Florida Building Code

The Florida Building Code (FBC) is a set of standards designed by the Florida Building Commission for the construction of buildings in the US state of Florida.[1] Many regulations and guidelines distributed are important benchmarks regarding hurricane protection. Miami-Dade County was the first in Florida to certify hurricane-resistant standards for structures which the Florida Building Code subsequently enacted across all requirements for hurricane-resistant buildings. Many other states reference the requirements set in the Florida Building codes, or have developed their own requirements for hurricanes.[2]

The Florida Building Code is also based upon the International Building Code (IBC) used in the United States.[3]

Hurricane guidelines

The 2010 edition of the Florida Building Code introduced significant changes to wind load design, in particular the presentation of the wind speed maps.[4]

The Miami-Dade and Broward County norms, are both included in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zones (HVHZ) and contain more stringent requirements.[4] Other counties such as Palm Beach County do not require the same HVHZ building standards for compliance with the Florida Building Codes.[5]

Risk categories for wind speeds in High Velocity Hurricane Zones (HVHZ)
Miami Dade County
Risk Category I: Buildings & Structures 165 mph
Risk Category II: Buildings & Structures 175 mph
Risk Category III: Buildings & Structures 185 mph
Broward County
Risk Category I: Buildings & Structures 156 mph
Risk Category II: Buildings & Structures 170 mph
Risk Category III: Buildings & Structures 180 mph

Both Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida maintain web-searchable databases of products approved for use as hurricane protection. These typically include not only actual test results from certified independent testing laboratories, they also contain "Product Approval Drawings" or "Installation Instructions" which provide specifications for hurricane shutter assembly and installation.[6]

Impact tests conducted on building materials are measured and tested via TAS201, 202 and 203.[7][8][9]

References
  1. "Florida Building Commission". Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. "Allegion Windstorm solutions" (PDF). Allegion. March 16, 2016. p. 5. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  3. "Florida". ICC. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  4. "Changes to the Wind Speed Maps and Wind Design – 2010 Florida Building Codes" (PDF). Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  5. "Palm Beach County News - Sun Sentinel". www.sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  6. Services, Miami-Dade County Online. "Miami-Dade County - Building - Product Control Search". www.miamidade.gov. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  7. "Testing Application Standard (TAS) 201-94". Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  8. "Testing Application Standard (TAS) 202-94". Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  9. "Testing Application Standard (TAS) 203-94". Retrieved October 9, 2016.

See also
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