but the department says the evaluation process likely plays a factor.

What your roofing estimate should say

If you are paying for a FORTIFIED Roof, the estimate should say so specifically: that the work is to the IBHS FORTIFIED Roof standard, which evaluator will document it, who pays the evaluation fee, and that the job is not finished until the designation certificate is issued. Two quotes that both say FORTIFIED can still describe different work, so compare the roof deck sealing, the roof edge work, and the shingle product line by line.

Tie the final payment to the certificate. Strengthen Alabama Homes itself pays contractors only after the FORTIFIED certificate is issued, which is a sensible model for a job you pay for yourself.

Strengthen Alabama Homes grants

Strengthen Alabama Homes provides grants for wind mitigation on existing, owner-occupied, single-family homes in counties on its grant award schedule. It does not cover rentals, townhomes, condominiums, or mobile homes, and the home cannot be listed for sale during the process. The program says its funding comes from the insurance industry in Alabama, not the state's general budget.

Grants pay 100% of the cost of mitigation up to $10,000, the work must meet the FORTIFIED Roof standard, and the homeowner pays the evaluation fee and any cost above the grant. After the evaluation, the homeowner chooses three contractors from the program's list to bid, the grant award letter arrives before the work begins, and the contract is between the homeowner and the contractor.

The program also requires proof of an in-force homeowners policy before the grant is paid, flood insurance if the home is in a special flood hazard area, and an in-force wind insurance policy when the work is complete. Grant rounds open by county on a schedule, so check the program's website for current dates.

If a storm damages your roof first

The FORTIFIED program says most insurance carriers in Alabama offer a FORTIFIED Endorsement: extra coverage that pays additional funds to help offset the cost of upgrading to a FORTIFIED Roof if your roof is being replaced because of a covered loss. The cost of the endorsement varies by carrier, so ask your agent whether your policy has one before storm season.