Hurricane Shutters on Historic Homes

The Core Tension Who You Need Approval From Products Most Commonly Approve The Approval Process Step by S Plan for a Longer Timeline FAQ

Quick summary

Historic homes and historic districts present a unique challenge for hurricane protection — building codes require storm-rated protection, but historic preservation rules restrict what you can install and where. Here is how to navigate both systems without sacrificing your home's historic character or your safety.

The Core Tension

Two sets of rules apply to historic coastal homes — and they sometimes conflict directly.

Building code requires hurricane protection rated for your wind zone. In Florida, that means products with valid FL approval numbers installed by licensed contractors with permits.

Historic preservation rules — whether from a local historic district ordinance, the National Register of Historic Places, or a State Historic Preservation Office — may restrict product visibility, materials, installation methods, and modifications to original features.

The good news: most preservation boards have developed specific guidance for hurricane protection in recent years. The bad news: that guidance varies significantly by jurisdiction and requires advance approval that adds weeks to the process.

Who You Need Approval From

Before installing anything on a historic home, identify which oversight bodies have jurisdiction:

Local Historic Preservation Board or Architectural Review Board — most cities and counties with historic districts have a board that must approve exterior modifications. This is almost always required before the building permit is issued.
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) — required if your property is on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and you're using federal or state tax credits for the project.
County Building Department — standard building permit and inspection required regardless of historic status.
HOA or neighborhood association — some historic neighborhoods have their own architectural guidelines on top of the official preservation rules.

Start with the local historic preservation board — their approval is typically prerequisite to everything else and their guidance will shape what products you can submit for building permit.

Products Most Commonly Approved for Historic Homes

Product	Historic Approval Likelihood	Why
Impact Windows	Highest	Invisible protection — matches original window appearance when properly specified. Most preservation boards approve custom-profile impact windows.
Clear Polycarbonate Panels	High	Transparent when deployed — minimal visual impact. Stored off-premise. Most boards prefer this to opaque panels.
Bahama/Colonial Style Shutters	High	Period-appropriate appearance — Bahama and colonial shutters are architecturally consistent with many historic styles. Must match original proportions.
Aluminum Storm Panels	Moderate	Acceptable in many districts when stored off-facade. Opaque appearance when deployed may be an issue for street-facing facades.
Accordion Shutters	Lower	Hardware tracks and housing are visible year-round. Most preservation boards find this incompatible with historic character on primary facades. May be acceptable on non-street-facing openings.
Roll-Down Shutters	Lowest	Housing box above windows is a permanent visible alteration. Rarely approved on primary facades of contributing historic structures.

The Approval Process Step by Step

Research your district's guidelines — most historic preservation boards publish written guidelines for hurricane protection. Find them on your city or county website before spending any money.
Contact the preservation officer — call or email your local historic preservation officer before submitting any application. A 15-minute conversation can save weeks of back-and-forth on a formal application.
Select a product that meets both codes — choose protection that is both wind-zone compliant (FL approval or NOA) and consistent with preservation guidelines for your district.
Submit a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) — most historic boards require this formal application with photographs, product specifications, and installation drawings before approving any exterior modification.
Apply for building permit — once the COA is issued, apply for the standard building permit. The COA is typically required as part of the permit application for historic properties.
Use a contractor experienced with historic properties — installation methods on historic buildings require more care to avoid damage to original materials. Verify contractor license and ask specifically about historic work experience.

Plan for a Longer Timeline

Historic approval processes add 4–8 weeks to a typical shutter installation timeline — sometimes more if your application requires a full board hearing rather than staff-level approval.

Plan your installation well before hurricane season:

Start the preservation board inquiry in January or February for June protection
Have product specifications and contractor selected before submitting your COA application
Budget for the possibility of one revision cycle — boards often request modifications to initial proposals
If you're in a high-risk zone and time is short, polycarbonate panels stored off-site are the fastest interim solution that most preservation boards can approve quickly

The scenarios below are illustrative composites based on documented market patterns, FEMA post-storm data, and OIR wind mitigation discount schedules. They represent realistic outcomes, not specific individuals.

Key West — The Historic District That Had a Process

Key West's historic district is among the most tightly regulated in Florida — the Old Island Restoration Foundation and the Historic Architectural Review Commission oversee modifications to contributing structures. When Barbara wanted to install hurricane protection on her 1890s Conch house, she assumed the process would be prohibitive.

