What is the FORTIFIED Roof hail supplement?
How it fits into FORTIFIED
FORTIFIED is a construction standard from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). The roof designation focuses on keeping the roof on and water out in high winds: a sealed roof deck, ring-shank nails on a tighter pattern, and reinforced edges. The Hail Supplement attaches to that designation when the roof covering also meets the hail criteria. A third-party evaluator documents the installation, and IBHS issues the certificate.
Shingle requirements
- IBHS tests shingles bought off the shelf against realistic hailstones and rates them. For asphalt shingle roofs permitted or installed on or after November 1, 2025, the shingles must be rated Good or Excellent on the updated IBHS list.
- A product IBHS has not tested may still qualify in some cases with documentation that it is a polymer-modified shingle holding a Class 4 impact rating. Check the current FORTIFIED standard before you buy.
- A Class 4 label alone is not the test. IBHS found that impact-resistant shingles do not all perform the same.
Why it matters in Georgia
North Georgia sees hail most springs, so a more hail-resistant roof can reduce both cosmetic and functional damage. Some insurers give a discount for FORTIFIED roofs or impact-resistant shingles, but discounts are not guaranteed and vary by company, so ask your agent before you build. Also ask whether a cosmetic damage exclusion would come with the discount, since some insurers pair the two.
If your claim estimate is short, that is a different kind of supplement: see roof supplements explained. Related: the cosmetic damage exclusion and hail size and roof damage.