$10,000 roof grants coming to MS. Rules exclude some South MS cities, counties
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- Program offers up to $10,000 homeowner grants for roofs that reduce wind damage.
- Eligibility tied to local adoption of 2024 IRC; FORTIFIED supplements proposed.
- MID can spend $15M yearly; public comment period ends April 28, 2026.
Mississippi finally has a program that will offer grants of up to $10,000 each to qualified homeowners for roofs that protect homes from wind damage in hurricanes, tornadoes and other severe storms.
The Strengthen Mississippi Homes program adopted this session by the state Legislature will roll out July 1, Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said. The legislation gives the Mississippi Insurance Department authority to spend $15 million a year in fees collected from insurance companies for the program.
The money will fund about 1,200 grants for roofs, Chaney said, although fewer grants could be awarded as the program ramps up.
“We do not want to get in a situation where we oversell this and can’t deliver,” Chaney said.
As MID’s regulations are currently written, most, if not all, South Mississippi homeowners will not qualify for the statewide program. But MID is still finalizing its rules, so that is expected to change.
Chaney told the Sun Herald on Wednesday that localities using the 2024 International Residential Code will be able to participate.
“It’s extremely important for people to participate in the program if they’re going to be able to afford to live on the Gulf Coast and have a home to come back to after a hurricane or catastrophic event,’ he said.
Only South Mississippi, which includes the lower six counties, is subject to the adoption of the 2024 IRC.
Sen. Scott Delano of Biloxi, a sponsor of the bill and longtime advocate of the grant program, said stronger building codes for South Mississippi are the only way to get major property insurance companies to return to the market. Those companies began pulling off the coastline after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to have policies written by trusted sources, the admitted carriers who are going to be here after a storm event,” Delano said. The rates and policies of admitted carriers — such as State Farm, Allstate and Nationwide — are regulated by MID.
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South MS cities eligible for roof grants
Coast cities operating under IRC 2024, where Chaney says homeowners will be eligible for the program once regulations are tweaked, are:
- Bay St. Louis
- Diamondhead
- Waveland
- Biloxi
- Long Beach
- Pass Christian
All four cities in Jackson County enforce the 2018 IRC and are ineligible for Strengthen Mississippi Homes. Also operating under the 2018 code and ineligible for the program are D’Iberville, Gulfport and all three Coast counties.
Under proposed regulations, all South Mississippi localities also would need to adopt code supplements that apply to FORTIFIED roofs, but Chaney said that stipulation might change to give cities and counties additional time to adopt those supplements after the grant program starts.
Gulfport Mayor Hugh Keating said his administration is working on recommendations that would include adopting pertinent IRC 2024 provisions that would qualify city residents for Strengthen Mississippi Homes.
“The cities and the counties need to get their building codes updated so they can satisfy the roofing requirements,” Keating said. “That’s an important part of the goal in updating ours.”
Other requirements to qualify for the program include:
- The single-family home must be the homeowner’s primary residence and can’t be a condominium or mobile home.
- The home must be in good repair, with a wind and hail insurance policy in force.
- Homes in special flood hazard areas must be covered by a flood policy.
Other proposed regulations and program guidelines are listed here. MID is accepting written comments on the proposed regulations until 4:00 p.m., April 28, 2026. Comments can be mailed to MID, P.O. Box 79, Jackson, MS, 39205.
Insurance nonprofit sets FORTIFIED standards
Roofing standards for Strengthen Mississippi Homes are set by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, a nonprofit the insurance industry funds. IBHS has trademarked the term FORTIFIED for roofs built to those standards.
FORTIFIED roofs must have a sealed roof deck to keep out rain, stronger edges to prevent roofing material from peeling away in high winds and stronger attachments to hold a roof together.
“When severe weather strikes,” the IBHS website says, “a FORTIFIED Roof keeps the wind and rain out, preventing a cascade of damage that can destroy your home and belongings.”
Mississippi officials have been trying since 2007 to agree on a grant program for stronger roofs.
Meanwhile, the neighboring states of Louisiana and Alabama have pulled far ahead with grant programs that help homeowners strengthen roofs through the FORTIFIED program. IBHS reports that grant programs are also active in North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Kentucky.
Stronger roofs generally come with discounts from insurance companies and improve the market in hurricane-prone areas where traditional insurance carriers have pulled out.
“States are increasingly turning to pre-disaster mitigation grants as a way to curb losses and relieve pressure on insurance markets, with programs tied to FORTIFIED standards gaining traction,” an IBHS report says.
