Impact window NOA vs Florida Product Approval: how to check one

In Miami-Dade and Broward, an impact window or door must carry a current product approval that is valid for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ): either a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) or a Florida Product Approval that is approved for HVHZ use. Both can be looked up for free. The approval number alone is not enough, though. The product, its size, its design pressure rating and its anchoring all have to match your opening.

Why do windows need a product approval at all?

Florida law requires products in the categories the Florida Building Commission regulates to be approved “before their use in construction in this state” (§ 553.842(4), F.S.). Windows, exterior doors, shutters and impact protective systems are all on that list (Rule 61G20-3.001). A statewide approval stops local departments from demanding more testing, “so long as the product is being used consistent with the conditions of its approval.” That condition is the whole game.

NOA vs Florida Product Approval: what is the difference?

	Miami-Dade NOA	Florida Product Approval
Issued by	Miami-Dade RER, Product Control Section	Florida Building Commission (state system under Rule 61G20-3)
Number format	File number such as 26-0715.07	”FL” number, e.g. FL15816
HVHZ use	Window NOAs state the product complies with the code “including the High Velocity Hurricane Zone”	Only when the approval is marked for HVHZ use; the state search lets you filter “Approved for use in HVHZ”
How long it lasts	Shows an expiration date; the NOA “shall not be valid after” it	Valid “until the requirements of the code on which the approval is based change,” the product changes, or the approval is revoked (§ 553.842(5))
Label	NOA windows carry a permanent label with “Miami-Dade County Product Control Approved” unless the NOA says otherwise	Labeling per the code (see the label checklist below)
Look it up	Product Control Search	Florida Product Approval search

The local permit offices we checked accept either one. Coral Gables asks for “the Product Control Approval from the State of Florida or Miami-Dade County Notices of Acceptance (NOA’s)” for window and door permits (Coral Gables permit requirements). Miami-Dade’s Product Control brochure explains why the county runs its own system: inside the HVHZ, products that make up the building envelope, “doors, shutters, windows” among them, “require the issuance of an approval in order to be used for construction in Miami-Dade County.” It also notes that every Florida county other than Miami-Dade and Broward is outside the HVHZ (brochure).

What does the HVHZ require of an impact window?

In the HVHZ, the approval rests on the code’s HVHZ test protocols. A Miami-Dade window NOA approved in August 2026 lists test reports for air infiltration, uniform static air pressure and water resistance (TAS 202), large- and small-missile impact (TAS 201) and cyclic wind pressure loading (TAS 203), and states a “Missile Impact Rating: Large and Small Missile Impact Resistant” (NOA 26-0715.07). A state approval written for HVHZ use cites the same protocols. The evaluation report for one such approval says that “when used in the ‘HVHZ’ this product complies with Section 1626 of the Florida Building Code and does not require an impact resistant covering,” and points to its drawing for “size and design pressure limitations” (FL-15816.4).

Outside the HVHZ, in Palm Beach County for example, state approvals for impact products typically cite the ASTM impact standards referenced by the code (ASTM E1886 and E1996 in the 8th Edition, per state approval records). A product approved only for use outside the HVHZ is not an HVHZ product.

How do I look up an approval?

1. Get the number from your quote or contract. Ask for every product: each window series, each door, any mullions.
2. Miami-Dade NOA: open the Product Control Search and enter the file number (format 01-0712.04), or use the advanced search by file classification (“High velocity hurricane zone”) and applicant. Open the PDF.
3. Florida Product Approval: open the state search, enter the FL number, and check whether it is approved for use in the HVHZ, outside it, or both. Open the evaluation report and drawings.
4. Read the first page and the drawings, not just the title. The conditions and limits are in the approval document.

What should I check on the approval and the label?

On the approval

• Status and dates. For an NOA, the expiration date. The NOA also terminates if “the materials, use, and/or manufacture of the product” change.
• The exact product. Manufacturer, series and configuration (single-hung, fixed, sliding door, mulled unit) must match what you are buying.
• HVHZ coverage if your home is in Miami-Dade or Broward.
• Impact rating. Large missile, small missile, or both.
• Size and design pressure limits. The approval drawings list the maximum sizes and the positive and negative design pressures for each size and glass type.
• Anchoring. The drawings specify fasteners, spacing and substrate (concrete, masonry, wood buck). The installation must follow them.

Design pressure, in plain terms

Design pressure is the wind pressure, inward (positive) and outward (negative), that the product is rated to resist, in pounds per square foot. Each opening in your house has its own required pressure, which depends on the site, the building and where the opening sits. Coral Gables, for one, requires “site specific Wind Load Calculations” signed by an architect or engineer for the openings in a window or door permit. The rule of thumb: the product’s rated design pressure at that size must meet or exceed the required pressure for that opening. If a large unit’s rating drops below the requirement, the answer is a different size, configuration or product, not a different number on the paperwork.

On the window

The code’s labeling section (FBC 1709.5.1, as shown in the Commission’s 2026 Product Approval significant-changes summary) calls for a permanent label or marking traceable to the manufacturer. It also calls for a permanent or temporary supplemental label showing:

• Manufacturer and model or series number
• Positive and negative design pressure rating
• Maximum size tested
• Impact-resistant rating, if applicable
• Florida Product Approval number or Miami-Dade approval number
• Test standards and the certification, testing or evaluation entity

The temporary label must stay on the window “until final approval by the building official.” Don’t peel it off before the final inspection. Coral Gables lists window/door buck, anchor and final inspections for these permits.

Where does this fit with hurricane protection and insurance?

Impact openings and the roof work as one envelope. For whether impact glass is worth it compared with shutters, read impact windows and doors for hurricane season. For how opening protection is documented for insurers, read what a wind-mitigation inspection looks at. Your carrier decides what credit, if any, applies.

Next step

Before you sign for impact windows or doors, ask for the approval number of every product, the approval drawings, and the design pressures required for each opening. Then check them using the steps above. Art’s Roofing & Construction installs impact windows and doors (Eco Window Systems, Mr. Glass) across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. See our impact windows and doors service or request a free estimate.