BATON ROUGE - A fortified roof gives your home an extra layer of protection during wind and rain events, but it costs 10-15 percent more than a standard roof replacement. Even so, the upfront could save you in the long run.

In April, a large tree limb fell onto Fred Weimer's Baton Rouge home. The following month, he hired Lifetime Roofing to replace the roof and upgrade his home with a fortified roof to withstand powerful storms.

"Since we had this going on, it was a good time to upgrade," said Weimer.

A fortified roof is a high-performance roofing system designed by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). It's designed to better withstand severe weather, including wind, rain, and hail.

Lifetime Roofing co-owner Corey Coxe says he's surprised more people don't upgrade to protect their home.

"It's a phenomenal system, there's data to back it up, and it's just a little more expensive than the average roof, and we see homeowners not able to make that jump or not willing to," said Coxe.

The state finds a fortified roof so important that they offer one of two incentives to those who participate. The Louisiana Department of Insurance has a grant program for people planning to upgrade their roofs. Commissioner Tim Temple says the more fortified roofs in Louisiana, the better for everyone.

"It is the long-term solution, I believe, to affordable insurance in South Louisiana," said Temple.

The grant program offers up to $10,000 for those who qualify. LDI started taking new applicants on June 1, but there's a history of a lot of competition.

"We had 10,000 people sign up for those 500 grants," said Temple.

This lottery period, more money has been allocated to award more people the ability to invest in their homes. LDI anticipates having enough funding this fiscal year for 3,000 new roofs. If a grant isn't available, homeowners might want to consider filing for a tax credit through the Louisiana Department of Revenue, available to people who have already upgraded their roof. Applicants are still being accepted for 2025 projects.

"People can qualify right now for up to a $10,000 tax credit on their state income tax," said LDR Secretary Jarrod Coniglio.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue is taking applications from homeowners who installed a fortified roof between July 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. There's a $10 million cap on the program each fiscal year that ends June 30, 2026. Funding is still available. 

If the amount of credit earned exceeds the amount of taxes due, any unused credit can be carried forward and utilized in subsequent tax years for up to three years. A fortified roof can also give you a break on your homeowner's insurance.

"It adds up, and it is a substantial saving," said Temple.

But Louisiana homeowners cannot double-dip. They can only apply for one or the other. Weimer plans to check out the credit, since his roof is complete.

"I'm sure going to look," he said.

Either way, Weimer says the upgrade will lower his insurance premiums.

Homeowners can apply for the tax credit through LATAP on the Louisiana Department of Revenue's website. The fortified roof grant application lottery will close on June 19. Not every parish qualifies. East Baton Rouge Parish is excluded from this lottery.