Deadline approaches for next round of Louisiana’s fortified roof grants

South Louisiana homeowners have until 5 p.m. Friday to register for the state Department of Insurance’s lottery that will distribute grants of up to $10,000 each to pay for hurricane-resistant roofs. 

The department will award an estimated 3,000 grants to homeowners who live in covered areas. The list of coastal parishes eligible to participate recently expanded to include Acadia, Iberville, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette and Washington. Additionally, homeowners who live in portions of Ascension, Calcasieu, Iberia, Livingston, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Vermilion parishes who were previously not included in the program will now be eligible to participate. 

Other parishes covered under the program are Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary and Terrebonne.

The roof grant program has been wildly popular with Louisiana homeowners who have clamored to register with each new lottery round. State lawmakers dedicated $30 million for the current lottery round, and an additional $50 million will fund another 5,000 grants to be distributed later this year. The Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance program provided the $50 million from a surplus it held after paying off bond debt.

Homeowners must register for the lottery even if they registered for a previous round but were not selected. Registration requires creating a profile through the program’s website, though homeowners who previously created a profile may use the same one for this and future rounds.

Homeowners are required to create a profile before registering for the lottery and can do so by visiting the Fortify Homes website and clicking the “Login” button.

Registration will require uploading homestead exemption and insurance policy documents, including wind coverage declarations and flood insurance declarations if the residence is in a flood zone. Homeowners who need assistance obtaining a copy of their homestead exemption should contact their parish tax assessor. 

There are several other program requirements homeowners should be aware of before registering. They can be found at fortifyhomes.la.gov.  

If selected to participate in the grant program, homeowners will have to cover the cost of a fortified roof evaluation as well as any permits, inspections and other construction costs that go beyond the amount of the grant. 

An analysis last year from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor found the roof grants directly reduced homeowner insurance premiums at a median rate of 22% but often come with out-of-pocket costs around $6,229 after accounting for the $10,000 grant. 

Homeowners can try to recoup some of those costs through a new refundable state tax credit that can be used with or without the grants. Additionally, some local governments offer “gap grants” that can cover those additional costs.