Do You Need a Permit to Replace Windows or Doors in Florida?

Windows and doors are a big part of how a Florida home survives a hurricane. If an opening fails, wind and water get inside, pressure builds and roofs can lift. That's why replacing them almost always involves a permit and approved products.

When a permit is needed

Most Florida building departments require a permit to replace:

• exterior windows, including size-for-size replacements
• sliding glass doors and French doors
• entry doors
• garage doors
• hurricane shutters and other opening protection

Some departments have streamlined tracks for size-for-size work. Orange County, for example, has a residential permit type for size-for-size window and door replacement where you upload a simple floor plan marking the openings and a product approval sheet, and the approved installation instructions must be on site for the inspection. Lee County's exterior openings guide covers size-for-size replacements and sends anything that changes openings, like enclosing a lanai, to an alteration permit.

Small repairs within the existing frame are sometimes exempt, depending on the county or city. Ask your building department before assuming a repair doesn't need a permit.

Product approvals

Each window, door and shutter must be approved for use in Florida, through the statewide Florida product approval system or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA). The approval sets the design pressures the product can withstand and how it must be installed. Your installer lists the approval numbers on the permit application, and inspectors check that the installation matches. See hurricane codes and product approval.

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Impact protection requirements

In the wind-borne debris region, glazed openings must be impact-resistant or covered by approved impact protection. The region includes:

• all of Miami-Dade and Broward, which are also the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone
• areas within one mile of the coastal mean high-water line where an Exposure D condition (open water upwind) exists and the design wind speed is 130 mph or more (2023 Florida Building Code)
• anywhere the design wind speed is 140 mph or more

Wind maps and definitions are updated with each code edition, so ask your building department or installer whether your address is in the region. Inside it, you choose between impact windows and approved shutters; see impact windows vs. hurricane shutters.

Changing opening sizes

Making a window bigger, turning a window into a door or enclosing a lanai changes the structure. Expect structural details or engineering, new headers or lintels in block walls, and stucco and drywall repair. That work costs more and needs a broader permit.

Bedroom windows and safety

Bedroom windows usually serve as emergency escape openings and must meet minimum size and sill-height rules. If you replace one with a different style, make sure the new window still meets them. Your installer and inspector will check.

How counties compare

Window and door replacement: how Florida counties compare

County	What the published guidance says
Miami-Dade County	Replacing windows, doors or siding needs a permit, and the replacement products must be approved for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. Ask your installer for the NOA or product approval number for each unit.
Broward County	Window and door replacements need a permit, and products must be approved for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. Your city's checklist sets the exact paperwork.
Palm Beach County	Window and door replacements need a permit. For repairs within an existing frame, check the county's list of work not requiring a permit or ask PZB.
Hillsborough County	Window and door replacements generally need a permit, with product approvals for the units being installed. Confirm current requirements with Development Services.
Orange County	Size-for-size window and door replacements have their own residential permit track. You upload a simple floor plan marking the openings and a product approval sheet, and the approved installation details must be on site for inspection.
Jacksonville (Duval County)	Confirm with the Building Inspection Division what your window or door replacement needs. Changing an opening's size is structural work and needs a permit.
Pinellas County	Window and door replacement generally needs a permit. In flood zones, the cost of a larger renovation can trigger the FEMA 50% rule, so ask about it early.
Lee County	Size-for-size window and door replacements follow the county's exterior openings guide. Changing an opening's size or adding a new opening needs a full residential building permit instead.
Brevard County	Exterior doors, windows, garage doors and hurricane shutters on one- and two-family homes need the county's doors, windows and shutters permit, with Florida product approval documents. The door between the house and the garage needs one too.
Indian River County	Replacement windows and doors need product approvals for the site's wind loads, and impact protection where the wind-borne debris rules apply. The county has a separate permit application for garage doors. Confirm what a size-for-size replacement needs with the Building Division.
Volusia County	Plan on a permit for replacement windows and exterior doors, with the Florida product approval for each unit. Check the county's online Permit Guide or ask the Permit Center for the current submittal list.
Flagler County	Confirm with the county Building Department what a window or door replacement needs. Expect to provide the Florida product approval for each unit.

For Melbourne and the other Brevard County offices, see window replacement permits in Melbourne.

HOAs and condos

Many HOAs control window color, frame style and grid patterns, but Florida law requires associations to adopt hurricane protection specifications and stops them from denying applications that meet them. Condos have their own rules for unit owners. See HOA approval in Florida. For prices, see our impact window cost guide and hurricane shutter cost guide. For whole-house budgets on the Space Coast, see impact window costs in Brevard County.