Do I need a permit for window or exterior door replacement in Boca Raton?
Yes. In Florida, window or exterior door replacement generally requires a permit, and Boca Raton is no exception.
Replacing windows or exterior doors, including garage doors, generally requires a permit in Florida even when the new unit is the same size, because the opening must meet current wind-load requirements. Each product must carry a valid Florida Product Approval, or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance in High-Velocity Hurricane Zones. A few jurisdictions allow narrow same-size, glass-only exceptions.
Florida and local notes for Boca Raton
Like-for-like replacement usually does not waive the permit in Florida. The product approval must match the wind-load rating for your specific address. Palm Beach County's own permitting office is the Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building Department (Building Division), reachable on 561-233-5100 at https://discover.pbc.gov/pzb/pages/contact-us.aspx. Its online permit portal is https://pbc.gov/epzb. It issues permits for the unincorporated county. If your city does not run its own building department, this is the office that will handle the job. Palm Beach County is a high-wind area. The county's own amendments set ultimate design wind speeds ranging from 140 to 180 mph 3-second gust for Exposure Category C, depending on the Risk Category assigned to the building. All of unincorporated Palm Beach County is in the wind-borne debris region. Inside a municipality the exact wind speed and debris region lines are set by local ordinance, so confirm the figure for your parcel rather than assuming. In the wind-borne debris region, glazed openings must be impact resistant or protected by approved shutters, and products need Florida Product Approval or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance. This is the single most common reason a Palm Beach County job gets rejected at plan review. Because there are eight wind speed lines across the Risk Categories with no clean physical landmarks between them, the county publishes a separate GIS tool per Risk Category on its Building Division site. Use it to get the design wind speed for your specific parcel before ordering materials or commissioning drawings. Boca Raton has an over the counter permit for single family window, door, and impact shutter replacement. If an existing opening is being altered, the permit goes back to structural review, and creating a new opening is handled as an addition/alteration permit instead. The city's window and door affidavit states a 170 mph wind speed and Exposure C for single family homes, and product approvals or NOAs must be on site for inspection. The HOA Regulations Notification Affidavit is limited to interior work, so exterior work such as windows, doors, and shutters in an HOA community is outside its scope. Check your HOA rules separately.
Documents you may need
- Permit applicationLikely required
- Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA for each unitLikely required
- Window and door layout or opening scheduleSometimes required
- Notice of commencement (for work over the statutory value)Sometimes required
- Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA for impact rated productsSometimes required
- Wind load design pressures for components and claddingSometimes required
- Submittal Form and Building ApplicationLikely required
- Windows, Doors, or Impact Shutters Single Family Residence affidavit (over the counter permits)Sometimes required
- Window/Door Schedule, Windload Design Form, product approvals or NOAs, and a location sketchSometimes required
- Recorded and certified Notice of Commencement for projects over $5,000Sometimes required
Possible inspections
- In-progress fastening and flashing inspection
- Final inspection
- Inspections on all windows, doors, and shutters being installed
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a permit for window or exterior door replacement in Boca Raton?
- Yes. In Florida, window or exterior door replacement generally requires a permit, and Boca Raton is no exception. The documents and inspections sections on this page list what the building department typically asks for.
- Who issues the permit in Boca Raton?
- The local building department for Boca Raton handles permitting. This page lists its contact details and online portal. Your mailing city is not always the permitting authority, so confirm the jurisdiction before you apply.
- How do I find out the exact requirements for my project?
- Run the free PermitRoadmap check for your specific project and answers. It returns the likely permits, documents, inspections, and next steps, each linked to its official source.
PermitRoadmap is an independent informational service and is not affiliated with any city, county, state agency, or permitting authority. Results are informational and do not replace confirming requirements with the local permitting authority.