Title: What Is Louisiana Regulation 136 and What Does It Mean for Your Insurance Bill?

By Acadiana Roof Restoration LLC | Scott, LA | Veteran-Owned | FORTIFIED Certified | LFHP Approved

Louisiana's insurance market has been in a documented crisis. Carriers have left the state. Premiums have increased sharply. For some homeowners in coastal and near-coastal parishes, maintaining coverage at all has become a challenge.

Regulation 136 is the state's most direct response to that problem. It does not solve the market, but it creates a mandatory financial benefit for homeowners who invest in a FORTIFIED roof, and most Louisiana homeowners do not know it exists.

What Regulation 136 Is

Louisiana Regulation 136 is a rule issued by the Louisiana Department of Insurance that requires all authorized property and casualty insurers writing homeowners policies in Louisiana to offer premium discounts to policyholders with FORTIFIED certified roofs.

The regulation sets benchmark discount amounts organized by geographic tier and FORTIFIED certification level. Insurers must offer at least the benchmark discount for the applicable tier. Some carriers offer more.

The discounts apply to the hurricane portion of the homeowners premium, which is the largest single component of most Louisiana homeowners insurance bills.

What the Discount Tiers Mean

The tier system assigns parishes to geographic categories based on storm risk. Coastal and near-coastal parishes receive higher discount benchmarks because wind risk there is higher. Interior parishes receive lower benchmark discounts because their wind exposure is lower.

For south Louisiana homeowners in the Lafayette and Baton Rouge metro areas, the applicable discount benchmarks under Regulation 136 fall in the range of roughly 20 to 40 percent of the hurricane premium portion, depending on the specific parish and the FORTIFIED certification level achieved.

The FORTIFIED Roof designation is the baseline tier. FORTIFIED Silver and FORTIFIED Gold designations carry higher discount benchmarks. Most residential homeowners pursue the FORTIFIED Roof tier, which is what the LFHP grant program covers.

What Specific Carriers Are Offering

While every authorized Louisiana insurer is required to offer the Regulation 136 benchmark discounts, some carriers go further. Based on available program data, known discounts from major carriers include up to 40% with select carriers for Liberty Mutual and Safeco, up to 37% with select carriers for USAA, up to 35% with select carriers for State Farm, and up to 30% with select carriers for Allstate.

These figures reflect the wind or hurricane portion of the premium, not the total bill. Your total savings will depend on how large the hurricane component is relative to your overall premium. In South Louisiana, hurricane coverage typically represents a substantial share of the total.

Verify current discount availability directly with your carrier before making any decisions based on specific percentages.

The Discount Is Not Automatic

Your carrier will not apply the discount without being notified. After your FORTIFIED certification is issued by IBHS, you must take the following steps:

Step 1: Obtain your FORTIFIED certificate. This comes from IBHS after the third-party evaluator inspects and certifies the work. Your contractor coordinates this inspection but does not issue the certificate.

Step 2: Contact your insurance carrier. Call or email your agent and request the FORTIFIED premium discount. Specify that you have a FORTIFIED Roof certification issued by IBHS.

Step 3: Submit the certificate. Provide a copy of the IBHS certificate to your carrier. Some carriers accept a digital copy. Others require a physical document.

Step 4: Confirm the discount appears on your policy. Review your renewal or endorsement to verify the discount was applied. If it is not applied, contact your agent directly.

If your carrier refuses to apply the Regulation 136 benchmark discount, you can file a complaint with the Louisiana Department of Insurance at ldi.la.gov. The requirement is mandatory for all authorized insurers.

What Happens to the Discount When You Sell the Home

The FORTIFIED certification transfers with the home. When you sell, the new owner retains the FORTIFIED certification status, and the new owner can request the applicable insurance discount from their carrier. This adds documented, transferable value to the property at the point of sale.

The Financial Picture

At $1,250 in average annual savings, a Louisiana homeowner who installs a FORTIFIED roof and captures the full Regulation 136 discount saves $12,500 over 10 years and $18,750 over 15 years in insurance premiums alone. That is before accounting for the LFHP grant or the Act 404 tax credit, either of which can offset $10,000 of the installation cost.

For many Louisiana homeowners, the combined effect of the grant and the insurance savings means a FORTIFIED re-roof that costs $15,000 to $25,000 installed effectively costs significantly less when all incentives and savings are factored in over the life of the roof.

Schedule Your FORTIFIED Assessment

Acadiana Roof Restoration is IBHS FORTIFIED certified and LFHP approved. We coordinate every step of the certification process and provide documentation suitable for your insurance carrier and your tax credit application.

Lafayette: 337-999-ROOF (337-999-7663) Baton Rouge: 225-385-ROOF (225-385-7663) Schedule at aroofrestore.com.

Acadiana Roof Restoration LLC | Scott, LA | aroofrestore.com FORTIFIED Certified | Roof Maxx 5-Star Dealer | BBB A+ | Veteran-Owned | LFHP Approved | Serving Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and surrounding Louisiana parishes