Guides / Decision guide
Match the quoted door to its Florida approval category
Where sliding and swinging exterior doors sit in Florida's product approval rule, and when a same-size replacement needs no sealed drawings.
What is not established
- No product in this draft has been matched to a Florida approval record.
- The rule text was read from a reproduction and should be confirmed on the official rule site.
- Whether the Commission's implementing code language for the sealed-drawing exemption was finally adopted was not verified.
Find the right subcategory
Rule 61G20-3.002, as reproduced in the research, lists exterior door assemblies as roll-up, sectional, sliding, swinging and automatic, plus roof hatches, new technology and components. Patio sliders fall under sliding, and entry and French doors fall under swinging. The rule does not show whether a given door has an approval.
Plastpro's Florida Building Code page, for example, states the company is registered with Florida DBPR and explains how to find its approved swinging exterior door assemblies on the state search. Ask every seller for the approval number of the exact assembly being quoted.
- Get the approval number for the exact door, frame, glass and hardware in the quote.
- Confirm the subcategory matches the door: sliding for a patio slider, swinging for an entry or French door.
- Compare the design pressures and limits of use in the record with the requirement for the opening.
- Keep the record and the manufacturer's installation instructions with the quote.
Same-size replacements and sealed drawings
Section 553.73(7)(g), Florida Statutes, says sealed drawings are not required to replace windows, doors or garage doors in an existing one- or two-family dwelling when the units are installed per the manufacturer's instructions for the wind zone, meet current residential design-pressure requirements, the instructions accompany the permit application, and the units are the same size in the same opening. It does not remove the permit requirement.
Original paraphrase of a reproduction of Rule 61G20-3.002, the Florida statute and the Plastpro Florida Building Code page. No approval record was looked up for any product in this draft.
Sources: Florida Rule 61G20-3.002 exterior door subcategories (Cornell LII reproduction); Section 553.73(7)(g), Florida Statutes; Plastpro official door pages
Sources
External references are provided for research context. A source link does not indicate enrollment, endorsement, or availability in your area.