FORTIFIED verification · Baldwin & Mobile County, AL
Anyone can say “fortified.” Here is how you check.
FORTIFIED is the one roof upgrade in Alabama with a certificate insurers are required by law to price against, which means the word carries real money — and words that carry real money get used loosely. The program anticipated that. It runs on independent third-party documentation and a public directory, and a homeowner can settle any FORTIFIED claim, about any roofer, in about thirty seconds. This page shows you exactly how, then runs the same check on us.
BBB A+ · accredited since 1988 · licensed and insured in Alabama
Why verify at all
Because in Baldwin County it has already been contested
The strongest argument for checking a FORTIFIED claim is not a hypothetical. In this county, whether homes sold as Gold FORTIFIED actually met the standard became the subject of civil litigation, publicly reported by local news outlets. We think homeowners should know that, stated plainly and without embellishment, because it is the clearest available demonstration that the word on the sales sheet and the record in the file are two different things — and that only one of them is checkable.
What was filed, and what was alleged
In November 2021, a mass action filed by Baldwin County homeowners against homebuilder D.R. Horton in Baldwin County Circuit Court, brought under the Alabama Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The homeowners alleged that houses they had purchased were advertised as “Gold FORTIFIED” but were not built to the FORTIFIED standard.
NBC 15 (WPMI, Mobile) reported the action as 88 homeowners across more than 60 Baldwin County homes, and reported that the homes at issue were built between 2015 and 2021. Lagniappe (Mobile) reported in January 2022 that the court had denied the homeowners' request for an injunction, with the case continuing. Both outlets reported that D.R. Horton did not respond to their requests for comment.
Allegations are not findings
These are allegations made in a civil complaint. As of our last check on 2026-08-18 we located no public record adjudicating them, and nothing here should be read as a finding that any party did anything wrong.
Read the reporting yourself
Why we are pointing at this
Not to characterise anybody. D.R. Horton is a national homebuilder, not a roofing company we compete with, and we take no position on the merits of a case we are not part of.
The point is narrower and more useful than that: a homeowner can be told their house is Gold FORTIFIED, believe it in good faith, and still have a question worth answering. The answer to that question is a document, and documents can be checked.
If you want to confirm your own home's designation rather than a contractor's credential, ask for the designation certificate IBHS issued for your address — the one with the level and the designation date on it. IBHS runs a request process for homeowners who cannot find theirs.
Nothing on this page is legal advice, and nothing on it is an allegation by Liberty Roofing against anyone. We are describing publicly reported litigation and linking the reporting so you can read it in full.
How the program works
FORTIFIED verifies with a third party and a certificate
The program was built by IBHS on the assumption that self-certification is worthless. Everything below follows from that one decision.
- 01
An independent third party does the documenting
At every FORTIFIED level, the products, the installation, and the construction are documented by an independent, third-party FORTIFIED Evaluator — a separately credentialed person who is not the roofer and has no stake in the roof job. That separation is the whole architecture of the program. It is also why no contractor can certify their own work.
- 02
The evidence is captured while the roof is open
The photographs and product data the standard calls for are taken during construction, not after. There is no way to reconstruct them once the covering is on, which is why documentation discipline on the job site matters as much as the workmanship does.
- 03
IBHS issues a certificate, not a handshake
Once IBHS confirms the project meets the standard, a designation certificate is issued. That certificate — not a badge on a website, not a line in a bid — is the artifact with money attached to it.
- 04
The designation runs five years and belongs to the house
IBHS issues the designation certificate for a five-year term, and because it attaches to the property rather than to the owner, it transfers with the sale of the home. When it lapses, the home has to be re-evaluated to keep it current.
- 05
The certificate is what unlocks the incentives
The designation certificate is typically what a homeowner needs in hand to receive FORTIFIED-related incentives — insurance discounts, grants, or tax credits. Without the certificate there is nothing for an insurer or a program administrator to act on.
Program mechanics described in general terms and sourced to IBHS — FORTIFIED frequently asked questions, getting started, and redesignation (retrieved 2026-08-18). The controlling technical documents are IBHS's, not ours; your evaluator works from the current version. More on what the standard requires on our FORTIFIED roofing guide and at fortifiedhome.org/roof.
The 30-second check
How to verify any roofer's FORTIFIED status
This works on every credentialed roofer in the country. Run it on whoever you are considering, and run it on us.
The directory, in one link
IBHS points homeowners to fortifiedproviders.com, which forwards to the directory itself at fortified.profilegorilla.com. Confirmed 2026-08-18. Bookmark it — it is the only surface in this conversation that no roofer controls.
