Hurricane impact windows for HVHZ projects

In a High Velocity Hurricane Zone the question is never "is it impact rated" — it is "which approval instrument covers this exact unit at this address". Those are different documents with different scopes, and conflating them is what fails a plan check.

Key facts

Test protocols: TAS 201 (impact), TAS 202 (structural), TAS 203 (cyclic pressure) — Source: Florida Building Code, 8th edition (2023)
Missile rating: Zone 4, missile level D at 50 ft/sec — the large-missile requirement for HVHZ
Active Miami-Dade NOAs held: Six — all Large and Small Missile Impact — Source: Verified against Miami-Dade Product Control records, 2026-08-01
Design pressures across those NOAs: From +60/−60 PSF up to +115/−115 PSF, configuration-dependent — Source: Miami-Dade NOA capacity charts
A NOA and a DBPR approval are not the same instrument: Both are real and both are usable at plan check; we hold both
Certified impact-line U-factors: 0.39–1.10 Btu/h·ft²·°F across 11 certified impact lines — Source: NFRC Certified Products Directory
Impact glazing costs thermal performance: Laminated build-ups rate worse than standard lines (best standard: 0.14). This is physics, not a defect

Tested to, versus approved as

Every unit in the impact line is tested to Miami-Dade County NOA standards for impact resistance, water tightness and air infiltration, following the Florida Building Code 8th edition (2023) under TAS 201, TAS 202 and TAS 203, rated Zone 4 missile level D at 50 ft/sec.

Being tested to those protocols is not the same as holding an approval. Approval is granted jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and the document that satisfies a plan reviewer is either a county Notice of Acceptance or a Florida statewide DBPR Product Approval. We hold both, but not for the same products.

Which instrument covers what

Our systems carry six active Miami-Dade County NOAs, every one rated Large and Small Missile Impact, covering casement, fixed, awning, sliding glass door and storefront systems at design pressures from +60/−60 up to +115/−115 PSF.

We additionally hold Florida DBPR statewide Product Approvals — a different instrument covering a wider product range under the 2023 Florida Building Code. We do not blur the two systems: both are real and both are usable at plan check.

We additionally hold Florida DBPR statewide Product Approvals — a different instrument covering a wider product range, under the 2023 Florida Building Code. We do not blur the two systems: both are real and both are usable at plan check, but a NOA is issued per series and configuration, so the number that matters is the one covering the unit you are actually ordering. Send the project address and the opening schedule and we confirm it in writing.

Miami-Dade NOAs	Six active — casement, fixed, awning, sliding door, storefront
Design pressures covered	+60/−60 up to +115/−115 PSF, all Large and Small Missile Impact
Florida DBPR	Statewide Product Approvals across doors, panel walls and windows
Test framework	TAS 201 / 202 / 203, Zone 4 missile level D @ 50 ft/sec

The thermal trade-off, said out loud

Impact glazing is a multi-layer laminated and tempered build-up designed to stay in the opening after a large-missile strike. That build-up carries a thermal penalty: across the 11 certified impact lines our partners hold, whole-window U-factors run 0.39 to 1.10 Btu/h·ft²·°F, against 0.14 for the best standard line.

That is expected physics rather than a defect, but it matters if you are trying to hit an energy target and a wind-borne-debris requirement on the same elevation. Tell us both constraints at quotation and we will show you where they actually meet.

Products this applies to

Every product below is in the live catalogue with its own specification table.

Impact Casement Impact Window Wall

Questions we are actually asked

Do your hurricane windows hold a Miami-Dade NOA?

Yes — six active NOAs across our range, all rated Large and Small Missile Impact, covering casement, fixed, awning, sliding door and storefront systems up to +115/−115 PSF. We also hold Florida DBPR statewide Product Approvals. Because a NOA is issued per series and per configuration, send us the product and the project address and we issue the number that covers it in writing with the quotation.

Can these pass a Florida HVHZ plan check?

The testing framework is the HVHZ one: TAS 201, TAS 202 and TAS 203 under the 2023 Florida Building Code, Zone 4 missile level D at 50 ft/sec. Whether a specific unit is approved at a specific address depends on the approval document and its scope, which we confirm in writing before you specify.

Why are the U-factors worse than your standard windows?

Laminated impact glazing is thicker and more complex than a standard insulating unit, and that costs thermal performance. Across our 11 certified impact lines U-factors run 0.39 to 1.10 Btu/h·ft²·°F, against 0.14 for our best standard line. It is expected physics, and we would rather state it than have you discover it at energy compliance.