How to Apply for the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program $10,000 Grant (Updated for the Next Round)

Status as of October 2026: registration for the 2026 Louisiana Fortify Homes Program lottery ran from June 1 to June 19, 2026 and is closed. The Louisiana Department of Insurance says additional grant rounds will be announced at a later date. Everything below will help you be ready when it reopens.

What Is the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program?

The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP) is run by the Louisiana Department of Insurance. It grants up to $10,000 to help homeowners upgrade their roof to the FORTIFIED Roof standard set by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). The finished roof must meet that standard for the grant to be paid, and the grant covers construction costs only.

The 2026 round offered 3,000 grants. Under SB 52 (2025), grants received on or after January 1, 2025 are exempt from Louisiana state income tax.

Who Qualifies?

To register for the lottery, all of the following had to be true in the 2026 round:

• Your home is in an eligible parish. In 2026 these were Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, and Washington. The list can change each round.
• It is your primary residence with a homestead exemption.
• It has an active insurance policy with wind coverage.
• It has flood insurance if it is in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area.
• It is in good repair, as determined by a FORTIFIED Evaluator.

Not eligible: new construction, condominiums, mobile homes, homes on an unrestrained dry-stack foundation without an approved retrofit, and any home where roof work started before the grant was approved. Patching or partial roof repairs are not funded; the whole contiguous roof covering must be replaced.

What Documents Do I Need?

• Proof of your homestead exemption. Program staff verify it with state records.
• The declarations page of your insurance policy showing wind coverage.
• Your flood insurance policy, if your home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area.

You will also be asked to disclose every homeowners insurance claim filed in the past five years, whether or not it was paid.

How Does the Lottery Work?

The program does not award grants first come, first served. Program officials said every registrant has the same chance of selection no matter when during the window they register.

1. Create a profile in the Louisiana Fortify Homes system, then register for the lottery while the window is open.
2. The program randomly selects grant recipients and notifies registrants by email.
3. Selected homeowners choose a FORTIFIED Evaluator and a contractor through the program. Do not hire a contractor or start work before you are selected.
4. Your contractor completes the work and the Evaluator confirms it meets the FORTIFIED standard.
5. The grant is paid directly to the contractor. You pay the evaluation fees and any cost above the grant.

If you are not selected, you must register again for the next round.

How Much Can a FORTIFIED Roof Save on Insurance?

Under Louisiana Regulation 136, insurers must apply FORTIFIED discounts to the hurricane portion of your premium no later than January 1, 2027. The Louisiana Department of Insurance benchmarks are 29, 43, and 49 percent for FORTIFIED Roof, Silver, and Gold in South zone parishes, 27, 35, and 42 percent in Central, and 16, 20, and 24 percent in North. Zones are set by parish, so check the Department of Insurance zone map for yours.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor's 2025 review of the program found that the median grant recipient saved $1,250 (22 percent) a year on their total premiums.

How to Be Ready for the Next Round

• Sign up for program announcements at ldi.la.gov/fortifyhomes.
• Confirm your homestead exemption with your parish assessor and keep your wind and flood policy pages handy.
• Do not start roof work if you plan to apply.
• Get a free roof assessment now so you know whether your roof can wait. If your shingles are aging but sound, a Roof Maxx treatment can extend their life at approximately 20 to 25 percent of the total cost of a replacement, including all prep work.

Work With a Certified FORTIFIED Contractor

Only an IBHS FORTIFIED Certified Contractor can do grant work. Acadiana Roof Restoration is a veteran-owned FORTIFIED Certified Contractor serving South Louisiana, including Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Houma, Alexandria, Prairieville, Denham Springs, and Central. Our owner, Jason Lopez, performs free assessments and walks selected homeowners through the process from selection to certificate.

Call 337-999-7663 for Lafayette, Lake Charles, Houma, and Alexandria, or 225-385-7663 for Baton Rouge, Prairieville, Denham Springs, and Central.