- 01
Ask for the exact names and IDs first
You need two things, and roofers who hold the credential will hand them over without hesitating: the company's registered legal name (not the brand on the truck) and the credentialed provider's ID — the individual's number, usually beginning with R. If either request produces friction, you have your answer without opening a browser.
- 02
Open the official directory
IBHS points to fortifiedproviders.com, which forwards to the directory itself at fortified.profilegorilla.com. Use that one. A screenshot in a brochure, a logo in an email signature, and a badge graphic on a website are all things anyone can make; the directory is the record.
- 03
Search the company, then search the person
Search the registered company name and read the company record. Then search the provider ID and read the individual record. They are two separate lines and a homeowner who only checks one has only checked half of it.
- 04
Read the status field, not just the presence of a listing
A listing existing is not the same as a listing being current. Read the company's compliance status and the provider's status, and treat anything other than an active, compliant record as a question to ask out loud before you sign.
- 05
Check the designation type against the job you are buying
The directory names what each provider is credentialed to do. A provider credentialed as a Roofer builds roofs to the standard. An Evaluator documents and submits them. If one company's listing appears to cover both sides of your job, ask about it — the program is built so that the person who does the work is not the person who signs off on it.
- 06
Do the same check on the person who is not selling you anything
Your evaluator is hired by you, not by the roofer, and their credential is worth verifying with exactly the same care. It is your money and your certificate.
The FORTIFIED directory answers one question: program credentials. It does not tell you whether a contractor holds an Alabama residential roofing licence, carries workers' compensation, or has been in business longer than the current storm season. Those are separate registries and separate checks — our seven-check guide to choosing a roofing contractor walks through each one, including the state licence lookup.
Now run it on us
What you will find when you look Liberty up
Read live on 2026-08-17. If the directory ever shows something different from what is printed below, believe the directory.
Don't take our word for it — look us up
Any roofer on the coast can say the word “fortified.” The FORTIFIED program keeps a public directory of every contractor and every credentialed provider, and you can search it yourself in about thirty seconds. Here is exactly what you will find when you look us up.
Our listing is the company record and the provider record together: the company carries a compliance status, and Dane DeValk carries the individual credential behind it. Search either the company name or the provider ID.
Open the official FORTIFIED directory- Company
- Liberty Roofing Company Inc (011483)
- Company status
- Compliant
- Credentialed provider
- Dane DeValk — ID R011603
- Designation
- Roofer — Active
Read from the FORTIFIED Verify a Pro directory on 2026-08-17. Statuses change — check it yourself before you sign anything, with us or with anybody else.
One thing we are not: your evaluator
A FORTIFIED designation is documented by an independent, third-party FORTIFIED Evaluator — a separate credential from ours, held by someone with no stake in the roof job. Liberty is the roofer. We build to the standard and we hand the evaluator the photographs and documentation the standard calls for. We do not inspect our own work for the designation, and you should be suspicious of any roofer who says they do both.
One credential, stated exactly as the directory states it
The directory's word for our designation is roofer, and that is the only word we use. We are not a FORTIFIED Evaluator, we do not describe ourselves as one, and we are not a Strengthen Alabama Homes program contractor — that is a separate state list and a separate gate, which we explain on its own page. Every one of those statements is checkable, which is the point.
Before you sign
Six questions to ask before a FORTIFIED job
The directory tells you a contractor is credentialed. It does not tell you whether the bid in your hand actually priced the standard. These six do — and any credentialed roofer should be able to answer all of them without checking with anyone.
“Which FORTIFIED level are we actually going for?”
Roof, Silver, and Gold are different projects. A re-roof can generally reach FORTIFIED Roof; Silver and Gold reach past the roof into openings, attached structures, and a continuous load path. A bid that says only “fortified” has not told you which one it priced.
“Who is my evaluator, and how do I hire them?”
The evaluator is yours, not the roofer's, and the fee is a separate line item you pay directly. If a contractor is vague about who the evaluator will be — or offers to supply one — that is the moment to slow the conversation down.
“What is in this bid that a standard re-roof would not include?”
The honest answer names specific line items: the sealed deck and secondary water barrier, the upgraded deck-attachment schedule, the enhanced edge metal, the ridge and vent detailing. If a FORTIFIED bid looks identical to a normal one, one of the two numbers is wrong.
“Who captures the documentation, and when?”
