Broward County Certificate of Competency 20-WD-21968-X
Hurricane Shutters in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Hurricane Shutters (accordion, roll-down, storm panels) for homes in Fort Lauderdale and the rest of Broward County. Free estimate.
All of Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale, sits inside the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which means shutters and panels here have to meet the highest design wind pressures and windborne-debris requirements in the state. The local housing stock makes that matter: the median Fort Lauderdale home was built around 1972 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year, 2022), so many single-story concrete block and stucco houses on slab predate modern code provisions, and most of these homes are owner-occupied. With hurricane season running June 1 through November 30 and wind-driven rain common in the May–October wet season, opening protection is the part of the envelope that usually gets addressed first.
Cat 5 Home Shield installs accordion shutters, manual and motorized roll-down shutters, and removable aluminum or steel storm panels with mounted tracks, using products approved for the HVHZ — usually a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA), or a Florida Product Approval valid for the HVHZ with large- and small-missile impact and cyclic loading approval. We also repair existing shutters. Anchoring follows the approved details for the substrate you actually have, whether that's concrete, block, or frame, and we pull the permit when the work needs one, schedule inspections, and close the permit out. The work is covered by Broward County Certificate of Competency 20-WD-21968-X, which covers windows, doors, shutters and garage doors.
Fort Lauderdale is called the 'Venice of America' for its hundreds of miles of canals and Intracoastal frontage, and that waterfront exposure is hard on shutter hardware. Constant salt air off the Atlantic and the canals corrodes tracks, rollers, locks and fasteners far faster than inland, so waterfront shutters often need service years earlier than manufacturers' averages. Add high year-round humidity and intense UV, and a twenty-year-old accordion system on a Las Olas Isles or Rio Vista home can bind, sag, or lose its locking function long before anyone tests it in a storm.
Problems to watch for in Fort Lauderdale
Existing shutters with no HVHZ approval on file
Older shutters on 1950s–1970s Fort Lauderdale homes were often installed before current HVHZ provisions, and the approval paperwork is long gone. Without a valid Miami-Dade NOA or HVHZ-valid Florida Product Approval and matching anchoring details, there is no way to document what the system is rated to hold.
Salt-air corrosion on tracks, rollers and locks
On canal-front and beachside properties, salt spray pits aluminum tracks and seizes lock cylinders and bottom rails. Accordion shutters that no longer slide smoothly or latch fully are usually corrosion problems, not alignment problems.
Panels nobody can put up anymore
Removable steel and aluminum panels are heavy, awkward to store in a slab home with no basement, and slow to install on a tall opening. Households that can't physically deploy them before a storm often end up with unprotected windows, which is why accordions or roll-downs get considered as replacements.
Partially protected openings
Covering the front windows and leaving a rear slider or a second-story bedroom window bare leaves a gap in the envelope. Florida's wind-mitigation form evaluates opening protection across all openings, not just the ones facing the street.
Bedroom escape and rescue openings
Emergency escape and rescue opening requirements still have to be satisfied for bedrooms, even when shutters are installed. That affects which product and which release hardware can be used on those specific windows — verify the details with the city's building department.
Condo and HOA rules on top of permitting
Beachfront and Intracoastal high-rise condominiums and gated communities are widespread in Fort Lauderdale, and association approval for appearance and attachment is commonly required in addition to the building permit. It is worth starting that approval early.
Motorized roll-downs that stall in humidity
Motors, limit switches and exterior control wiring live in a hot, humid, salt-laden environment year-round. Testing a motorized system well before hurricane season is easier than discovering a stuck shutter when a storm is in the forecast cone.
What we do
- Accordion shuttersPermanently mounted accordion systems that stay on the opening and close by hand, specified with HVHZ approval for the opening size and the wall substrate. Good fit for homeowners who want protection that doesn't need to be carried or stored.
- Manual and motorized roll-down shuttersRoll-down systems for windows, sliders and balconies, operated by crank or motor. We install them to the approved anchoring details and show you how to operate and test them.
- Removable storm panels with mounted tracksAluminum or steel panels with permanently installed headers and tracks, approved for large- and small-missile impact and cyclic loading in the HVHZ. The anchors are permitted work even though the panels themselves come down after the season.
