Hurricane and impact garage doors
The garage door is the largest opening in most Boynton homes, and the first to fail in a storm. A rated door keeps the wind out of the house, and the right paperwork keeps your insurance discount.
- On site: 5 to 6 hours on install day
- Same day in Boynton most calls
Signs this is your problem
- Your door has no Florida Product Approval label.
- Your wind mitigation report marked the garage door as unrated.
- The door flexes or rattles in strong wind.
- You're replacing windows and want the whole house protected.
What the code asks for here
Palm Beach County is not in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (that's Miami-Dade and Broward), but it's in the wind-borne debris region. New garage doors must carry a Florida Product Approval (a Miami-Dade NOA is also accepted), be rated for the design pressure of your house, and pass a city inspection. Design wind speeds here are 160–170 mph.
The insurance part nobody explains
On Florida's wind mitigation form (OIR-B1-1802), opening protection is all or nothing: one unrated garage door can cost you the credit for every protected window in the house. Your inspector needs the label and the approval number. We leave both on the door and in your paperwork.
Impact or wind-load?
A wind-load door resists pressure. An impact door also resists flying debris. In the wind-borne debris region, glass in the door must be impact-rated. We'll explain which one your house needs and why.
Bracing isn't a new door
Retrofit bracing kits can help an older door, but they don't give it a Florida Product Approval. If you want the insurance credit, you need a rated door.
Questions about hurricane & impact doors
Five to six hours on install day for a two-car door, after the permit is issued and the door arrives (usually two to four weeks). Then the city inspection. pending
No. The HVHZ is Miami-Dade and Broward. Palm Beach County follows the wind-borne debris region rules with Florida Product Approval.
It can. The opening-protection credit on the wind mitigation form depends on every opening being protected, including the garage door. Ask your agent for your numbers.
Door stuck right now?
Call and a person in Boynton answers. We'll tell you if it's safe to touch, when we can be there, and how long the fix usually takes, before anyone drives over.