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Florida impact window code and permits

Impact window rules in Florida depend on your county, how many openings you replace and the product. In Miami-Dade, the county's disclosure form says that when more than 25% of a home's glazed openings are replaced, all replaced openings must meet impact requirements 1. A product sold as hurricane or wind-borne debris protection needs statewide product approval 2, and permit steps differ by county, so ask your building office before work starts.

As of October 23, 2026

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Last reviewed October 23, 2026 against the cited sources. A guide, not legal, tax or engineering advice.

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What is the replacement-share rule for windows in Florida?

Many people call it the 25 rule 1. There is no single statewide wording of it that this guide can quote. It appears in county forms, and the wording differs from one county to the next, so read your own county's.

Miami-Dade's Fast Track disclosure form says that when more than 25% of a home's glazed openings are replaced, all replaced glazed openings must meet impact requirements: impact glass or an approved impact device 1. The form cites Florida Building Code, Existing Building, Section 707.4 1. It also says a separate permit application is needed for shutters or another impact device 1.

Martin County's window and door schedule form notes that replacing over 25 percent of glazing in 12 months 3 needs impact protection on all replaced openings, citing Section 707.4 3. North Port's replacement permit form says that 25 percent or higher needs shutters or impact glass 4. Miami-Dade's wording is "more than 25%" 1, which differs, and that is why this guide does not state one rule for every county.

Miami-Dade's form adds a second line: when the change-out value exceeds 30% of the building's assessed value, residential Florida Building Code Energy Conservation requirements must be met 1. Your building office decides how any of these lines applies to your address.

What Miami-Dade's Fast Track disclosure form says
ItemWhat the form says
Share of glazed openings replacedMore than 25%: all replaced glazed openings must meet impact requirements 1
Change-out valueOver 30% of the building's assessed value: residential energy code requirements apply 1
Who can use Fast TrackDetached one- and two-family homes and townhouses 1 with a mean roof height of 30 feet or less 1 and only for exact changeout of existing openings 1
InspectionA "102-Buck and Fastener" inspection is required on Fast Track window permits 1

The form cites the 8th Edition of the code 1. Miami-Dade's notice says the 9th (2026) Edition becomes effective December 31, 2026 and applies to permit applications and plans submitted on or after that date 5, so confirm the current form before you rely on a number here. This guide does not quote the code text itself, including its older-home and high-velocity zone provisions, because we have not read the adopted text.

Do you need impact windows in Florida? Does the Florida Building Code require them?

Florida law sets one narrow state trigger. Under section 553.844, a permitted project estimated at $50,000 or more (applied for on or after July 1, 2008) on a building in the wind-borne debris region with an insured or just value of $750,000 or more must include opening protections 6. That is a rule for high-value work, not a general rule that every window job needs impact protection.

Rules for replacing existing windows are local and separate. In Miami-Dade, replacing more than 25% of glazed openings brings the impact requirement 1. Ask your building office what applies to your address before you sign.

What does Miami-Dade require for windows and doors?

Miami-Dade states that each door, window, glass door, mullion, garage door, shutter or storm panel must have a current Notice of Acceptance (NOA), and that approvals from Miami-Dade County or the Florida Building Commission are acceptable 7. The product approvals submitted must be for the current building code; expired approvals from an earlier code cycle are not accepted 1.

Window and door installation in a threshold building (over three stories or 50 feet) requires a threshold inspection by a state-certified special inspector 7. Miami-Dade lists separate permit checklists for replacement windows and glass doors, exterior doors, garage doors and shutters, and each needs a Building Permit Application 7.

What is a product approval, and how do I check a window?

Florida requires statewide product approval for windows, shutters and impact protective systems, and a product cannot be marketed as hurricane or wind-borne debris impact protection unless it is approved under section 553.842 or 553.8425 2. Statewide approval precludes local governments from requiring further testing when the product is used under its approval conditions, although a building official can deny a use with a signed written report 2. The Miami-Dade County Product Control Division is one of the evaluation entities the statute names 2. Miami-Dade first-time product approvals and renewals are valid for five years 8.

To look a product up, use the product approval section of the Florida Building Code Online, which lets anyone find a product or application without logging in 9, and, for Miami-Dade, the county's Product Approval Search database 8. Ask which product approval number applies to your job and check it with your building department.

This guide says nothing about whether any business installs approved products. A license class on a list shows a license record only.

