Learning Center · Roofing
The IBHS Stronger Roof Program: What a Designation Means for a Texas Home
The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety runs a voluntary program that sets a stronger standard for roofs than the building code and certifies homes built to it. Here is what it requires, who can do the work, what it means for insurance in Texas, and where The Roof Shepherd stands.
Updated October 19, 2026
Read This First
The short version
- A nonprofit funded by insurers, IBHS, runs the FORTIFIED Home™ program.
- Its first level, a FORTIFIED Roof, asks for more than the building code: a sealed deck, ring-shank nails, all new flashing and wind-rated shingles.
- To get a designation, a certified roofer does the work, a certified evaluator documents it, and IBHS reviews it. It lasts 5 years.
- The Roof Shepherd is not a certified FORTIFIED roofing company, so a roof we install cannot receive a designation.
- In Texas, TDI encourages insurers to offer discounts but does not require them, so ask your insurer in writing before you pay for one.
To have your current roof documented before you decide anything, use Get Help or call or text 512-575-5052.
Short version: 2 min. Full page: 8 min. Want the detail? Each section below opens with a tap, or switch to Full at the top to open them all.
Plain Answer
Where The Roof Shepherd stands on this program
We are not certified in it, so a roof we install cannot be designated; here is what we can do and who can.
We are not certified
The Roof Shepherd is not a certified FORTIFIED™ roofing company. IBHS requires two years in business, counted from the date the company was formed, and The Roof Shepherd LLC was formed in February 2026. Because a designated roof must be installed by a certified company, a roof we install cannot receive a designation.
If you want a designation
Find a certified roofer and evaluator in the IBHS directory. It lists the ones who serve your area, and you choose your own evaluator; IBHS says you should always be able to. Ask your insurer in writing what, if anything, it gives for a designation before you sign.
What we can do
We can document your roof as it is today, slope by slope. Then you know its condition before you decide whether a designation is worth it for your home.
The Program
What the program is, and its three levels
A voluntary IBHS program with three levels, Roof, Silver and Gold, each building on the one before.
Who runs it
IBHS is a nonprofit research group. It says it is funded only by property insurers and reinsurers. Its program is voluntary: no Texas law requires a home to have it.
Three levels
Roof covers the deck attachment, a sealed deck, the roof covering and the vents. Silver, in the High Wind version, adds garage doors, gable ends, chimney ties and attached porches and carports. Gold adds a continuous load path from the roof to the foundation. Every level starts with the roof.
High Wind or Hurricane
Two wind versions exist: Hurricane where the design wind speed is over 115 mph, High Wind where it is 115 mph or less. An optional Hail Supplement can be added to either. The program does not address flood.
2025 Standard
What the roof standard requires that the code does not
A tear-off, a sealed deck, ring-shank nails, new flashing and drip edge, sealed edges and wind-rated shingles.
The deck
Every old layer comes off down to the deck, and the sheathing must be at least 7/16 inch, with any damaged sheet replaced whole. On a reroof the deck gets added ring-shank nails, 8d at 4 inches apart into the framing, and every deck seam is sealed, for example with tape at least 4 inches wide under the underlayment. Our deck and underlayment guide explains each layer.
Edges and drip edge
New drip edge goes on every eave and rake over the underlayment, lapped 3 inches and nailed at most 4 inches apart. The eave is sealed with a self-adhering starter or a band of flashing cement, and shingles may not hang more than 1/4 inch past the drip edge. How roof edges shed water is in our roof edges and drainage guide.
Flashing, shingles and vents
All flashing must be new. Shingles must be rated ASTM D3161 Class F or ASTM D7158 Class H for wind, and ridge and off-ridge vents must carry a TAS 100(A) rating. Gutters and guards that interfere with the edge details can cost a designation.
Photos as proof
Photos prove the work. They are taken on site at set stages: the nails, the nail spacing from above and in the attic, the taped seams, the underlayment, the product labels and each finished slope. Poor photos can deny the designation.
Hail Supplement
The optional hail supplement
An add-on that calls for shingles rated Good or Excellent on IBHS’s own hail tests.
