Window Replacement in Florida: Licenses, Impact Rules and Glass

Florida treats window replacement as work that needs a contractor license. Florida's Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), part of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), says window installation and replacement requires a general, building or residential contractor license, or a local license that covers window work, and that a glass and glazing specialty contractor may also install or replace windows (CILB FAQ; DBPR license search) ¹³. You can look up any Florida license by name or number on DBPR's search.

The building code matters as much as the license. In the parts of Florida the code calls windborne debris regions, glazed openings must be protected from windborne debris, either by impact-rated windows or by approved protection such as shutters, and windows sold for use in Florida go through the state's product approval system (Florida Building Code, Residential, R301.2.1.2) ⁴⁸.

Which Florida licenses cover window work

The CILB answers the question directly in its FAQ (CILB FAQ) ¹:

• General, building or residential contractor. The board's answer names these three license types for window installation and replacement ¹. They appear on the CILB's list of license categories as General Contractor (CG/RG), Building Contractor (CB/RB) and Residential Contractor (CR/RR) ².
• A local license. The same answer allows a local license that covers window work ¹.
• Glass and glazing specialty. A contractor holding the state glass and glazing specialty license may also install or replace windows ¹. The board also lists "window and door" as a specialty license category ¹.

The FAQ also explains a change that confuses many readers. A 2012 law removed the old glass and glazing category from the mandatory state license types, so non-structural glass work, such as installing glass and mirrors, no longer needs a state certified license. Doors, windows, storefront frames and structurally anchored opening protection still need a Division I or appropriate specialty license, and counties and cities may keep their own licensing rules (CILB FAQ) ¹.

How to check a license

Ask the installer for the license number and the name on the license, then look it up on DBPR's license search ³. Check that:

• the name on the license matches the company on your contract;
• the license type is one the CILB names for window work (above);
• the license is current.

Is the installer licensed for this work? It is a fair question to ask before anyone measures, and DBPR's search lets you check the answer yourself ³. If the installer holds only a local license, the county or city that issued it can confirm it ¹.

Impact protection and the Florida Building Code

Florida writes its own building code, the Florida Building Code, based on the international model codes with Florida amendments. The current Residential volume is the 2023 Eighth Edition, and the Ninth Edition (2026) is listed with an effective date of December 31, 2026 (Florida code editions) ⁶.

Section R301.2.1.2 of the Residential code says exterior glazed openings in buildings located in windborne debris regions shall be protected from windborne debris, and that the protection must meet the Large Missile Test of ASTM E1996 and ASTM E1886 (as modified), the Florida test protocols TAS 201, 202 and 203, or AAMA 506, as applicable (FBC Residential R301.2.1.2) ⁴. In practice, that protection comes from impact-rated windows or from tested shutters or panels over ordinary windows.

The code defines a windborne debris region as an area within a hurricane-prone region that is either within 1 mile of the mean high water line where an Exposure D condition exists upwind and the ultimate design wind speed is 130 mph or more, or anywhere the ultimate design wind speed is 140 mph or more (FBC Residential definitions) ⁵. Your building department can tell you whether your address falls inside one.

Impact windows or shutters

• Impact-rated windows are themselves tested as the opening protection, so the protection is in place whenever the window is closed.
• Shutters or panels protect ordinary windows when they are closed or installed. The code also allows wood structural panels in some low-rise buildings, under detailed conditions in the same section ⁴.

Which approach fits is a design and budget choice, but whichever you choose has to meet the code where the house sits ⁴.

Florida product approval

Florida runs a State Product Approval Program for the products that make up the building envelope. DBPR's building codes FAQ lists the covered categories as panel walls, exterior doors, roofing products, skylights, windows, shutters and structural components (DBPR building codes FAQ) ⁸. A product can carry a statewide approval, usable anywhere in Florida, or a local approval from the jurisdiction having authority ⁸.

You can search approved products on the Florida Building Commission's site under Product Approval, "Find a Product or Application" (Florida product approval) ⁷. Ask each installer for the Florida product approval number of the exact window they are quoting, and check it there.

Florida's climate zone for windows

ENERGY STAR's county climate zone list puts all 67 Florida counties in its Southern zone (ENERGY STAR climate zone finder) ¹⁰. For that zone, ENERGY STAR's Version 7.0 criteria call for a U-factor of 0.32 or less and a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.23 or less, plus air leakage of 0.3 cubic feet per minute per square foot or less ⁹.

SHGC is the share of the sun's heat that passes through the glass; a lower number lets in less heat. In a cooling-dominated climate, that cap is the number that matters most. When you compare impact windows, check the NFRC label for the energy numbers as well as the product approval for the impact rating, because the two are rated separately. The energy-efficient windows explainer explains the ratings.

Cost and next steps

Ask each installer to price impact windows and a shutter option side by side if your house is in a windborne debris region. This page does not quote Florida or city prices, because the national surveys do not publish reliable local figures. The window replacement cost guide sets the national surveys side by side, and how to choose a window installer covers the vetting beyond the license check. Whether a permit applies to your job is a question for your county or city; the article on window replacement permits explains why answers differ.

When you are ready, you can compare quotes from window installers.

About these figures

• ¹ Official record: CILB FAQ on window installation and replacement (general, building or residential license, a local license, or the glass and glazing specialty), the window and door specialty, and the 2012 change for non-structural glass work, checked October 22, 2026.
• ² Official record: CILB license category list (General, Building and Residential Contractor codes), checked October 22, 2026.
• ³ Official record: DBPR license search, checked October 22, 2026.
• ⁴ Official record: Florida Building Code, Residential, 2023 Eighth Edition, R301.2.1.2 protection of openings (ASTM E1996, ASTM E1886, TAS 201, 202 and 203, AAMA 506), checked October 22, 2026.
• ⁵ Official record: Florida Building Code, Residential, 2023 definition of windborne debris region (1 mile, 130 mph and 140 mph), checked October 22, 2026.
• ⁶ Official record: Florida code editions and effective dates (Ninth Edition effective December 31, 2026), checked October 22, 2026.
• ⁷ Official record: Florida Building Commission product approval search, checked October 22, 2026.
• ⁸ Official record: DBPR building codes FAQ on the State Product Approval Program (covered product categories, statewide and local approval), checked October 22, 2026.
• ⁹ Official record: ENERGY STAR Version 7.0 Southern zone window criteria (U-factor 0.32, SHGC 0.23, air leakage 0.3), checked October 22, 2026.
• ¹⁰ Official record: ENERGY STAR county climate zone list (all 67 Florida counties in the Southern zone), checked October 22, 2026.