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High-Velocity Hurricane Zone Permits in Florida: What Changes for Your Home

Broward and Miami-Dade sit in Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. Here is what that means for roof, window, door, and shutter permits.

PermitRoadmap Editorial Nov 14, 2026 7 min read
A South Florida home with a new concrete barrel tile roof and impact windows in warm afternoon light

High-Velocity Hurricane Zone permits are the stricter roof, window, door, and shutter permits used in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, the two counties the Florida Building Code places in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ). Roofing components need valid product approvals, exterior openings need impact-tested products or protection, and roofs are inspected in stages. Before you sign a contract, run your project through the free permit checker and confirm details with your building department.

Key takeaways

  • The Florida Building Code defines the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone as Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
  • In the HVHZ, every roofing component must have a valid and current product approval, and roof work uses an HVHZ Uniform Roofing Permit Application.
  • HVHZ outside doors, skylights, and glazing must pass impact testing or be protected by a tested device such as a shutter.
  • Several South Florida city checklists accept either a Florida product approval or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA).
  • HVHZ reroofs are inspected in phases, from underlayment through a final inspection.

Table of contents

Roofers installing concrete barrel tile on a South Florida home in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone

What is the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone?

The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone is a code designation that, in the Florida Building Code's words, "consists of Broward and Miami-Dade counties." It is a whole-county boundary, not a flood zone or a wind speed line.

The HVHZ carries its own rules. The section numbers in this guide come from the 2023 (8th edition) Florida Building Code; Miami-Dade's product approval notices say the 2026 edition takes effect December 31, 2026, so confirm current section numbers with your permit office after that date. The Florida Building Code, Building, Chapter 15 sends HVHZ roofs to Sections 1512 through 1525, and Chapter 16 has separate HVHZ sections for wind loads and wind-borne debris impact tests. Homes are covered too: the Florida Building Code, Residential points HVHZ houses to its Chapter 44, which refers back to the Building volume for roofs, glazing, and structure.

What changes for a roof permit in the HVHZ?

In the HVHZ, a permit is required for all work connected with the application, repair, or maintenance of any roofing component, except as Section 105 of the code otherwise allows. Treat even modest roof repairs as permit work until your building department says otherwise.

The HVHZ Uniform Roofing Permit Application

Section 1512.3.1 requires reroofing, recovering, repair, and maintenance to have an HVHZ Uniform Roofing Permit Application, completed and executed by a licensed contractor. Attachments include the product approval, detail drawings, the municipal permit application, and a signed owner's notification. Under Section 1512.2.1, every roofing component, system, and assembly needs a valid and current product approval.

The owner's notification

Section 1524 is a notification your roofer must explain and you initial. One item warns that the existing wood deck may have to be renailed to current HVHZ requirements, and the deck is usually hidden until the old roof comes off. Ask how your contract prices renailing before you sign.

What inspections does an HVHZ reroof get?

An HVHZ reroof is inspected in phases, then gets a final inspection. Section 1512.4 ties the timing to the roof system.

For tile, shingle, and similar discontinuous systems, the code lists inspections during or after the underlayment, during the cap sheet, and during installation of the roof covering. Adhesive-set and mortar-set tile roofs also need a field static uplift test under TAS 106 before the final, with results submitted to the building official.

What changes for windows, doors, and shutters?

In the HVHZ, exterior walls, roofs, outside doors, skylights, glazing, and glass block must meet impact test criteria or be protected by an external device, such as a shutter, that does. Section 1626.1 applies this across the zone, with narrow exceptions such as soffit vents and some screen rooms.

The large missile test in Section 1626.2 strikes the specimen with a nine-pound piece of lumber at 50 feet per second, and HVHZ windows and sliding doors must comply with TAS 202. Impact-resistant coverings carry a permanent label from the product approval holder, and installation instructions must be available to inspectors on site. Outside the HVHZ, similar protection depends on whether you are in a wind-borne debris region.

City checklists apply this directly. Hialeah's window and door requirements call for the product approval number of each opening component, and Coral Gables requires an NOA or product approval for windows, doors, and shutters.

Accordion hurricane shutters folded beside impact sliding glass doors on a Broward County home

Do I need a Miami-Dade NOA or a Florida product approval?

