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

15 requires opening protection, storm shutters or code-compliant impact-resistant openings, on a defined category of new and altered single-family homes in Seminole County's wind-borne debris region. The trigger has three parts that all must be met: the work requires a building permit, roof covering replacement or repair aimed at preventing degradation of the residence does not count, the application is filed on or after July 1, 2008, and the estimated cost of the work is $50,000 or more. On top of that cost threshold, the home itself must carry either an insured value of $750,000 or more, or, if it is uninsured or the owner does not present insurance documentation, a just valuation for ad valorem tax purposes of $750,000 or more.

When all of those conditions line up, the opening protections required by this Appendix A or by the Florida Building Code, Residential, for new construction must be installed as part of the permitted work. The section carves out one exception: if the wind-borne debris region boundary for the property has not changed, a site-built single-family detached residential structure already permitted under the Florida Building Code does not have to retrofit to comply. Because the rule is written around the wind-borne debris region defined elsewhere in the Florida Building Code rather than a flat county-wide map, whether a specific Fern Park or Heathrow address falls inside that region is a fact the Seminole County Building Division confirms against the current FBC wind speed map before requiring shutters or impact glazing.