Tamarac, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Hurricane Shutters (2026)

City Code Section 9-130(e)(12), part of Tamarac's residential property maintenance standards, targets storm shutters and other protective devices left up on occupied homes after the storm threat has passed. The clock does not start at landfall; it starts when the National Weather Service lifts the hurricane watch or warning, and homeowners then have fifteen days to take the panels, accordion shutters or plywood down. The obligation applies specifically to devices that block a required means of egress or the light and ventilation a room needs under the Florida Building Code; shutters that do not cover an exit door or a required window fall outside this particular removal clock, though they remain subject to the general maintenance article's requirement that exterior surfaces stay free of damage and disrepair.

The rule sits in the same section that governs bulk trash placement, refuse container screening and vehicle storage, all enforced together by the city's code compliance division working alongside the Broward Sheriff's Office under contract. Because South Florida's hurricane season runs June through November and Tamarac can see repeated watches and warnings some years, the fifteen-day clock can reset multiple times per season for the same property. Permanent shutters and impact windows installed under a Building Department permit are treated as part of the structure rather than temporary protective devices and are not covered by this removal requirement. Disputes over whether a device impedes egress or light are heard by the special magistrate rather than county court.