Guides
Hurricane shutters and impact windows: protection and savings
How shutters, impact windows and wind-rated garage doors compare, which ratings count, how states turn them into insurance credits, and the paperwork.
Protecting every window, door and garage door against wind-borne debris does two jobs. It keeps wind and rain from getting inside a house, which IBHS ties to roof loss, and in states that reward it, it earns a credit on the wind portion of your premium. Impact-rated glass works all the time without anyone deploying it, shutters cost less per square foot but need to be closed, and the credit goes only to products with a recognized test rating. The credit alone may not repay the hardware, so decide on the loss reduction first and treat the discount as a bonus.
How the options compare
The cost figures come from IBHS's FORTIFIED program ("Build Resilience to Your Budget," February 10, 2025) and are installed-cost estimates, not quotes. Prices vary by region and opening size.
| Option | How it protects | Cost guide | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impact-rated windows and doors | Laminated glass in a rated frame that resists debris and stays in place | $120 to $140 per square foot installed | Highest cost; always on; also helps with security and noise |
| Permanent shutters (roll-down, accordion, hinged) | Metal or composite barrier over the opening | $12 to $50 per square foot of opening | Someone has to close them before the storm; visible storage boxes |
| Removable panels (corrugated steel or aluminum, fabric) | Panels bolted to tracks or anchors before the storm | IBHS's selection guide (posted in 2019) says do-it-yourself options run about 50% less per square foot than professional installation | Need storage space, are heavy to handle and must be hung well before tropical-storm winds arrive |
| Plywood | Cut panels fastened over the opening | Lowest cost of the group | IBHS calls it a last-minute alternative, to be used only if properly fastened |
| Tape on the glass | Nothing | Nothing | IBHS: it is a myth, provides no protection and wastes time |
IBHS's guide says protective barriers installed properly can keep wind pressure from building up inside, which often leads to loss of the roof, reduce the chance that glass will break, and reduce wind-driven rain. Its matrix also notes that lighter metal panels can bend and allow the glass to break unless there is a gap between panel and glass, and that half-inch and five-eighths-inch plywood can be penetrated by the 9-pound test missile. Product choice matters.
What "rated" means
"Hurricane tested" on a brochure is not a rating. IBHS tells buyers to look for one of these on the label or in the product approval:
- ASTM E1886 and E1996, the test method and specification for impact and cyclic pressure;
- AAMA 506;
- Florida Building Code test protocols TAS 201, 202 and 203; or
- a Miami-Dade County Product Control approval with a Notice of Acceptance (NOA) number under those protocols.
The tests fire a missile at the product (the large-missile level uses a 9-pound piece of lumber) and then subject it to cyclic pressure. Passing one level does not mean passing the next, and the whole assembly counts, including the frame, anchors and installation. A rated window installed with the wrong fasteners is not a rated window. Keep the product label, the approval document and the installer's permit as one package.
Garage doors and the rest of the openings
A house has more openings than windows. IBHS describes garage doors as "damage amplifiers": when one fails in high wind, pressure inside the garage pushes up on the roof system and out on the walls, which often leads to structural failure. IBHS's FORTIFIED article lists a FORTIFIED Roof, a wind-rated garage door and window protection as its three most important steps. Its cost guide puts a wind-rated garage door at $900 to $10,000, depending on size, material and rating, and suggests asking the local building department or a garage door dealer for the rating your location needs.
Entry doors, sliding doors, skylights and sidelights count too. On Florida's mitigation inspection form, the answer for opening protection reflects the weakest protection on any opening, a principle explained in wind mitigation inspections and discounts. One unrated sliding door can set the entire answer.
Where the rules require it
New construction in a windborne debris region must have protected glazed openings under the Florida Building Code, and other hurricane-state codes have similar provisions. The boundary of that region depends on distance from the coast and design wind speed, and Florida's code is being revised, so ask your building department whether your address is inside it. Existing homes are usually not forced to retrofit, and insurers more often reward protection than require it.
How it reaches your premium
The credits come from state rules and company filings.
