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

Sec. 6-26 adopts, by reference, the full family of Florida Building Codes that govern new construction in unincorporated Walton County, and subsection (1) specifically names the most recent edition of the Florida Building Code, Building, including its appendix, as the county's Building Code. That code, not a separate county ordinance, is where the substantive shutter and impact-glazing requirements for openings in the wind-borne debris region live; Walton County's own contribution is subsection (15), which adopts the Walton County Wind-Borne Debris Regions and Basic Wind Speeds Map, referred to in the code as Exhibit A.

That map is the local data set a permit applicant or building official uses to determine whether a given parcel sits inside a wind-borne debris region and is therefore subject to the Florida Building Code's opening-protection requirements for exterior windows and doors, whether met with impact-rated glazing or with shutters. The code itself notes that Exhibit A is not printed in the ordinance text; it is kept on file and available for public inspection at the county offices rather than reproduced section by section. Any new construction, addition, or window and door replacement subject to the building permit requirement in Sec.

6-29 is reviewed against both the adopted Florida Building Code opening-protection standard and the wind speed classification shown on Exhibit A before a permit issues, and beginning that work without the permit adds the 100 percent late-permit penalty under Sec. 6-29(c).