Texas Windstorm Insurance (TWIA): Coverage, Eligibility & WPI-8 Explained

What is TWIA (Texas Windstorm Insurance)?

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) is the insurer of last resort for windstorm and hail coverage for properties in certain coastal areas of Texas, including Harris County (Houston). If your standard homeowner's insurance doesn't cover windstorm damage, or if you live in a designated TWIA eligible area, you may need a separate TWIA policy to stay fully protected.

Why Windstorm Certification Matters

To qualify for TWIA coverage, your home's roof must be certified as windstorm-compliant. This certification (WPI-8) is issued by a Texas Department of Insurance (TDI)-appointed inspector and confirms that your roof was installed using materials and methods that meet Texas windstorm building code requirements.

Important: If you replace your roof without obtaining proper windstorm certification, you may lose your TWIA coverage — leaving you uninsured for hurricane and windstorm damage.

How RISE Roofing Helps with Windstorm Insurance

• ✅ We install roofing systems that meet Texas windstorm code requirements
• ✅ We coordinate with TDI-appointed inspectors for your WPI-8 certificate
• ✅ We handle all required documentation and inspection scheduling
• ✅ We use wind-rated materials approved under Texas windstorm standards
• ✅ We provide the required affidavit of construction (WPI-8 form)

Windstorm-Compliant Roofing Materials

Not all roofing materials are approved for windstorm certification. RISE Roofing installs approved products including:

• Owens Corning wind-rated shingles (130 mph+)
• Standing seam metal panels (150 mph rating)
• Stone-coated steel (150+ mph)
• Approved flat roofing systems (TPO, modified bitumen)

Is Texas Windstorm Insurance Required? Who Needs TWIA?

There is no statewide law that forces every Texas homeowner to carry windstorm insurance. In practice, though, two things make TWIA coverage close to mandatory along the coast. First, most standard homeowner policies written in the designated catastrophe area exclude wind and hail damage, so a separate windstorm policy is the only way to insure a home against a hurricane. Second, if your property carries a mortgage, your lender will almost always require windstorm coverage as a condition of the loan. TWIA is the state's insurer of last resort: it was created by the Texas Legislature in 1971 to provide wind and hail coverage to coastal property owners who cannot buy it in the private market.

You generally qualify for a TWIA policy only if your property sits inside the designated catastrophe area, you have been declined windstorm coverage by a private insurer (or your homeowner policy excludes wind), and the structure meets Texas windstorm building-code requirements — documented with a WPI-8 certificate for any construction or improvements subject to the rule.

What TWIA Covers — and What It Doesn't

A TWIA policy is narrow by design. It covers direct physical loss to your property caused by wind and hail — the two perils your standard coastal homeowner policy typically carves out. Residential policies can insure the dwelling and, through endorsements, personal contents and certain detached structures. TWIA sets maximum coverage limits that it adjusts each year for inflation, so very high-value homes may need supplemental coverage.

Just as important is what TWIA does not cover:

• Flood and storm surge — the water damage that causes many of the worst hurricane losses is excluded and requires a separate flood policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private flood insurer.
• Fire, theft, liability, and other perils — those stay on your standard homeowner policy.
• Uncertified work — damage to a roof or structure built without the required WPI-8 certification can lead to a denied claim or lost coverage.

Because wind and flood are insured separately, coastal homeowners usually need three policies to be fully protected: a homeowner policy, a windstorm policy (TWIA or private), and an NFIP flood policy.

How Much Does TWIA Cost?

There is no single TWIA price. Premiums are state-regulated and calculated from several factors: the county and rating territory the property sits in, the amount of coverage (the replacement cost of the dwelling), the type and age of construction, and whether the home meets current windstorm building standards. Because TWIA is an insurer of last resort, its rates may be higher than a comparable private-market policy where such coverage is available — so it is worth comparing your options before you default to TWIA.

The condition of your roof is one of the few levers you can actually control. A newer, code-compliant roof keeps you eligible for coverage, and on standard or private windstorm policies, Class 4 impact-resistant roofing (rated under UL 2218) can earn premium discounts that many Texas insurers put in the 10–35% range. Wind-rated shingles and metal systems also hold up better in a storm, which reduces the odds of a large, deductible-eating claim.

How to Get a TWIA Policy

TWIA does not sell policies directly to consumers — you buy through a licensed Texas insurance agent. The typical path looks like this:

• Confirm your location. Verify the property is inside the designated catastrophe area (the 14 first-tier counties or the eligible part of Harris County).
• Try the private market first. TWIA eligibility generally requires that a private insurer has declined windstorm coverage, or that your homeowner policy excludes wind.
• Get your WPI-8 certification. Any structure — or roof replacement — subject to the windstorm code needs a WPI-8 Certificate of Compliance on file.
• Apply through your agent and submit the WPI-8 documentation with the application.

Don't wait for a storm. TWIA stops binding new or increased coverage once a tropical storm or hurricane enters the Gulf and threatens the Texas coast, and a companion NFIP flood policy carries its own 30-day waiting period before it takes effect. Buy coverage well before hurricane season.

The WPI-8 Certificate: What It Is and How to Get One

The WPI-8 is a Certificate of Compliance issued by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). It documents that a structure — or a specific improvement such as a new roof — was built to the windstorm building code that applies in the catastrophe area. TWIA will not insure new construction, additions, or re-roofs performed after the code took effect unless the work is backed by a WPI-8. In short: no WPI-8, no TWIA coverage for that work.

There are two ways to earn the certificate. The roofing work can be inspected during installation by a TDI-appointed qualified inspector, or it can be evaluated and certified by a licensed Texas professional engineer. Either way, the inspection or evaluation is submitted to TDI, which then issues the WPI-8 certificate for the property's file.

This is where the roofer matters. A contractor experienced in coastal work installs to windstorm-code fastening and material standards, schedules the inspection at the right stage (the inspector often needs to see the deck and fastening before the covering is finished), and provides the required documentation. RISE Roofing installs windstorm-rated systems and coordinates the WPI-8 inspection paperwork so a re-roof does not accidentally void your coverage.

The 14 Designated Coastal Catastrophe-Area Counties

TWIA's designated catastrophe area is the stretch of Texas most exposed to hurricanes. It covers 14 first-tier coastal counties, plus a portion of Harris County east of State Highway 146. The 14 counties are:

• Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, and Chambers
• Galveston, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, and Matagorda
• Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, and Willacy

If your property is in one of these counties — or in the eligible eastern part of Harris County near Galveston Bay — windstorm coverage is typically handled through TWIA or a private windstorm policy rather than a standard homeowner policy. The Texas Department of Insurance can confirm whether a specific address falls inside the boundary.

Texas Windstorm Insurance FAQ

TWIA Eligible Areas in Houston

Harris County is partially in the TWIA designated catastrophe area (CAT zone). Properties on the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island are fully in the TWIA zone. Homes in the affected areas that are within the first tier county designation qualify for TWIA windstorm coverage. RISE Roofing serves all TWIA-eligible areas throughout Houston and the Gulf Coast.