NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – The 2026 Louisiana legislative session will begin on Monday, March 9. That gives lawmakers an opportunity to make progress in the state’s fight against high homeowners insurance premiums.
“We need to show the insurance industry that we understand we live in a dangerous area for storms to hit, and we’re going to do our best to control things and make it safer here. We’re not just waiting for inspections when we have damage, we’re working to get ahead of this,” said Louisiana Sen. Kirk Talbot.
As chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee, Talbot plans to introduce a proactive measure in Senate Bill 147 that would require new residential buildings to have reinforced roofs.
“Under our state building codes, we’re almost at the level now of reinforcing roofs. We’re not there yet,” Talbot said. “That’s important because that’s the threshold at which the insurance company will give you a discount on your premium.”
Reinforced roofs have specific building practices and one of their main features is a secondary waterproofing barrier.
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“What the secondary barrier does is if the shingles blow off, it prevents water from getting in,” said Ashley Vandermolen, an appraiser for Fortified Homes.
For an insurance company, a reinforced roof can mean the difference between being in trouble because of missing shingles or having to tear down the home.
“When a roof blows off and you don’t have a second barrier, rainwater can come in and wet the building materials inside the house, causing them to collapse,” Mullen said. “It can also lead to mold because a lot of times when a hurricane hits, the power is out, and when the power is out, we can’t dry out the house, and mold can come up and cause a lot of damage.”
Talbot said this peace of mind for insurers means homeowners save an average of 22% on their insurance premiums, which is significant even though higher building standards inevitably lead to higher construction costs.
“A little more, an average of 8 to 12 percent more,” Talbot said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s nothing. If you look at how much better your insurance premiums will be, in my opinion, it far outweighs the extra 8 to 12 percent.”
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