Can't get FORTIFIED?
You can still get Wind Mitigation.
If your home has an older plank or skip-sheathing roof deck, it will not pass a FORTIFIED Roof evaluation. That's the reality for most historic and pre-plywood houses in New Orleans. The good news: the proper program-accepted closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive applied to the underside of that same roof deck still earns you a mandatory Louisiana Wind Mitigation insurance discount — and, when the retrofit brings the home into compliance with the State Uniform Construction Code, may also qualify for the Act 467 Construction Code Retrofitting Deduction. That's where the real, near-term savings live for these homes. For the full three-program breakdown, see our FORTIFIED vs. Louisiana Fortify Homes vs. Storm Mitigation blog.
Real homeowner example inside: a New Orleans policy quote showing a 35% Wind Loss Mitigation discount from Louisiana Citizens.
Fully foamed roofline — every seam of the roof deck sealed with the program-accepted closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive.
Why this page exists
We get this call almost every week: "My roof is old, my shingles have some age on them, but the roof itself is fine. Can I still get the insurance discount from foaming the deck?"
If your home is one of the thousands of older New Orleans houses with 1×6 or 1×8 plank decking — or worse, spaced "skip" sheathing — the answer for FORTIFIED is almost always no. FORTIFIED requires a modern 7/16" continuous wood-panel deck with tight seams. Old plank decks with gaps larger than 1/8" simply don't qualify unless the entire roof is re-sheathed.
Louisiana Wind Mitigation is a completely different program. It does not judge the age of your shingles or care whether your deck is plywood or plank. It scores your home against a fixed list of survey questions — and the program-accepted closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive applied to the underside of the deck is one of the biggest ways to move the needle on that survey.
What we mean by "the proper foam"
Both FORTIFIED and Wind Mitigation recognize a specific product: a two-part, spray-applied closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive — the IBHS FORTIFIED technical bulletin calls it closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive. It has to be tested to ASTM E330 (or TAS 202-94) with a minimum design uplift of 110 psf on Hurricane roofs (80 psf on High Wind) and a minimum core density in the 1.5–3.0 pcf range per ASTM D1622. Open-cell foam and light-density foam do not qualify. Diversified Energy only installs the program-accepted product.
How to know if your roof deck disqualifies you from FORTIFIED
Take a flashlight into your attic and look up. What you see on the underside of the roof deck tells the whole story. Below are the four scenarios we see most often in New Orleans.
Plank decking (1×6 or 1×8 boards)
Wide wood planks running perpendicular to the rafters, often with small gaps. Standard on pre-plywood New Orleans homes. FORTIFIED requires re-sheathing the entire roof to qualify — but a properly installed closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive still earns Wind Mit credit.
Skip / spaced sheathing
Deck boards installed with intentional gaps of several inches — originally used under wood shakes. Impossible to seal to FORTIFIED standards without a full re-roof and new plywood. Wind Mit is still on the table with the right foam.
Can also become a semi-conditioned attic
This client's goal was every benefit in one job: Wind Mit strength and security, the mandatory Louisiana insurance discount, and a semi-conditioned, energy-efficient attic. Once the deck is fully foamed, the HVAC and ductwork now live inside the thermal envelope instead of a 130°+ vented attic.
Same deck, foamed
Left side: bare skip decking. Right side: the exact same deck after closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive. That foam layer is what Louisiana Wind Mitigation credits — the age or type of the wood underneath is not the disqualifier it is for FORTIFIED.
Not sure what you're looking at? Text us a photo of your attic ceiling and we'll tell you which category you're in.
How the Louisiana Wind Mitigation discount actually works
Wind Mitigation is a Louisiana Department of Insurance program required under La. R.S. 22:1483. Every homeowners insurance company writing wind coverage in Louisiana must offer premium discounts when your home passes a Wind Mitigation Survey. It applies to one- and two-family owner-occupied homes and modular homes.
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1
We foam your roof deck
The program-accepted closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive is applied to the underside of your existing roof deck — sealing all seams between sheathing and roof framing members. No re-roofing. No shingle work. You keep the roof you have.
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2
A qualified inspector completes the Wind Mitigation Survey
The Louisiana Hurricane Loss Mitigation Survey is a three-page form completed by a Louisiana-licensed building code officer, architect, engineer, or authorized third-party provider. It documents the deck, the sealing method, roof-wall connections, opening protection, and roof geometry.
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3
You submit the survey to your insurance carrier
Your insurance company applies the actuarially justified discount based on the improvements documented on the form. You do not need a new roof, a new deck, or a FORTIFIED certificate to receive it.
Louisiana Citizens Tentative Insurance Quote, Orleans Parish, 2024Real New Orleans example: on a Louisiana Citizens HO-3 policy in Orleans Parish, the Wind Loss Mitigation line item shows a $4,631 discount — about 35% off the base wind premium.
