Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is working with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to establish a targeted discount rate for homeowners who install a fortified roof.
The benchmarks will be minimum discounts on homeowner policies that insurance providers are required to meet unless they can provide evidence that offering those rates is financially impossible or would be harmful to the company.
In an earlier interview with the LSU Manship School News Service, Temple said the department would ask companies to “begin the discounts between a 20% to 30% range.”
More recently, he said the department is still determining the discount target. He said initial studies would be completed by the end of this week.
“Based on those studies, we will then set the benchmarks,” he said.
“The rule will work as a benchmark that can be avoided through actuarial justification, but it is not a mandate,” he added. Actuarial rates are justified based on expected future revenues and costs.
Temple, who generally favors free-market solutions, had been opposed to enforcing discount targets until last November, when Louisiana surpassed 10,000 total fortified roofs. He said that had provided enough financial and performance data for the department to move forward.
If a company fails to meet those rates, the insurance department will require it to revise the rates or provide justification for lower discounts.
Fortified roofs and structures are sturdier and more expensive than regular ones and are meant to withstand hurricane winds. The state has held lotteries to provide homeowners in south Louisiana with $10,000 grants to cover part of the extra costs.
House Speaker Phillip DeVillier told the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday that the Legislature’s decision to double the state’s original annual investment in fortified roofs from $15 million to $30 million this year will help lower property insurance costs.
“I think the best thing that we can do—and continue to move—when it comes to property insurance is push really hard on the fortified roof program,” DeVillier said.
Most of the state’s largest insurance providers reported in mid-2025 that they already offer substantial premium discounts for fortified roofs on the wind portion of homeowners’ insurance premiums.
The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety’s 2025 report to the Legislature indicated that State Farm, Louisiana’s largest provider, offers fortified roof discounts ranging from 19% to 35%. It said Allstate offers discounts from 26% to 30%; USAA Insurance Group, 19% to 37%; Liberty Mutual, 40%; and Louisiana Farm Bureau, 25%.
Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, a government-created insurer of last resort, said it offers discounts ranging from 7% to 20%. Progressive’s listed discounts are comparatively lower, ranging from 6% to 10%.
Details about the premium discounts that various insurers say they offer can be found here.
But it is not clear that every homeowner is quoted these rates, and until the new rule is enacted, the rates are subject to change at any time.
The Insurance Department encourages any homeowners who are not offered the listed discounts to call 1-800-259-5300 and make a complaint.
Temple believes insurance companies will be motivated to compete on pricing as more fortified roofs are installed.
“It’s always important for a consumer, for a homeowner, to shop their insurance, reach out to their insurance agents and have them explain all the variables, all the options, everything that goes into getting that premium calculated,” Temple said. “People should always make the decision to do business with the company that has earned their business.”