Do I need a permit to replace windows in my county?

Permit rules differ by county and city, and the table shows only what each place's own page says. Florida's 2026 HB 803 10 directs local governments to exempt a single-family owner or contractor from a permit for work valued under $7,500 10. The listed exclusions are property wholly or partly in a flood hazard area 10 and any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work 10. The statute does not mention windows, so local interpretation governs, and an exemption is a request, not an assumption.

What each county's or city's own page says about window and door replacement
County or cityWhat its page says
Miami-DadeSeparate permit checklists for replacement windows and glass doors, exterior doors, garage doors and shutters; each needs a Building Permit Application 7. Fast Track limits are in the table above 1.
Broward CountyThe windows and doors replacement packet (archived copy dated 2025-08-06) 11 requires Notices of Acceptance, a floor plan sketch, and the Uniform Building Permit Application showing total job value 11. Board Policy 20-01 says each window and door retrofit permit application in every Broward jurisdiction uses the Uniform Retrofit Window and Door Schedule 12.
Hollywood (Broward)The checklist says installing or replacing a window or door requires a building permit and asks for a current Miami-Dade NOA or Florida Product Approval 13.
Fort Lauderdale (Broward)Its HB 803 page, effective July 1, 2026 for work under $7,500, lists window replacement as still requiring a permit 14.
Palm Beach CountySection 105.1 of the county's 8th Edition amendments requires an owner to apply for a permit to alter, repair or replace impact-resistant coverings 15. The county's Product Approval page says Rule 61G20-3 covers windows and exterior doors 16.
Martin CountyIts window and door schedule form notes the 25 percent glazing line described above 3.
St. Lucie CountyThe Items Not Requiring a Permit page (archived copy dated 2026-10-03) lists no window or door replacement item and says an exemption application is still required for HB 803 work 17. A missing item on a list is not a rule, so confirm with the county.
Port St. LucieThe door and window checklist requires a layout plan and product approval with installation instructions, and a recorded Notice of Commencement at $5,000 or more 18.
Lee CountyThe Exterior Openings page (archived copy dated 2026-03-15) 19 lists the permit submittal: a floor plan with numbered openings, engineered plans if the job does not use Lee's mastered pressures, and a Notice of Commencement over $5,000 19.
Cape Coral (Lee)The guideline for new or modified openings, revised January 2026 20, requires a floor plan, a worksheet, a Florida Product Approval or NOA, and a structural plan 20.
Collier CountyThe permit asks for a labeled floor plan, a product approval index sheet listing each Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA number, and a table showing the new product's design pressures exceed those of the existing opening 21.
Sarasota CountyThe county's building permit guidelines (April 2023, archived copy) list replacement of windows, doors, garage doors, skylights, or alterations to exterior wall openings as requiring a permit 22. The document predates HB 803 10.
North Port (Sarasota)The replacement permit form asks for Product Approvals or NOAs with the application and for the share of glazing replaced 4.
Hillsborough CountyLists exterior window and door replacement as a possible exemption under HB 803: non-structural single-family work valued under $7,500, not in a flood hazard area, with no electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work, applied for through HillsGovHub 23. Cities inside the county, such as Tampa, may differ.
Pinellas County (unincorporated)A Window/Door Replacement and/or Impact Shutter Permit Form with a Layout Diagram is uploaded to the permit application in the Access Portal 24. Its HB 803 page 25 lists doors but not windows among work that may qualify, and requires Building Official approval first; the county does not say whether windows qualify 25.
Orange CountyWindow, door and overhead door replacement goes through Fast Track as a Residential Permit, "Windows/Doors Replacement size for size", with a simple floor plan and a completed Product Approval specification sheet; a passed 290 Final Inspection completes the permit 26.

We have not read a current county page on how HB 803 10 applies to windows in Broward, Palm Beach, Lee or Sarasota County, so ask the building office there. Some lines in the table come from archived copies of county pages; confirm them on the live page.

How much does an impact window permit cost?

This guide gives no permit fee for windows. Miami-Dade's Building Division began using a revised fee schedule on October 1, 2025 27, and its building-fees page states no window or door fee 27. For other counties, ask the building office for the fee before you sign.

How much do impact windows cost in Florida? What affects the cost?

This guide gives no installed price. Prices come from written quotes. Official pages show things that can change what a job requires:

Questions people ask

What is the 25 rule for windows in Florida 1?

