Hurricane season in South Florida runs from June 1 through November 30, and the most active weeks — mid-August through October — are here. Most homeowners think about shutters, generators, and water. Far fewer think about the largest moving openings in their home: the entry and patio doors. Yet in a major storm, a door that fails can compromise the entire building envelope.
This guide covers three things every Miami-area homeowner should know before a storm forms: what impact-rated doors actually protect against, how to verify that your doors carry a genuine Florida Product Approval, and a practical checklist to run before a warning is issued.
What Impact-Rated Doors Actually Protect Against
“Impact-rated” is not a marketing term — it refers to doors tested and certified against specific threats:
- Windborne debris. The signature hurricane hazard. Certified doors survive large-missile impact testing — lumber fired at the door at storm speeds — followed by thousands of pressure cycles, per Miami-Dade protocols TAS 201 and TAS 203.
- Wind pressure. Sustained and gusting loads push and pull on a door for hours. Design-pressure (DP) ratings state exactly how much a door resists — for example, our certified outswing doors are rated +65/−65 PSF, tested per TAS 202.
- Envelope breach and internal pressurization. When a door or window fails, wind enters and pressurizes the house from inside — a leading cause of roof loss. Keeping every opening intact is what keeps the roof on.
- Wind-driven rain. Perimeter sealing and threshold design are part of the tested assembly, limiting water intrusion during hours of horizontal rain.
One point that surprises many owners of high-end homes: a beautifully built custom door is not automatically a certified impact door. Certification belongs to a tested assembly — the door, frame, hardware, and installation method together.
How to Check Your Florida Product Approval
Every legitimately certified exterior door sold in Florida carries a Florida Product Approval number (an “FL number”) or a Miami-Dade NOA. You can verify any FL number yourself, free, in about two minutes:
- Go to the Florida Building Code Product Approval search at floridabuilding.org.
- Choose “Find a Product or Application” and search by the FL number on your paperwork, invoice, or the label on the door frame.
- Confirm the product description matches your door (swing direction, size, configuration) and that the approval status is current.
- Check the design pressure listed against your home’s requirements — your permit documents or a licensed contractor can confirm what your opening requires.
Our own doors are covered by two active approvals: FL#28370 (outswing pivot wood door, rated +65/−65 PSF, tested per TAS 201/202/203 with sizes up to 81″ × 147¾″, hardware tested to AAMA 1304) and FL#16326 (our classical outswing door series, rated +65/−65 PSF, tested per ASTM F588). If you own one of our doors and want a copy of the approval documents for your records or an insurance review, contact us and we will send them.
Pre-Storm Door Checklist
Run this in June — or today, if you haven’t — not when a storm is 48 hours out:
- Verify your FL number or NOA (above) and keep a copy with your insurance documents. It can matter for wind-mitigation credits and claims.
- Inspect weatherstripping and sweeps. Compressed, cracked, or missing seals let in wind-driven rain even if the door holds.
- Check every hinge, pivot, and lock point. Multi-point locks should engage fully and smoothly at every point — a door is only as strong as its engagement with the frame.
- Look at the threshold and drainage. Clear debris; confirm water sheds away from the sill.
- Confirm the finish is intact. South Florida sun and salt degrade exterior finishes; failed finish lets moisture reach the door structure.
- Photograph your doors, inside and out. Dated photos simplify any insurance claim.
- Schedule repairs now. Door professionals — like every trade — are booked solid once a storm is named.
The Bottom Line
A certified impact door protects your home without asking you to do anything on storm day — no panels to mount, no ladders in the wind. But that protection depends on verified certification and basic maintenance. Ten minutes on the Florida Product Approval site and a walk around your doors is the cheapest hurricane prep you’ll do this year.
Questions about whether your doors are certified — or ready to upgrade to doors that are? Contact Custom Doors in Miami for a consultation.
