Nassau County, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Hurricane Shutters (2026)

15, "Opening protection," sets out when a home in the wind-borne debris region must add impact-rated shutters, windows or doors rather than relying on an unprotected opening. The trigger has three parts that all have to be met: the permit application must be dated July 1, 2008 or later, the estimated cost of the work covered by that permit must be $50,000 or more, and the structure must be a site-built single-family detached home located in the wind-borne debris region as the Florida Building Code defines it.

Nassau County applies a value test on top of that: the home must carry an insured value of $750,000 or more, or, if it is uninsured or the owner does not provide insurance documentation, the property's just valuation for ad valorem tax purposes must be $750,000 or more. Once those thresholds are met, the opening protections required by this code or the Florida Building Code, Residential for new construction must be installed on the affected openings as part of the permitted work. The section carries a specific exclusion for roofing: work limited to roof covering replacement or repair intended to prevent degradation of the residence does not count toward the $50,000 threshold and does not by itself trigger the shutter requirement.

There is also a grandfather clause: where the boundaries of the wind-borne debris region have not changed, a single-family detached home already permitted under the Florida Building Code is not required to retrofit opening protection under this section. 15 as part of ordinary permit review under Section 107, so a homeowner applying for a $50,000-plus renovation on a high-value home in the wind-borne debris region should expect plans to be checked for compliant shutters, windows or doors before the permit issues.