Wind Mitigation Inspection in Fort Myers and Lee County

Lee County sits outside the HVHZ but took a direct hurricane hit in 2022, which reshaped a large share of its roofs. Here is what that means for wind mitigation scoring in the Fort Myers area.

Lee County, including Fort Myers, sits outside Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so Question 1 of your form follows the standard statewide code path rather than the Miami-Dade and Broward HVHZ path.

What matters most locally?

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Lee County in September 2022, and a large number of local roofs were replaced or repaired in the years since. That matters directly for your wind mitigation form: a replaced roof deck, new roof covering, or newly installed shutters can move a home into a stronger scoring tier than its original 2000s-era construction would suggest, but the form only reflects what is current, so a pre-Ian inspection report on a post-Ian roof will understate what you actually qualify for. If your roof has been touched since 2022, a fresh inspection is worth prioritizing; see when should you get a wind mitigation inspection. One more thing changed in 2026: Florida moved the form from seven questions to nine (OIR-B1-1802, Rev. 04/26, effective April 1), so a report written before that date will not line up question-for-question with a fresh one.

Finding your home's permit history

The Lee County Property Appraiser site is the starting point for confirming your home's year built and any recorded permit history, including post-storm roofing permits.

What does it cost locally?

Southwest Florida runs slightly above the statewide middle: $90 to $160 standalone, $155 to $245 combined with a 4-point, per the Naples / Southwest Florida regional figures at inspectordata.com, the closest published regional band to Lee County.

How many licensed inspectors are in Lee County?

Florida's licensee register lists 344 active home inspector licences with a Lee County address, the 5th highest of the state's 67 counties and 4.8% of the 7,150 held statewide. The towns holding the most are Cape Coral (146), Fort Myers (89), Lehigh Acres (25), Bonita Springs (18). Cape Coral holds more of them than Fort Myers does, 146 against 89, which is worth knowing if you are pricing a trip charge from the wrong side of the river. A further 14 licences are held in the county but flagged inactive, meaning the holder cannot currently practise under them, so ask for a licence number and check it. The full county-by-county register shows how that compares with the rest of Florida, and remember that a home inspector is one of five licensed categories permitted to sign the form.