Broward County Certificate of Competency 20-WD-21968-X
Impact Entry & Sliding Doors in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Impact Entry & Sliding Doors for homes in Fort Lauderdale and the rest of Broward County. Free estimate.
Fort Lauderdale sits inside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, the part of the Florida Building Code that applies only to Broward and Miami-Dade counties and sets the state's highest design wind pressures and windborne-debris requirements. That matters most at large door openings: entry doors, French and patio doors, and wide sliding glass doors facing the water. According to Census figures (ACS 5-year, 2022), the median Fort Lauderdale home was built around 1972, and most homes here are owner-occupied, so a great many single-story concrete block and stucco houses still carry original or early-replacement doors that predate today's HVHZ provisions.
Cat 5 Home Shield installs impact-rated front entry doors, French and patio doors, and sliding glass doors approved for the HVHZ, usually under a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance. We measure the opening, match a product approval rated for that opening's design pressure, install sill pans and flashing, and anchor the unit the way the approval specifies. We pull the permit when the work needs one, schedule the inspections, and get the permit closed out. Call (954) 906-1715 or use the form on this page for a free estimate.
Fort Lauderdale's nickname, the 'Venice of America,' comes from hundreds of miles of canals and Intracoastal frontage, and that water is hard on door hardware. Constant salt air off the Atlantic and the canals corrodes rollers, tracks, hinges, deadbolts and lock cylinders far faster than inland, so waterfront sliders often bind, drag or refuse to lock years before manufacturers' averages. Pair that with a mid-century housing stock that largely predates modern codes, and older sliders and entry doors are frequent upgrade targets ahead of hurricane season, which runs June 1 through November 30.
Problems to watch for in Fort Lauderdale
Sliders that drag or won't lock
Salt-laden air on the canals and near the beach pits rollers, tracks and lock cylinders. A slider that no longer latches cleanly is both a security issue and a weak point under wind pressure.
Water at the sill in heavy rain
Fort Lauderdale's May-through-October wet season brings near-daily thunderstorms and wind-driven rain. Without a properly detailed sill pan and flashing, water tracks under the threshold and into the slab-on-grade floor assembly.
Doors with no HVHZ approval
Many doors on 1950s-1970s block homes were installed before current HVHZ provisions. In a strong storm, an unrated door or slider can fail under pressure or debris impact, which opens the building envelope.
Wide glass openings facing the water
Large multi-panel sliders on Intracoastal and canal-front homes see high design pressures. The product approval has to be rated for that specific opening size and pressure, not just labeled 'impact.'
Pool barrier doors
Where a door serves as an opening in a pool barrier, the code's residential swimming pool barrier rules may call for self-closing and self-latching hardware or an alarm. That detail gets decided before the door is ordered.
Condo and HOA approval
Fort Lauderdale has beachfront and Intracoastal high-rises plus many HOA-governed communities, and association approval for exterior door changes is commonly required in addition to the permit.
Partial protection across the house
Opening protection on Florida's wind-mitigation form is evaluated across all openings, so one new impact slider does not change how the whole home is classified if other openings are left unprotected.
What we do
- Measure and match a product approvalWe measure the opening and select an impact-rated entry, French, patio or sliding glass door with a Miami-Dade NOA or Florida Product Approval accepted for the HVHZ and rated for that opening's design pressure.
- Sill pans and flashingWe install sill pans and flashing so wind-driven rain during the rainy season drains back out instead of migrating into the wall and floor.
- Install to the approvalAnchors, spacing, shimming and buck conditions follow the installation instructions in the product approval, because that is what the inspector checks against.
- Permits and inspectionsWe submit the product approval and attachment details with the permit application, schedule the required final inspection, and get the permit closed out.
- Hardware and lockingWe set locking hardware so the door latches correctly, including self-closing or self-latching hardware where a door is part of a pool barrier.
Permits, codes and licensing in Fort Lauderdale
Impact entry and sliding glass door replacement is permitted work in Broward County and should be done by a licensed contractor — typically a general, building or residential contractor, or an appropriately licensed specialty contractor such as glass and glazing or a comparable classification, which in Broward may be locally issued or registered. Contractor licensing is overseen by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation through the Construction Industry Licensing Board, with qualification and local registration handled through the Broward County Central Examining Boards; code administration falls to the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals. Cat 5 Home Shield holds Broward County Certificate of Competency 20-WD-21968-X, which covers windows, doors, shutters and garage doors. A permit from the Fort Lauderdale building department is required for door replacement, and especially for any structural change to the opening; a final inspection follows. Condo or HOA approval is commonly required as well. Verify classification scope and submittal details with DBPR, Broward County and the city's building department.
Impact Entry & Sliding Doors work is done under Broward County Certificate of Competency 20-WD-21968-X.
When to call
Demand in Fort Lauderdale climbs in spring and through the start of hurricane season on June 1, and again after storm scares. The November-April dry season usually offers easier scheduling and better installation conditions, and it overlaps the snowbird season when seasonal residents return and open up homes that have sat closed. Ordering an HVHZ-approved door takes lead time, so earlier is simpler. Call (954) 906-1715 or request a quote with the form on this page for a free estimate.
We serve Fort Lauderdale throughout Broward County, 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.
Impact Doors in Fort Lauderdale: questions we hear
- Do I need a permit to replace a sliding glass door in Fort Lauderdale?
- Yes — door replacement is permitted work, and the permit comes from the city building department where the property sits. Product approval and attachment details are submitted with the application, and a final inspection is required. Verify the current submittal requirements with the city's building department.
- Why do Broward doors need a Miami-Dade NOA?
- All of Broward County sits in the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and products installed there need an approval accepted for the HVHZ — usually a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, or a Florida Product Approval accepted for the HVHZ. The approval also has to be rated for your opening's design pressure. That is a product approval, not a service area.
- How do impact doors relate to the wind-mitigation form?
- Florida's uniform mitigation verification form OIR-B1-1802 has a category for opening protection, which is evaluated across all openings — doors included — alongside building code, roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall attachment, roof geometry and secondary water resistance. Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts or credits for wind-loss-mitigation features under s. 627.0629, Florida Statutes, and a licensed inspector completes the form; we do not perform those inspections. You can try the free Wind Mitigation Credit Checker on this site.
- Will new doors hold up to salt air on the canals?
- Salt spray along Fort Lauderdale's canals and Intracoastal frontage corrodes rollers, tracks and lock cylinders faster than inland conditions, so hardware finish and routine rinsing matter. We discuss hardware options during the free estimate and install to the product approval. Plan on periodic cleaning and lubrication of tracks and rollers.
- I live in a condo or HOA community — what else is involved?
- Condominiums, townhomes and HOA-governed communities are widespread in Broward, and board approval for exterior door changes is commonly required in addition to the city permit. Associations often have rules on frame color, glass type and panel configuration. It is worth starting that approval early, since it runs in parallel with permitting.
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