- Repairs to existing shuttersTrack cleaning and alignment, lock and roller replacement, and hardware work on corroded systems common near the canals and the Intracoastal. Where a system is beyond repair or has no documented approval, we'll say so.
- Permits, inspections and closeoutWe pull the permit when the work needs one, meet the inspector, and get the permit closed out. A closed permit is what gives you a clean record of the installation for later.
Permits, codes and licensing in Fort Lauderdale
Shutter installation is permitted work in Florida and should be performed by a licensed contractor. It is frequently done under a specialty contractor classification covering shutters and related products, or by a general, building, or residential contractor; several of those specialty classifications are administered locally, so you can verify a contractor's license type and standing with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) through the Construction Industry Licensing Board and with the Broward County Central Examining Boards. Code administration in Broward is overseen by the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals, and current Florida Building Code HVHZ provisions apply countywide. A permit is generally required for permanent accordion, roll-down, Bahama and colonial systems, and for the anchors on removable panel systems, because attachment to the structure is involved; permits come from the municipal building department, or Broward County Building Code Services in unincorporated areas. Cat 5 Home Shield holds Broward County Certificate of Competency 20-WD-21968-X for windows, doors, shutters and garage doors. Verify permit specifics and inspection sequence with the city's building department.
Hurricane Shutters (accordion, roll-down, storm panels) work is done under Broward County Certificate of Competency 20-WD-21968-X.
When to call
Demand across Broward climbs sharply from April through early June and spikes whenever a storm enters the forecast cone, so scheduling in the late fall and winter off-season usually gives you more flexibility on dates. Fort Lauderdale also has a November–April snowbird season, when seasonal residents return and open up homes that sat closed — a good moment to test shutters, locks and motors before the next wet season. For a free estimate, call (954) 906-1715 or use the quote form on this page.
We serve Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods including Victoria Park, Rio Vista, Coral Ridge, Las Olas Isles, Colee Hammock, Sailboat Bend, Flagler Village, Imperial Point, Poinsettia Heights, Tarpon River, Croissant Park and Galt Ocean Mile, along with nearby Broward County cities such as Wilton Manors, Oakland Park, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Dania Beach, Davie and Hollywood.
Hurricane Shutters in Fort Lauderdale: questions we hear
- Do hurricane shutters in Fort Lauderdale need a Miami-Dade NOA?
- Fort Lauderdale is in Broward County, which is inside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so shutters and panels must carry a Miami-Dade NOA or a Florida Product Approval valid for the HVHZ, with large- and small-missile impact and cyclic loading approval. They also have to be installed per the approved anchoring details for your substrate. A Miami-Dade NOA is a product approval, not a service area.
- Will shutters help with my insurance?
- Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts or credits for wind-loss-mitigation features (s. 627.0629, Florida Statutes), and opening protection is one of the categories on Florida's uniform mitigation verification form OIR-B1-1802. A licensed inspector completes that form; protection is evaluated across all openings, so partial coverage may not count the way you expect. Amounts vary by insurer, and you can use the free Wind Mitigation Credit Checker on this site to see which categories apply to your home.
- My house is from the early 1970s. Can shutters still be installed?
- Usually yes. The median Fort Lauderdale home dates from around 1972 (Census), and those concrete block and stucco walls are often a good substrate — what matters is matching the product's approved anchoring details to what the wall actually is. We confirm the substrate before specifying the system.
- Do shutters affect bedroom windows differently?
- Yes. Emergency escape and rescue opening requirements still have to be satisfied for bedrooms, which can limit the product or hardware used on those openings. Verify the specifics with the city's building department before ordering.
- I live in a condo on the beach. What else is involved?
- Beachfront and Intracoastal high-rise condominiums are common in Fort Lauderdale, and association approval for appearance and attachment is often required in addition to the building permit. Starting the board approval early keeps the permit and installation from stalling.
Get a free hurricane shutters estimate in Fort Lauderdale
Tell us what's going on. We'll get back to you to set up a visit.
Prefer to talk?
(954) 906-1715