Miami-Dade's disclosure form says that when more than 25% of glazed openings are replaced, all replaced openings must meet impact requirements, citing Section 707.4 of the code 1. Other counties word it differently, such as Martin County's over 25 percent in 12 months 3, so ask your building office how it applies to your address.

Do you need impact windows in Florida?

Florida law sets one narrow trigger: a permitted project estimated at $50,000 or more, on a qualifying building in the wind-borne debris region with a value of $750,000 or more, must include opening protections 6. Replacement rules are local; in Miami-Dade, replacing more than 25% of glazed openings brings the impact requirement 1. Ask your building office.

How much do impact windows cost in Florida?

This guide gives no installed price; prices come from written quotes. Official pages show that product design pressure 21, the share of openings replaced 1 and building height 7 can change what a job needs.

How do I know if my windows are impact-resistant?

A window sold as hurricane or wind-borne debris impact protection must have statewide product approval 2. You can search approvals in the Florida Building Code Online product section 9 and, for Miami-Dade, the county's Product Approval Search 8. Ask which approval number applies and check it with your building department.

Do I need a permit to replace windows?

Permit rules differ by county. Miami-Dade, Collier, Orange and Pinellas each point to a permit application for window replacement 7 21 26 24, and Fort Lauderdale lists windows as still needing a permit under HB 803 14. Hillsborough lists windows as a possible HB 803 exemption by request 23; check with your building office.

Guides by county

Counties with listing pages

Services

How this directory works

Sources

  1. Miami-Dade RER: Fast Track Window/Door Permitting Owner and Contractor Disclosure Statement (form revision 03/23R1.0), October 23, 2026
  2. Florida Statutes, section 553.842 (product evaluation and approval), October 23, 2026
  3. Martin County: Window/door schedule form, October 23, 2026
  4. City of North Port: Windows and/or Doors Replacement permit form (Rev. Sept 2023; read from an archived copy dated 2025-04-02), October 23, 2026
  5. Miami-Dade RER: Florida Building Code 9th Edition code change notice, October 23, 2026
  6. Florida Statutes, section 553.844 (windstorm loss mitigation), October 23, 2026
  7. Miami-Dade RER: Windows, shutters, doors and security bars, October 23, 2026
  8. Miami-Dade RER: Product Approval, October 23, 2026
  9. Florida Building Code Online: Product Approval (floridabuilding.org), October 23, 2026
  10. Florida Senate: CS/CS/HB 803 (2026), enrolled text, October 23, 2026
  11. Broward County Building Code Division: Windows/doors replacement application packet (read from an archived copy dated 2025-08-06), October 23, 2026
  12. Broward Board of Rules and Appeals: Board Policy 20-01, Retrofit Window and Door Schedule (revised 04/11/24; read from an archived copy), October 23, 2026
  13. City of Hollywood: Window and door replacement checklist (Rev. 4.21.25), October 23, 2026
  14. City of Fort Lauderdale: Permitting Updates, Florida House Bill 803 quick guide, October 23, 2026
  15. Palm Beach County: Amendments to the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), October 23, 2026
  16. Palm Beach County: Product Approval, October 23, 2026
  17. St. Lucie County: Items not requiring a permit (read from an archived copy dated 2026-10-03), October 23, 2026
  18. City of Port St. Lucie: Door/window permit checklist (updated 10/2/25; read from an archived copy), October 23, 2026
  19. Lee County: Exterior Openings, windows, shutters and doors (read from an archived copy dated 2026-03-15), October 23, 2026
  20. City of Cape Coral: Window/Door (new or modified opening) guideline, revised January 2026, October 23, 2026
  21. Collier County: Windows, Doors, Shutters (permit requirements), October 23, 2026
  22. Sarasota County: Building Permit Guidelines (last updated April 2023; read from an archived copy), October 23, 2026
  23. Hillsborough County: Work exempt from permits (last modified 6/29/2026), October 23, 2026
  24. Pinellas County: Window/Door Replacement and/or Impact Shutter Permit Form and Layout Diagram, October 23, 2026
  25. Pinellas County: Permit exemptions for work under $7,500, October 23, 2026
  26. Orange County: Residential and commercial windows and doors, October 23, 2026
  27. Miami-Dade RER: Building permit fees, October 23, 2026