In Florida, an impact rating is not a label on a product. It is an approval for a specific product, size, glass build-up and installation method. That distinction is where most import problems start.
Why this is timely
Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Florida in October 2026, and the state has been promoting a tax break on impact windows and doors, reported in July 2026. Both push homeowners and developers toward impact-rated products — and toward suppliers who can document them.
What impact rated actually means
Impact products are tested to ASTM E1886 for missile impact and ASTM E1996 for cyclic pressure, using a defined missile size and wind zone. The approval then applies to a specific product, size, glass make-up, framing and installation method. A door that passed as a single leaf with one anchoring detail is not automatically approved as a double leaf, at a larger size, or installed into a different wall type.
The approval route
- Florida Product Approval (FPA) — a state-wide approval with a number that appears on the permit drawings.
- Miami-Dade NOA — required in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, with its own product control number.
- Local authority acceptance — the building department confirms that the approval covers the product and the installation shown on the drawings.
What to collect from the supplier before ordering
- The approval number and the exact product description it covers.
- The test report showing the missile level and design pressure.
- The glass make-up that was tested: thickness, interlayer and tempering.
- The installation instructions, because the anchoring method is part of the approval.
- The label or marking the inspector will look for on the delivered unit.
Where projects usually fail
Not at the test report — at the match. A valid report for a different size, a different glass build-up, or a frame anchored in a way the approval does not describe will still fail inspection. On imported product the gap often appears late, when the units are on site and the installer has already set them.
About the tax break
Florida has been offering a tax break on impact windows and doors. Eligibility, the current programme and the documentation required should be confirmed with the state or the local authority before it is quoted to a homeowner.
What we ask for
For a Florida project, send the opening schedule, the wind zone, the wall construction and the approval the project is being designed to. We confirm what the product can be documented against before quoting, rather than after the container arrives.
See our aluminium window systems and UL listed door assemblies, or send the schedule.