Shingles rated for hail
The Hail Supplement asks for asphalt shingles rated Good or Excellent on IBHS’s own shingle hail impact ratings, and Class 4 for metal and tile. IBHS says its Good and Excellent shingles outperform typical Class 4 shingles against realistic hail up to 2 inches. The list changes, so check IBHS’s current ratings rather than a product name. For storms at your own address, see hail history.
The Process
How a home gets a designation, and how long it lasts
A certified roofer, an evaluator’s site visits, IBHS review, then a certificate good for 5 years.
The steps
There are four steps. You hire a certified FORTIFIED roofing company and a certified evaluator. The evaluator documents the work on site and submits it. IBHS reviews the file and issues the certificate. On an existing home the evaluator visits at least twice, generally when materials arrive and after the sealed deck is in.
Who may do it
Not every roofer can do this work. A certified company needs, among other things, a certified employee with field experience, a top tier manufacturer certification, two years in business and the general liability insurance IBHS sets. It may not use an evaluator from its own or an affiliated company.
How long it lasts
A designation lasts 5 years, and a new roof designation counts only for the first 5 years after the reroof. Renewal is a new inspection, from 1 year before to 1 year after it expires. IBHS charges the evaluator a submission fee for each designation, and evaluators set their own fees.
TDI
What it means for insurance in Texas
TDI encourages insurers to offer discounts but sets no amount, and few insurers reported one in 2024.
What TDI says
TDI asks insurers to offer discounts but does not require them. Its Bulletin B-0008-26, issued September 16, 2026, encourages insurers to develop discounts for loss mitigation, naming this program, impact-resistant roofs and wildfire protection. It sets no amount, and it reminds insurers that Texas law requires rates to be based on risk.
What insurers reported
Few insurers reported a discount. In a 2024 study done for TDI, 4 of the 23 insurer groups that answered a voluntary survey said they offered a discount for these designations. Whether yours does, and how much, is your insurer’s decision, so ask in writing before paying for an upgrade for a discount. How roof age changes a claim is in roof age, ACV and deductibles.
What may change
A 2025 grant bill, HB 1576, passed the House and died in a Senate committee. As of October 19, 2026 we found no bill filed for the next session; the Legislature meets in January 2027, so discounts and grants may change.
Primary Source
Where to read the program yourself
IBHS publishes the standard, the steps and the directory of certified roofers and evaluators.
IBHS’s own pages
IBHS puts the whole program online. It publishes the 2025 standard and its checklists, a homeowner page for each level, the steps to a designation, an insurance incentives page and a directory of certified roofers and evaluators. FORTIFIED and FORTIFIED Home are IBHS marks, named here only to describe its program.
Common Questions
Questions homeowners ask
Is a FORTIFIED roof required in Texas?
No. It is a voluntary program run by IBHS, and no Texas law requires a home to have it. The building code sets the minimum; this program sets a stronger standard that a homeowner may choose.
Will a FORTIFIED roof lower my insurance in Texas?
It depends on your insurer. TDI’s Bulletin B-0008-26 encourages insurers to offer discounts but sets no amount and requires none, and in a 2024 study done for TDI, 4 of 23 responding insurer groups said they offered one. Ask your insurer in writing before you pay for an upgrade.
Can any roofer install a FORTIFIED roof?
Only a certified FORTIFIED roofing company can install a roof that receives a designation, with the work documented by a certified evaluator and reviewed by IBHS. The Roof Shepherd is not certified, so a roof we install cannot be designated.
How long does a FORTIFIED designation last?
Five years. A new roof designation counts only for the first 5 years after the reroof, and renewal takes a new inspection, from 1 year before to 1 year after the designation expires.
Is a FORTIFIED roof the same as a Class 4 roof?
No. Class 4 is an impact rating on a roofing product. The program covers how the whole roof is attached and sealed, and its optional Hail Supplement uses IBHS’s own shingle hail ratings, which IBHS says outperform typical Class 4 shingles in its tests.
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