- Florida. A residential rate filing must include actuarially reasonable discounts or credits for wind-resistant features, including opening protection and window, door and skylight strength, and the credits apply to the hurricane portion of the premium (Fla. Stat. 627.0629). See Florida.
- South Carolina. Rating plans for coastal and seacoast essential property insurance must include discounts and credits based on features including storm shutters, and insurers must tell policyholders at new business and renewal what is available (S.C. Code 38-73-1095 and 38-75-755). See South Carolina.
- North Carolina. The Rate Bureau's homeowners manual (Rule A9) makes premium credits available in coastal territories 110 through 160 for qualifying opening protection, including ASTM E1886/E1996 Large Missile D or equivalent (NCRB Circular P-26-2). See North Carolina.
- Louisiana. R.S. 22:1483(B) requires an actuarially justified discount for wind-mitigation improvements generally, with opening protection and window, door and skylight strength among them. See Louisiana.
- FORTIFIED. Under the Hurricane standard, FORTIFIED Silver requires impact protection for windows and doors and pressure-rated garage doors, and discounts attach to the designation; see The FORTIFIED Home standard and insurance discounts.
No statewide discount mandate was verified for Texas or Georgia, so credits there depend on the individual company's filing.
A hypothetical payback
Say a company gives a 10% credit on a $3,000 hurricane-portion premium for full opening protection. That is $300 a year. If shutters for your openings cost $9,000, the credit alone pays back in 30 years. The case for the purchase is not the credit. Say the same house has a $400,000 dwelling limit and a 2% hurricane deductible: the first $8,000 of wind damage is yours, and broken glass that lets in rain can turn a roof-edge claim into a whole-house interior claim. Use the roof and mitigation upgrade payback calculator with your own insurer's credit table and a real quote.
Grants and costs
Public money exists in a few states, mostly limited by income and by program year.
- My Safe Florida Home. Eligible improvements include exterior doors, garage doors, windows and skylights recommended by the program inspection. The state share is up to $10,000 on a $1 homeowner to $2 state match, and under the law signed June 26, 2026, grants are limited to low- and moderate-income applicants with homestead exemptions and insured values of $700,000 or less, in homes built before 2008 (Fla. Stat. 215.5586).
- SC Safe Home. Its shutter grant is listed at $3,000, but the program showed "not currently accepting applications" on October 10, 2026 (SC Department of Insurance).
See state home hardening grant programs for the full list, and note that program rules change with each legislative session.
Installing and documenting it
- Ask your agent for the credit table and the form or certificate the insurer accepts.
- Pick products with a current approval (NOA or equivalent), and keep the approval number.
- Check HOA rules and local permits before ordering. Most places need a permit for windows, doors and permanent shutters.
- Use a licensed installer and ask who is responsible if the installation fails inspection.
- Get the final inspection and photograph the labels on each product.
- Update your inspection report. Where the state uses a form like Florida's, order a new one so the credit reflects what you now have.
- Send the paperwork to your insurer in writing, then check the next premium notice for the credit and its effective date.
What the policy does
The ISO HO-3 covers wind damage to the dwelling as an open-perils loss, and rain damage to belongings after wind creates an opening, subject to your hurricane deductible; see hurricane and named-storm deductibles explained. The form's neglect exclusion concerns failing to protect property at and after the time of loss, and the form contains no requirement that you deploy shutters as a condition of coverage. Your insurer's own form and any mitigation credit may have different wording, so read them and ask. For prestorm tasks, see hurricane season insurance checklist.
Key takeaways
- Impact-rated windows and doors work without deployment; shutters cost less per square foot but must be closed before the storm; plywood and tape are not equivalent.
- Look for ASTM E1886/E1996, AAMA 506, TAS 201/202/203 or a Miami-Dade NOA on the product, because "hurricane tested" alone is not a rating.
- Garage doors and every other opening count, and in Florida the weakest opening sets the answer.
- Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Louisiana have rules that produce credits for opening protection, but the size of the credit comes from each company's filing.
- The credit alone may not repay the hardware, so weigh the avoided losses, then document the installation and send it to your insurer.