Wind-rated garage doors and bracing

Why the garage door matters in a storm

IBHS, the insurance industry's research lab, says high winds can push a garage door inward and let pressure build inside the house. That pressure pushes up on the roof and out on the walls, which can start a cascade of damage that has nothing to do with the garage. IBHS also lists the other ways doors fail: weak tracks that buckle, debris that pierces the door, and doors that detach because they were poorly attached to the house.

Orlando sits inland, but not out of the way. Since 1950, 26 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 60 miles of downtown, 8 of them as hurricanes, according to NOAA's HURDAT2 track records. The strongest gust in the Orlando International Airport record for 1997 to 2025 was 105 mph, during Hurricane Charley in August 2004.

Strongest wind gusts at Orlando International Airport since 1997

How to tell if your door is rated

Look on the inside of the door, usually on a section near one edge, for a label that lists design pressures as positive and negative PSF (pounds per square foot) values. IBHS says that label is how you know; if it is missing, the door may not be wind-rated. It also asks homeowners not to peel the label off.

• Positive pressure is the wind pushing in on the door. Negative pressure is suction pulling it out.
• The label usually names the test standard. IBHS lists ASTM E330, ANSI/DASMA 108 and Florida TAS 202 as examples.
• Many doors sold for Florida homes also carry a Florida Product Approval number, which you can look up on the Florida Building Commission's product approval search.

How to read the label, step by step.

Which Orlando houses are most likely to have an unrated door

The Florida Building Code took over from the local codes that came before it on March 1, 2002. IBHS notes that older homes with their original doors are likely not wind-rated. In the 881,026 housing units across the ZIP codes we cover, about 58% were built before 2000, according to the Census ACS 2020 to 2024. The share is highest in the older neighborhoods close to downtown and in Seminole County suburbs like Altamonte Springs. It is lowest in Lake Nona and Horizon West. The ZIP table on our data page has every ZIP.

Your options

Replace the door with a rated one. This is the clean fix. A replacement door in Florida has to meet the wind-load requirement for your address, which depends on the design wind speed, the house's exposure and the size of the opening, so the installer sizes it, pulls the permit and installs it to the manufacturer's instructions. Ask to see the label and the product approval before the door goes up. New door installation.

Reinforce the door you have. Some manufacturers sell retrofit reinforcement for specific door models, and the FORTIFIED standard allows a full-door impact-resistant cover that is certified for the design pressure at your location. Neither is a universal kit. Ask the company what is available for your door's make and model, and what rating it reaches when installed.

For a FORTIFIED designation. FORTIFIED's High Wind standard asks for garage doors pressure-rated to at least a 130 mph design wind speed, Exposure C, with a label photo submitted as proof (IBHS technical bulletin, September 2024). Ask your insurance agent whether a rated door changes your wind mitigation credit before you buy.

Glass panels

A door with windows needs the glass to hold up too. Under the FORTIFIED standards, a glazed garage door has to be pressure-rated. The glass also has to be impact-rated, unless an impact-resistant system covers the door. If you want windows in a new door, ask for the impact rating on the glass, not only the pressure rating on the door.

Florida's Construction Industry Licensing Board certifies garage door installation specialty contractors (Rule 61G4-15.100(1)(k), in effect since May 5, 2024). You can look up any company's license at myfloridalicense.com.