Commercial impact windows

On a commercial job the window contractor doesn't set the loads. The building's engineer or architect of record does. Their sealed drawings say what each opening has to resist. Our job is to pick a system whose approval covers those numbers, and then to install it exactly as that approval's anchor drawings show. When an opening falls outside a product's tested size or pressure, we raise it with the engineer before ordering. We don't guess in the field.

Some buildings are threshold buildings. Under Fla. Stat. §553.71(12), that means a building greater than three stories or 50 feet tall, or an assembly occupancy over 5,000 square feet with more than 500 occupants. For these, §553.79(5) requires the engineer or architect of record to prepare a structural plan for the special inspector to follow, and the building official must approve that plan before the permit is issued. The special inspector is a licensed engineer or architect, is paid by the owner, and is responsible to the building department.

The same statute, §553.79(10), says a threshold-building permit is issued only to a licensed general or building contractor. On those projects we work as a subcontractor under the GC's permit. We supply the product approvals, shop drawings and anchorage details the engineer and special inspector ask for, and we schedule the glazing around their visits. Under §553.79(9)(b), if a different product is proposed after the plans are approved, it has to be submitted for review. So we lock the system in with the engineer early.

Lead times come from our own order records, published in our impact window lead-time report. ES Windows was quoting 6 to 7 weeks at the time of that report, with a 2026 median of 8.4 weeks across 31 orders (46 to 85 days). ECO ran 4 to 6 weeks, with a median of 4.7 weeks across 34 orders. Most of our jobs take 8 to 12 weeks from contract to installation. Large, custom or curved storefront units can run longer, so we confirm the factory date when the order is placed.

How the permit runs depends on where the building is. In Florida, every local building department has to post its permit requirements online and accept electronic submissions (§553.79(1)), and plans must be reviewed before a permit is issued (§553.79(2)). Miami-Dade County publishes its steps for unincorporated areas (how to apply for a permit). You submit the application and documents through the county portal, intake assigns a process number, upfront fees are paid, and then plan review starts. The county says plan review can take between 24 hours and 10 business days for the first review, and the same again after each set of corrections. Plans uploaded to the portal must be digitally signed and sealed. Cities that run their own building departments set their own submittal lists, so we check the city's list for each job.

1. Plans and remeasure. We take off every opening from your plans or bid set and field-measure.
2. Engineering and approvals. The engineer's wind data is matched to the product approvals, and the board or landlord approval packet is prepared if one is needed.
3. Permit submission. The permit is filed with the approvals and signed and sealed drawings. On threshold buildings, the special inspector's structural plan is approved before the permit is issued.
4. Factory production. The order runs while the permit is in review.
5. Delivery and install. Most installs take 1 to 5 days on site, scheduled around tenants and business hours.
6. Final. The job closes with final inspection approval from the building department.