Miami-Dade hurricane code history & pre-Andrew housing tables

Three construction eras (806,959 parcels)

Pre-Andrew vs. post-Andrew housing stock

Across the 34 municipalities (472,879 residential parcels) and Unincorporated Miami-Dade UMSA (334,080 residential parcels), 67.0% of all homes and condo units were built before Hurricane Andrew struck in August 1992. The decade your structure was built determines what sits behind your window frames today.

• 67.0% countywide (540,919 parcels)

  Pre-1992 (Pre-Andrew SFBC Era)

  Roll split: 304,325 in the 34 cities (64.4%) + 236,594 in unincorporated UMSA (70.8%)

  Highest share in: Virginia Gardens (99%), Biscayne Park (98%), Miami Shores (97%), Miami Springs (96%), North Miami (95%), Surfside (93%), West Miami (92%)

  What's in the wall: Jalousie louvers, single-pane aluminum sliders, or steel casements set into concrete block (CBS) or coral rock with untreated 1×4/1×6 wood bucks; many have clamp-on panels or aging accordion shutters.

  How we build the replacement: Full tear-out down to masonry rough opening; decayed wood bucks replaced with pressure-treated bucking or direct masonry anchors per NOA fastener schedule; shutter tracks removed and stucco patched; bedroom openings checked for FBC egress.

• 10.7% countywide (86,709 parcels)

  1992–2001 (Post-Andrew SFBC Transition)

  Roll split: 44,499 in the 34 cities (9.4%) + 42,210 in unincorporated UMSA (12.6%)

  Highest share in: Miami Lakes (25%), Key Biscayne (21%), Aventura (19%), Doral (19%), Pinecrest (14%), Cutler Bay (13%), plus West Kendall and The Hammocks

  What's in the wall: Built after Andrew under the revised South Florida Building Code before the 2002 statewide Florida Building Code; typically fitted with heavy steel/aluminum storm panels, early accordion shutters, or first-generation non-insulated laminated glass.

  How we build the replacement: Standardized masonry openings allow clean frame-for-frame swaps into Low-E laminated HVHZ windows and multi-panel sliding doors, retiring manual storm panels and qualifying all openings for OIR-B1-1802 Class A.

• 22.2% countywide (179,331 parcels)

  2002–Present (Florida Building Code HVHZ Era)

  Roll split: 124,055 in the 34 cities (26.2%) + 55,276 in unincorporated UMSA (16.5%)

  Highest share in: Homestead (73%), Florida City (69%), Doral (51%), Miami (40%), Sunny Isles Beach (39%), Medley (37%), Cutler Bay (30%)

  What's in the wall: Constructed under the HVHZ chapters of the Florida Building Code with either impact-rated builder glass or code-approved metal storm panels over non-impact single-pane windows.

  How we build the replacement: Homeowners replace builder-grade clear glass or noisy storm-panel windows with solar Low-E laminated glass, acoustic interlayers near highways/airports, and modern bronze or black architectural frames.

• Bedroom egress (FBC §1031)

  5.7 sq ft clear opening

  Sleeping rooms require at least 5.7 sq ft of net clear opening (5.0 sq ft at grade floor), a minimum 24-inch net clear height, a minimum 20-inch net clear width, and a sill no higher than 44 inches above the floor.

• Wood buck vs. masonry

  NOA fastener schedules

  In pre-1992 CBS homes, decayed 1×4 or 1×6 wood bucks are stripped and replaced with pressure-treated bucks sealed against masonry, or the new aluminum frame is anchored directly into concrete block using the NOA Tapcon schedule.

• Acoustic & solar control

  Laminated Low-E & STC

  HVHZ laminated glass bonds two lites of glass to a 0.090-inch PVB or ionoplast interlayer. Solar Low-E coatings reduce heat gain, while acoustic interlayers damp jet noise near MIA and highway corridors.

Pre-1992 Jalousie vs. HVHZ Masonry Bucking

0.090" SGP vs. PVB Interlayer Core

TAS 203 · 9,000 Pressure Cycles