The photographs and product data have to be taken while the deck is open. Ask what gets captured, who is responsible for capturing it, and what happens if the evaluator asks for something that was not photographed.
“What happens if the evaluator finds bad decking?”
This is the single biggest cost swing on a FORTIFIED job and nobody can price it before the roof is open. What you want is a unit price in writing, agreed in advance — not a number invented on the day.
“Who submits the paperwork, and when do I get the certificate?”
The evaluator submits; IBHS issues. Know the sequence so you can tell whether the job is genuinely finished, and calendar the five-year expiration the day the certificate arrives.
More on what the standard requires and where the extra cost lives on our FORTIFIED roofing guide, or at fortifiedhome.org.
Common questions
Verifying a FORTIFIED credential
- How do I verify a roofer's FORTIFIED credential?
- Ask for the company's registered legal name and the credentialed provider's ID, then search both in the official FORTIFIED provider directory. IBHS links to it at fortifiedproviders.com, which forwards to fortified.profilegorilla.com. Read the company's compliance status and the individual provider's status and designation type — they are two separate records, and checking only one is checking half. A badge on a website, a logo in an email signature, and a screenshot in a brochure prove nothing; the directory is the record.
- Is Liberty Roofing in the FORTIFIED directory?
- Yes, and the point of this page is that you should go look rather than take our word for it. The directory lists Liberty Roofing Company Inc as company 011483 with a status of Compliant, and Dane DeValk as a credentialed provider, ID R011603, Designation: Roofer, Status: Active. We read that listing live on 2026-08-17. Search the company name or the provider ID and you will see the same record — and if it ever shows something different, believe the directory over us.
- How does a home actually become FORTIFIED?
- At every level of the program, products, installation, and construction are documented by an independent third-party FORTIFIED Evaluator while the work is under way. The evaluator submits that documentation, and once IBHS confirms the project meets the standard, a designation certificate is issued to the property. The certificate is what insurers, grant programs, and tax-credit administrators act on — the construction alone does not create the designation.
- How long does a FORTIFIED designation last?
- IBHS issues the designation certificate for five years. Because the designation is attached to the property rather than to the owner, it transfers with the sale of the home. When the term ends the home has to be re-evaluated to stay designated, which is the quiet way homeowners lose a premium credit they already paid for — calendar the expiration the day the certificate arrives.
- Can my roofer certify the roof they just built?
- No, and that is by design. FORTIFIED separates the person who does the work from the independent third party who documents it. Liberty is a credentialed roofer — the directory's word for our designation is Roofer — and we are not evaluators. We build to the standard and hand your evaluator what the standard requires. A contractor offering to both build and certify your roof is describing something the program does not allow.
- I was told my house is Gold FORTIFIED. How do I confirm that?
- Ask for the designation certificate itself — the document IBHS issued for your address, with the level and the designation date on it. If you cannot find yours, IBHS operates a certificate request process for homeowners. Confirming your own home's designation is a separate question from checking a contractor's credential, and both are worth answering before you spend money on either.
- Does the FORTIFIED directory tell me whether a roofer is licensed in Alabama?
- No. They are two different checks against two different registries. The FORTIFIED directory shows program credentials. Alabama's residential roofing licence is issued by the Home Builders Licensure Board and looked up separately, and a homeowner buying a FORTIFIED roof should run both. Our guide to choosing a roofing contractor walks through the state licence lookup step by step.
Keep reading
Related reading
The rest of the FORTIFIED picture — what the standard is, what it saves, how the state grant differs, and how to check everything else about a roofer.
What a FORTIFIED roof is
The standard, the three designation levels, the process end to end, and what drives the cost.
Read itFORTIFIED insurance discount
The Alabama-mandated premium credits, what an endorsement is, and how you actually claim it.
Read itFORTIFIED vs. the state grant
A construction standard and a state grant program are not the same gate.
Read itThe Alabama roof grant
Strengthen Alabama Homes — what it pays, when the windows open, and who is on the contractor list.
Read itHow to choose a roofing contractor
Seven checks before you sign, plus the post-storm red flags Alabama's agencies published.
Read itRoof replacement
What a full tear-off and rebuild includes when you are not chasing a designation.
Read itTalk to a FORTIFIED-credentialed roofer
Check us out first. Then let's talk.
Look us up in the directory, run the state licence, read the low-star reviews. Then tell us what your roof needs and whether a designation is what you are after. We will tell you what the standard would take on your house, what it would not, and who your evaluator has to be.
BBB A+ · accredited since 1988 · licensed and insured in Alabama