When it comes to protecting your home, your roof plays a critical role — serving as your first and most important line of defense against the elements. However, not all roofs are built to withstand severe weather in the same way.
An IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ goes beyond standard construction practices. A roof meeting the IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ standard is specifically engineered to help your home’s roof stand strong against high winds, wind-driven rain, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes, offering an added layer of resilience when it matters most.
Discover what makes an IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ different, how it’s designed to perform under pressure and how it compares with a conventional roof so you can make a more informed decision about protecting your home.
What is an IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™?
An IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ is a roofing system built to a higher standard, based on decades of science by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).[1] Rather than focusing on a single material or construction method, it strengthens the entire roofing system — from how it’s attached to how it keeps water out.
When severe weather strikes, an IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ is designed to help keep wind and rain from entering your home, reducing the risk of widespread damage to both the structure and your belongings.
The system is also designed to work with nearly any type of roof covering —including shingles, metal, tile, composite and low-slope roofs — giving homeowners flexibility while enhancing overall resilience.
What is the IBHS FORTIFIED Home™ program?
The FORTIFIED Home™ program from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) uses proven construction upgrades to strengthen both new and existing homes, making them more resistant to high winds, wind-driven rain, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes.[1]
A key component of the program is a thorough evaluation conducted by an independent, third-party, certified evaluator. Following the evaluation, the evaluator provides a comprehensive report to IBHS for review to verify your home meets all the requirements of the IBHS FORTIFIED standard.
This type of detailed, verified information is not typically available for homes that are not part of the FORTIFIED program — giving homeowners greater confidence in how their home is built to perform when it matters most.
Benefits of an IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™
Your roof is your home’s first line of defense against weather-related threats. By choosing an IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™, you may help protect your home from wind-related weather events and may qualify for homeowners insurance discounts or mitigation credits, depending on your state, policy, designation level, and applicable eligibility requirements.[1]
IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ upgrades may involve additional materials, labor, and third-party verification costs. Costs vary based on the home, location, building-code requirements, and designation level.
An IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ includes several enhancements designed to strengthen your home’s overall resilience[2]:
- Stronger roof attachment: Reinforces the roof deck attachment of your home for added strength
- Improved decking integrity: Requires minimum roof deck thickness and replacements of damaged sections to create a strong, reliable nailing surface that helps protect against wind and rain intrusion
- Enhanced water protection: Seals the gaps in the wood decking to reduce the risk of water entering the home — even if the roof covering is damaged or lost
- Reinforced roof edges: Locks in the sealed roof deck and roof cover edges for enhanced protection at the roof’s most vulnerable areas, the perimeter edges and corners
- Wind-resistant roof covering: To help keep the roof cover on during high winds, roof covers must meet minimum FORTIFIED wind rating requirements, or greater, for locations that are subject to higher wind speeds
- Impact-resistant roof covering: For homes located in regions prone to high winds and hail, pursuing the Hail Supplement with your IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ designation requires IBHS proprietary Hail Impact Ratings for asphalt shingles and other specific hail impact test ratings for other roof cover types to provide roof coverings that are designed to better withstand hail impacts and reduce hail-related damage.
- Water-intrusion-resistant attic vents: Requires the use of attic vents that are proven to prevent wind-driven rain from entering the attic during a severe storm, keeping the attic and the home below it dry
Conventional Roof vs IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™
Ensuring that a home meets IBHS FORTIFIED™ standards starts with the roof — one of the most critical and vulnerable parts of any house.
An IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ is specifically designed to better resist wind damage and water intrusion, going beyond standard construction. While conventional roofs often meet only minimum building code requirements, IBHS FORTIFIED roofs use upgraded materials and installation methods to create a stronger, more durable system.[1]
Here’s how they compare:
- Stronger re-roofing approach
Many conventional roofs have multiple layers of finished roofing as a result of subsequent re-roofing over top of existing roofing over the years, which weakens the attachment of the roof cover and does not allow for assessing existing roof deck condition, re-nailing of the roof deck, or installation of the sealed roof deck. An IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ requires that roofing materials be removed down to the bare deck during re-roofing, allowing for enhanced roof deck attachment, inspection of the existing roof deck, and installation of a new sealed roof deck. - More durable repairs and materials
Conventional repairs made with lower-grade materials or not installed to manufacturer specifications present a potential vulnerability in the overall performance of the roof. IBHS FORTIFIED Roofs require that damaged areas are documented to be repaired with IBHS FORTIFIED compliant materials and installation methods to maintain the integrity and performance of the original IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™. - Improved fastening methods
Standard roofs may use staples or minimally sized, smooth-shank nails installed at spacings that are insufficient to resist high winds from events such as hurricanes. IBHS FORTIFIED Roofs use 8d ring-shank nails, which have two times the uplift resistance of their smooth shank counterparts, spaced at a tight fastening pattern, significantly strengthening the roof deck’s attachment and resistance to high winds. - Enhanced water protection
Gaps in conventional roof decking can allow water to enter if the roof covering is damaged. IBHS FORTIFIED roofs feature a sealed roof deck that is proven to substantially reduce water intrusion.[3] - Higher-performing materials
Conventional roofs may use materials that don’t meet regional wind or hail impact standards. All IBHS FORTIFIED roofs require high-wind-rated coverings and engineered vents designed to resist both wind and water intrusion. IBHS FORTIFIED Roofs with the Hail Supplement also require hail-impact-rated roof coverings.
Keep in mind that conventional roofs can be more prone to failure during severe weather, allowing wind and water to quickly enter and cause extensive damage. An IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™, by contrast, is built as an integrated system that’s designed to stay intact longer, reduce leaks and better protect your home and everything inside.
The bottom line
An IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ is one way homeowners can enhance their home's protection against severe weather. Built as an integrated system, it’s designed to:
- Help keep wind and water out
- Reduce the risk of costly, widespread damage
- Provide greater confidence during severe weather
Simply put, it’s more than an upgrade; it’s a stronger, smarter defense for your entire home.
Before you begin any roofing project, be sure to find a licensed contractor with a strong record of safety and a proven track record of quality and accountability to help ensure that your home is built to perform when it matters most. To achieve a, IBHS FORTIFIED Home – Roof designation, the roof must be installed by a certified IBHS FORTIFIED roofing contractor and an IBHS FORTIFIED certified evaluator.