Florida requirements for exterior building products
On October 1, 2003, the state of Florida enacted changes to their product approval system for exterior building products, affecting these products: panel walls, exterior doors, roofing products, skylights, windows, shutters and structural components.
Products used in Florida must be approved by the Florida Building Commission. The process basically consists of two steps:
- Demonstration of compliance with the Florida Building Code and establishment of a quality assurance program for the product
- Submittal, by the manufacturer, to the Florida Building Commission for product approval when testing is completed and quality assurance is established. Information regarding the submittal process can be found at www.floridabuilding.org.
There are four ways to demonstrate compliance with the Florida Building Code:
- A test report from an approved laboratory
- A certification mark from an approved entity such as UL
- An evaluation report from an approved evaluation entity
- An evaluation report from a Florida-licensed P.E. or R.A.
UL provides services to achieve compliance by any of the four methods shown above. However, you can simplify the entire approval process by using UL's certification program that encompasses the testing requirements and the quality assurance requirement that the state of Florida has established.
What are the test requirements for doors and windows?
The Florida Building Code requirements for doors and windows are described in Test Application Standard (TAS) 201, 202 and 203. These Test Application Standards can be found at www.floridabuilding.org. Essentially, four tests are required:
- Static pressure test conducted in accordance with ASTM E330
- Cyclic pressure and missile impact tests, conducted in accordance with ASTM E1886 and E1996, are required for high-velocity regions defined by the Florida Building Code as Broward and Dade Counties
- Air infiltration test conducted in accordance with ASTM E283, related to energy efficiency.
Where can I conduct the tests and obtain UL certification?
UL has partnered with Architectural Testing Inc. (ATI) to fulfill your testing and certification needs. UL will establish certifications based on test data developed by manufacturers at ATI facilities located in York, Pa., and Minneapolis, Minn. The ATI laboratories have been approved by the Florida Building Commission. UL can also witness tests at any facility that is approved by the Florida Building Commission.