Where your savings actually come from
For a New Orleans home with a plank or skip-sheathing deck, the real savings from foaming the roof deck live in two places: a mandatory insurance premium discount under the Louisiana Wind Mit program, and a state income tax deduction for voluntary storm-mitigation retrofits. Here's how each one works — in plain language, from the actual Louisiana statutes.
Up to 35%wind premium discount
Mandatory Wind Mitigation discount
Every insurer writing wind coverage in Louisiana must offer actuarially justified premium discounts to homeowners whose homes pass the Louisiana Hurricane Loss Mitigation Survey. Foaming the underside of the roof deck with the program-accepted closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive is one of the survey items that moves that discount. On the sample Louisiana Citizens quote below, this line shows up as a $4,631 Wind Loss Mitigation credit — about 35% of the wind premium.
50%of eligible cost
Construction Code Retrofitting Deduction
Louisiana's Construction Code Retrofitting Deduction allows a state individual income tax deduction equal to 50% of the cost paid to voluntarily retrofit an existing residential structure to bring it into compliance with the State Uniform Construction Code storm-mitigation provisions — less any other state, municipal, or federal incentive. It requires the Louisiana homestead exemption on the retrofitted home; rentals are not eligible.
$0 sales taxon storm shutters
Sales & use tax exclusion
Separately from the roof deck work, Louisiana law provides an exclusion from state sales and use tax on storm shutter devices — products marketed specifically to prevent window damage in a storm or hurricane. Useful if you're combining a Wind Mit foam job with shutter upgrades to move more survey points on the same visit.
Fine print homeowners always ask about
- Homestead exemption required for the deduction. The CCRD applies to your primary residence — the same structure you claim your Louisiana homestead exemption on. Rental properties are not eligible for the deduction. The Wind Mit insurance discount itself applies to any owner-occupied one- or two-family home or modular home covered by a Louisiana wind policy.
- Deduction is net of other incentives. Under Act 467, the amount you can deduct is 50% of the retrofit cost after subtracting any state, municipal, or federal financial incentives you received for the same work.
- The insurance discount is not optional for the insurer. Under La. R.S. 22:1483 (and later Act 533 of 2024 for FORTIFIED-specific discounts), Louisiana insurers must offer premium reductions when a qualified inspector documents mitigation improvements on the Wind Mit survey.
- Talk to your tax professional. We are not tax advisors — we install the product and hand you the documentation your accountant needs. The LDI Storm Mitigation Incentives trifold (PDF) is the official source; see the Documents section below.
What the work looks like
A crew from Diversified Energy foaming a New Orleans attic. No mess on your roof, no changes to your shingles — all the work happens from inside.
Additional jobsite photos and short walk-through videos from real New Orleans homes will be added here.
The documents behind every claim on this page
Everything referenced on this page is sourced from official documents. Download them, share them with your insurance agent, or take them to your Wind Mit inspector.
Louisiana Hurricane Loss Mitigation Survey
The exact three-page survey form your inspector will complete. Section II is the scoring form.
Open PDF → Louisiana LDIResidential Property Storm Mitigation Incentives
Commissioner of Insurance summary of premium discounts, tax deductions, and sales-tax exclusions available for mitigation improvements.
Open PDF → Louisiana LDILDI Trifold — Tax Deductions & Credits
The Department of Insurance trifold detailing Act 467, Act 473, and Act 404 — the deduction and credit language homeowners hand to their accountant.
Open PDF → Real ExampleLA Citizens Wind Mit Discount — New Orleans quote
Sample HO-3 quote showing a $4,631 Wind Loss Mitigation discount on an Orleans Parish policy.
Open PDF → IBHS FORTIFIEDFORTIFIED F-SRD-1 — Sealed Roof Deck With Spray Foam
The IBHS detail behind FORTIFIED roof-deck foaming. Requires 7/16" min. sheathing at 24" O.C. — which old plank decks do not meet.
Open PDF → IBHS FORTIFIEDFORTIFIED F-RR-5 — Gap Decking Retrofit
IBHS drawing showing what has to happen to bring a gapped 1× deck up to FORTIFIED: new structural wood panels installed over the existing boards.
Open PDF → IBHS FORTIFIEDFORTIFIED F-DE-3 — Drip Edge Requirements
The drip-edge detail FORTIFIED requires on High Wind roofs. Another line item not required to earn Wind Mitigation credits.
Open PDF →Looking for the rest of the paperwork?
Every FORTIFIED, Louisiana Fortify Homes, and Wind Mitigation document we reference lives on our full document repository, along with tax deductions, discount guides, and evaluator checklists.
Related reading from Diversified Energy
You may not need a new roof to earn the discount.
If your New Orleans home has an older plank or skip-sheathing roof deck, and your shingles still have life left in them, the program-accepted closed-cell polyurethane foam adhesive is almost always the shortest path to a real Wind Mitigation insurance discount — with a Louisiana tax deduction potentially on top. Let's take a look at your attic.