Greater New Orleans · Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish FORTIFIED Roofs and the Fortify Homes Grant
Jefferson Parish wraps around New Orleans on both banks of the Mississippi, from Metairie and Kenner on the east bank to Harvey and Marrero on the west, with the parish seat at Gretna. It is dense, suburban, and low. Much of it sits at or near sea level, which is exactly the ground where a roof failure turns into a flooded house.
Why a FORTIFIED roof matters in Jefferson Parish
A hurricane pushing in from the Gulf hits Jefferson with both hard wind and storm surge, and the two feed each other. When wind peels back a roof deck, the rain that follows does the rest. A FORTIFIED roof, with its sealed deck and enhanced nailing, is built to keep water out even after the shingles take a beating, and in a parish this exposed that is the difference that matters most.
Jefferson took heavy damage in Hurricane Katrina (2005) and again in Hurricane Ida (2021).
Communities in Jefferson Parish
Jefferson is split by the Mississippi, and which side of the river you live on shapes the conversation. Metairie and Kenner sit on the east bank, packed in between New Orleans and the lake, with Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner. Gretna, the parish seat, along with Harvey and Marrero, sits on the west bank across the river. All of it is low, built out, and close enough to the coast that a Gulf storm arrives with its full wind field.
- Gretna (parish seat)
- Metairie
- Kenner
- Harvey
- Marrero
Some of those places have a page of their own: FORTIFIED roofs in Kenner, FORTIFIED roofs in Metairie.
Everything on this page applies across the parish. For the other parishes, see FORTIFIED roofs by Louisiana parish and city.
Is Jefferson Parish eligible
Jefferson Parish is among the parishes the Louisiana Department of Insurance lists as eligible for the Fortify Homes grant, as of August 17, 2026. Eligibility is confirmed at the address level, and the list changes every round, so the official map is the only word on whether your specific home qualifies right now. Check your address on the live LDI Fortify Homes map, and apply through the state at ldi.la.gov/fortifyhomes, not on this site.
How the grant works for a Jefferson Parish home
The Fortify Homes grant reimburses the cost of rebuilding your roof to the IBHS FORTIFIED standard, up to $10,000 per home. It is a cap on a reimbursement, not a flat check, and the money is paid to your contractor after IBHS issues the certificate. You gather bids from at least 3 approved contractors you choose, and once you are cleared the work must be finished within 90 days.
Do not start roof work before you are selected and the bid process is complete.
Approved contractors may not begin until you have the official notice that you are cleared to proceed. Starting early voids your eligibility, grant and all. Wait for the notice before anyone in Gretna or anywhere else touches the roof.
For the full walkthrough, see the Fortify Homes grant guide and what the standard requires in the FORTIFIED Roof guide.
An extra $5,000 for Jefferson Parish winners
Jefferson Parish runs a program of its own on top of the state grant. The Roof Enhancement Lottery Incentive Fund, or R.E.L.I.F., adds up to $5,000 for parish homeowners who register for the state Fortify Homes lottery and are selected, when the cost of the FORTIFIED roof runs past $10,000. Stacked on the state's $10,000, that is up to $15,000 toward the roof.
Two things to be clear about. You have to win the state lottery first: R.E.L.I.F. is gap funding for homeowners already selected, not a second path for those who were not. And the Parish Council put $500,000 behind it, which covers roughly 100 homes, so it lasts while the money lasts.
Register with the state at ldi.la.gov/fortifyhomes. Questions about the parish gap funds go to the Council office at (504) 736-6615. Verified . The parish ties the fund to the current grant round, and the state's registration window closed , so check with the Council on where it stands for the next round.
What a Jefferson homeowner gets back
The roof is the start, not the end. A FORTIFIED designation earns a required cut on the wind portion of your home insurance in Louisiana, year after year, for as long as the designation stays in force. If you pay for the roof yourself, the same certificate still earns that discount and the state tax incentives apply too.
See how the mandated discount works in the insurance savings guide, and the state credit in the FORTIFIED roof tax credit guide.
By Louisiana Fortified HomesUpdated
See what a FORTIFIED roof is worth in Jefferson Parish.
Get connected with a FORTIFIED-certified contractor near Gretna. No cost, no obligation.
Or call now and talk to a roofer: (504) 520-4274