Replacing windows in Florida: impact or not, the permit, and the price.
New windows in Florida come with three questions: impact or not, what the permit needs, and what it costs. Here are straight answers, with our own prices.
Impact or non-impact
An impact-rated window is tested to take a hit from wind-blown debris and stay closed. A non-impact window is still rated for the wind pressure at your house; it just isn't built to stop debris, so it may need shutters or panels where protection is required.
Which one your house needs depends on its wind design, and that shows up on the permit. We check it before anything is ordered, so you don't pay for glass the inspector won't accept.
What the permit needs
- A Florida product approval number, or a Miami-Dade NOA, for every window and door.
- A schedule of the sizes and the design pressure each one is rated for.
- A wind-load table or calculation for your address.
- Inspections of the installation where the building department wants one, then a final.
Widening an opening is a different job: that's a new header and structural work, priced separately.
Tavares: Exterior windows and doors are on the city's required-permits list.
Source: tavaresfl.govMount Dora: Windows and doors are a flat-fee permit on a one- or two-family home: $100 on the city schedule.
Source: mountdora.govEustis: The city publishes a Window and Door Replacement permit packet.
Source: eustis.orgUmatilla: The city fee schedule lists window and door permits from $75.
Source: umatillafl.org
What we price
Our window and door work is in its first season, so we're taking a small number of these jobs and getting every one right. Prices for standard single-hung windows (about 3 by 5 ft) and standard 3-foot entry doors, installed from outside:
| Job | Non-impact | Impact-rated |
|---|---|---|
| 4 windows | $4,000 (our minimum) | $5,100 – $5,650 |
| 8 windows | $5,700 – $6,250 | $10,250 – $11,250 |
| 12 windows | $8,500 – $9,350 | $15,350 – $16,900 |
| 8 windows + 1 entry door | $6,900 – $7,600 | $12,900 – $14,200 |
Our minimum building job is $4,000, so a handful of non-impact windows lands on it. Permit fees are extra at the city or county's actual cost. Other sizes, sliders and specialty shapes are priced after a measure visit, before anything is ordered.
Questions people ask
Do I need a permit to replace windows in Lake County?
Usually, yes. Replacement windows and exterior doors have to carry a Florida product approval and be rated for the wind pressure at your house, and the building department checks that. Tavares lists exterior windows and doors on its required-permits list; Mount Dora and Eustis publish flat fees or packets for them.
What does an impact window cost compared with a regular one?
On our rate card, a standard single-hung window is about $710 non-impact and $1,280 impact-rated, installed. A standard entry door is about $1,235, or $2,660 impact-rated.
Do you go inside my house?
Not for the install. We replace windows and doors from the outside, so it is fine while you live there.
Ready to see your number?
Type the address, answer a few questions, and see the price, or exactly how we'll price it, before we ask your name.
General information, not legal advice or a permit determination: your building department decides. Prices are our own, from today's rate card, and are confirmed in writing after we see the site.