Often either works, as long as the product is approved for HVHZ use and your city accepts it. An NOA is issued by Miami-Dade County's Product Control Section, which reviews windows, exterior glazing, wall cladding, roofing, exterior doors, skylights, glass block, siding, and shutters.

The Florida product approval search lets you filter statewide approvals by "Approved for use in HVHZ," so an FL number alone does not prove a product suits a South Florida house. Our guide to Florida product approval and NOAs explains how to read both.

  • Deerfield Beach says roof product approvals may be Florida Product Approvals or a Miami-Dade County NOA.
  • Coral Gables accepts an NOA or Product Approval from the State of Florida or Miami-Dade County for each roof component.
  • Coral Springs says roofing must follow Dade County NOAs, and roof vents and skylights need an NOA at permit time.

Our take: In the HVHZ, the product approval decides whether your permit gets issued. Get the exact NOA or FL number, confirm it covers HVHZ use, and match it to your city's checklist before you pay a deposit.

HVHZ permits at a glance

Your city's checklist controls the final list, but this is what the HVHZ adds.

ProjectWhat the HVHZ addsTypical paperwork
Reroof or roof repairProduct approval for every roofing component, phased inspectionsHVHZ Uniform Roofing Permit Application, owner's notification, NOA or FL approval
Windows and sliding doorsImpact testing or tested protection, TAS 202 complianceProduct approval number for each opening
Garage doorsHVHZ testing to TAS 202Labeled door with its approval number where applicable
ShuttersMust pass the HVHZ impact tests in Section 1626NOA or product approval, labeled product, installation instructions on site

A worked example: a tile reroof in Hialeah

A Hialeah homeowner is replacing a 2,000 square foot concrete tile roof. Hialeah's Roofing Package says a Product Control Notice of Acceptance and the method of installation must be provided at permit application and posted at the job site for inspection.

The roofer files the HVHZ Uniform Roofing Permit Application with the tile and underlayment approvals, and the homeowner initials the owner's notification, including the renailing item. Hialeah's fee schedule, effective March 20, 2026, prices roofing permits at $0.20 per square foot with a $290.00 minimum, so the office works out the base fee from the roof's square footage and adds the state surcharges. It confirms the total when it issues the permit. Inspections follow the underlayment, the tile installation, a TAS 106 uplift test if the tile is adhesive-set or mortar-set, and the final.

How do you start an HVHZ permit the right way?

Confirm who issues your permit, then lock down product approvals before you buy anything, because checklists differ by building department.

  1. Find your jurisdiction on the Miami-Dade County permit page or in our Broward County building permits guide.
  2. Download that office's roofing or window checklist.
  3. Get the NOA or FL number for each product and confirm it covers HVHZ use.
  4. Hire a licensed contractor, and see our Florida roof permit guide for how reroofs work statewide.
  5. Ask the permit office about exemptions, owner-builder work, or repairs before work begins.

Frequently asked questions

Which counties are in Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone?
The Florida Building Code defines the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone as Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The designation covers each whole county, so every city and unincorporated area in those two counties is inside it.
Is Palm Beach County in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone?
No. The code definition names only Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The code does allow a jurisdiction outside the HVHZ to adopt the HVHZ roofing requirements, and other wind rules still apply, so confirm your project's requirements with your building department.
Do I need a permit to repair a few roof tiles in the HVHZ?
Assume yes until your building department tells you otherwise. In the HVHZ, the Florida Building Code requires a permit for all work connected with the application, repair, or maintenance of any roofing component, except as Section 105 of the code allows.
Do impact windows in Broward or Miami-Dade need a Miami-Dade NOA?
Not always. Several South Florida city checklists accept either a Florida product approval or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, as long as the product is approved for HVHZ use. Check your city's window and door checklist for the exact requirement.
Do hurricane shutters need product approval in the HVHZ?
In practice, yes. HVHZ openings must pass impact testing or be protected by a device that does, impact-resistant coverings carry a permanent label from the product approval holder, and city checklists such as the one in Coral Gables require an NOA or product approval for shutters.
What is the owner's notification on an HVHZ reroof?
It is a Florida Building Code form, Section 1524, that your roofing contractor must explain and you initial. One item warns that the existing wood roof deck may have to be renailed to current HVHZ requirements once the old roof is removed.

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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.

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