If you’re replacing windows or doors in South Florida, you’ll hear the term HVHZ. It stands for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and whether your home is inside it changes which products can be installed.
Which counties are in the HVHZ?
Under the Florida Building Code, the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone covers Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Palm Beach County is not in the HVHZ.
What changes inside the HVHZ
Products installed in the HVHZ must meet the code’s HVHZ provisions, which include specific testing for wind pressure and impact. A window can be impact-rated and still not be approved for HVHZ use. In Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point, Coral Springs, Parkland, Weston, and the rest of Broward, the product’s approval has to cover the HVHZ.
What about Palm Beach County?
In Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Palm Beach, and West Palm Beach, products can be approved through Florida Product Approval, and every opening still has to meet the design wind pressure required for its location. Some municipalities set their own criteria. The Town of Palm Beach, for example, asks for signed and sealed design wind loads based on 170 mph and Exposure D.
Why it matters when you buy
- A product that isn’t approved for your location won’t pass permitting.
- Quotes that look cheaper sometimes specify products approved for a lower-pressure location.
- Ask your contractor which approval each product carries and whether it covers your address.
Read more: Miami-Dade NOA vs. Florida Product Approval, or see our service areas.
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