SC Safe Home Program: Up to $7,500 for Hurricane-Resistant Roofing

As of 2026, the SC Department of Insurance offers three grant tiers. The Resilient Mitigation Award — for roof retrofits that meet both SC Safe Home and IBHS FORTIFIED Roof standards — is capped at $7,500 for non-matching (lower income) applicants and $6,000 for matching applicants. The Sustainable Mitigation Award — for roof retrofits meeting only SC Safe Home standards, or for window/opening protection — is capped at $5,000 non-matching or $4,000 matching. Hurricane shutter and barrier grants are capped at $3,000. Award amounts depend on your total adjusted gross household income compared to HUD median income datasets for your county and family size.

The SCDOI currently designates 11 coastal counties as eligible: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Marion, and Williamsburg. Myrtle Beach (Horry County), North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island, Garden City, Little River, and Georgetown all qualify. If your primary residence is in one of these counties and you meet the other program requirements, you can apply when the portal opens at online.scsafehome.sc.gov.

Only if your household income is above the program's lower-income threshold. The SC Safe Home Program distinguishes between matching and non-matching grants based on your total adjusted gross household income and family size compared to HUD-published median income for your county. Lower-income applicants qualify for non-matching grants (up to $7,500) and are not required to contribute their own funds toward the project. Higher-income applicants qualify for matching grants (up to $6,000 for Resilient Mitigation) and must contribute roughly dollar-for-dollar toward the total project cost. Any remaining cost above the grant and match is the homeowner's responsibility.

Per SCDOI guidelines, eligible roof mitigation measures include: improved roof deck attachment (re-nailing the roof deck with 8d ring-shank nails at tighter spacing), installation of a secondary water resistance barrier (peel-and-stick membrane over seams before shingles go on), high wind-rated roof covering (shingles or metal rated for 130+ mph winds), roof-to-wall connection reinforcement (hurricane straps/clips), and gable end bracing. The Resilient Mitigation Award requires the completed work to meet IBHS FORTIFIED Roof standards. The Sustainable Mitigation Award allows more limited retrofits that still reduce wind and water intrusion risk.

Yes — the program funds re-roofing projects that upgrade your existing roof to hurricane-resistant standards. The grant pays up to $7,500 toward the portion of the project that delivers the mitigation upgrade: deck re-nailing, sealed roof deck (secondary water barrier), wind-rated covering, and structural connections. You can pair the grant with insurance claim funds (if your roof has storm damage), an SC windstorm tax credit (up to $1,000), financing, or out-of-pocket funds to cover the full replacement cost. WeatherShield builds SC Safe Home replacements that qualify for the Resilient Mitigation Award tier using GAF Certified Plus™ systems engineered for the 130+ mph coastal zone.

Applications are handled through the SCDOI online portal at online.scsafehome.sc.gov. You create an account, upload required documentation (proof of primary residence, active homeowners insurance, income verification, property details), and wait for initial review. If approved, SCDOI schedules a pre-mitigation inspection by a certified inspector. You then select a qualified contractor (WeatherShield is a qualified contractor), complete the retrofit, and schedule a post-mitigation inspection. Once the final inspection confirms the work meets program standards, SCDOI disburses grant funds either to the homeowner or directly to the contractor. The 2026 application cycle opens April 8, 2026 per the SCDOI announcement.

The SC Safe Home Program's highest grant tier — the Resilient Mitigation Award at $7,500 — specifically requires completed work to meet the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) FORTIFIED Roof standard. FORTIFIED is a national construction designation developed by IBHS that specifies exactly how a roof must be built to survive hurricane-force winds: sealed roof deck, improved attachment, enhanced wind-rated materials, and proof of third-party inspection. A completed FORTIFIED Roof unlocks both the maximum SC Safe Home grant and insurance premium discounts from SC carriers that recognize the designation. WeatherShield installs roofs that meet FORTIFIED standards and coordinates with the independent FORTIFIED Evaluator who certifies the final work.

South Carolina law requires insurers to offer premium discounts for homes that meet specific wind mitigation standards. Per Smart Home America and the FORTIFIED consumer portal, 17 insurers write FORTIFIED discounts in South Carolina. Discounts typically range from 10% to 35% off the wind portion of your homeowners premium, and some carriers reportedly offer more than 50% on the wind peril. On a coastal SC policy where the wind premium can be a large share of the total, the annual savings often pay back the out-of-pocket cost of the retrofit within a few years. Ask your insurance agent for the exact discount your carrier offers when you present a completed SC Safe Home inspection report or FORTIFIED certificate.

Yes. South Carolina law provides a state income tax credit for the costs you incur to retrofit your home against hurricanes or catastrophic windstorm events. The credit is limited to 25% of your out-of-pocket costs or $1,000 per taxable year, whichever is less. This credit is separate from and stackable with the SC Safe Home grant — you can receive the grant for the mitigation work and also claim the tax credit on the portion you paid out of pocket (matching funds or project overages). Keep all invoices, the SCDOI inspection certificate, and the FORTIFIED designation (if applicable) for your tax preparer. Speak with a licensed CPA for your specific filing.

Total timeline typically runs 8 to 16 weeks from application to grant disbursement, depending on inspector availability and contractor scheduling. Initial SCDOI review of your application usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. Pre-mitigation inspection scheduling is another 2 to 4 weeks. Actual roof installation with a qualified contractor is 1 to 5 days on most coastal SC homes. Post-mitigation inspection and grant disbursement takes another 2 to 4 weeks. The bottleneck is usually the inspection queue, which gets longer as the application window progresses each cycle. Applying early in the cycle (shortly after the April 8, 2026 opening) generally shortens total wait time.

Yes. SC Safe Home projects are paperwork-heavy — pre-inspection reports, scope-of-work documentation, mid-project photos, post-inspection reports, and FORTIFIED Evaluator reports for the Resilient Mitigation tier. WeatherShield handles the contractor-side paperwork, coordinates with the SCDOI-assigned inspector, schedules the FORTIFIED Evaluator when required, provides itemized Xactimate-style estimates for the SCDOI file, and documents every stage of the install with dated photographs. You still own your application file and grant disbursement, but we make sure the construction side of the file gives SCDOI everything they need to approve payout. Call (843) 877-5539 to discuss your project.