Instead, she found that HARC had developed specific guidance for hurricane protection in the historic district following Hurricane Georges in 1998 and Hurricane Irma in 2017. Clear polycarbonate panels were approved for front facades; accordion shutters were permitted on non-street-facing openings. Impact windows were approved when they matched the original window profile — a custom fabrication requirement.

Barbara installed polycarbonate panels on the front two openings and accordion shutters on the sides and rear. Total cost: $14,200. Total approval process time: eight weeks, including two HARC meetings. 'I expected it to be impossible,' she said. 'It wasn't easy, but it was possible. The key was going to HARC first and asking what they would approve — not what I wanted to install.'

What this means for your home: Historic preservation boards in coastal areas have generally developed specific hurricane protection guidance following major storms. Before assuming a denial, contact your local historic preservation officer and ask what has been approved on comparable structures in your district. Leading with 'what will you approve' rather than 'will you approve this specific product' typically produces a more productive conversation and a faster path to compliant protection.

Savannah, Georgia — The Landmark Designation Difference

Thomas owned a contributing structure in Savannah's Landmark Historic District — a 1910-era townhouse that had been in his family for three generations. When he sought to install storm panels, the Metropolitan Planning Commission informed him that his building's contributing status required any modification to be reviewed under the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.

The standards prohibited the installation of visible exterior hardware that would alter the historic character of street-facing facades. Storm panels on the front elevation were denied. Clear polycarbonate panels were also denied — the mounting hardware was deemed incompatible with the historic masonry.

The approved solution for the street-facing facade: custom interior-mounted storm film rated to Class A impact standards, combined with reinforced historic window frames. Cost: $8,400 for the street elevation. The rear and side elevations received accordion shutters with no historic designation complications — $9,800. Total: $18,200. 'The front of the building was the hard part,' Thomas said. 'Everything behind the front facade was a normal shutter conversation.'

What this means for your home: National Register contributing structures and locally designated landmarks carry stricter modification standards than properties simply located within a historic district. Know your building's specific designation status before beginning any approval process — the requirements for a contributing structure are substantially more restrictive than for a non-contributing building in the same district. Your State Historic Preservation Office can clarify the applicable standards for your specific building.

Charleston, South Carolina — The Window That Couldn't Be Replaced

Margaret owned a pre-Civil War single house in Charleston's Ansonborough neighborhood — a contributing structure in a National Register district. One of the original 6-over-6 double-hung windows had sustained damage and needed replacement. She wanted to use the opportunity to install impact glass.

The Charleston Board of Architectural Review denied the request. The original window featured hand-blown glass with distinctive waviness characteristic of 19th-century manufacture. The board determined that impact glass — which is optically uniform — would alter the historic character of the facade. Replacement with historically-compatible non-impact glass was approved; impact glass was not.

Margaret worked with a preservation specialist who identified a solution: interior-mounted laminated safety film applied to the restored original glass, combined with exterior removable polycarbonate storm panels on an approved mounting system. The combined approach provided Class A impact protection while preserving the original glass. Cost: $3,200 for that single window. 'The board wasn't being difficult,' Margaret said. 'They were protecting something genuinely irreplaceable. The solution just required more creativity than a standard replacement.'

What this means for your home: For the most historically sensitive structures, achieving hurricane protection may require non-standard solutions — interior film, removable panel systems, or reinforced historic framing — rather than conventional shutters or impact glass replacement. Preservation specialists who work specifically in your city's historic districts know what has been approved before and can propose solutions that satisfy both the preservation board and your protection needs. Their fees are typically worth paying before beginning the formal approval process.

Sources: Key West HARC hurricane protection guidelines; Savannah MPC Landmark Historic District standards; Charleston BAR review records; Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation; FEMA historic property mitigation guidance.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Does historic designation mean I can't install hurricane protection?

No — Florida law and most local historic preservation ordinances explicitly recognize the need for hurricane protection on historic properties. The question is not whether you can install protection but what type is appropriate for your property and how the approval process works. Impact windows and period-appropriate shutters are approved on historic properties throughout Florida regularly.

My historic home is in a flood zone too. What do I do?

Flood zone requirements add another layer of complexity for historic homes. FEMA's floodplain management rules and historic preservation rules can conflict — particularly around elevating structures. The State Historic Preservation Office has specific guidance for flood mitigation on historic properties. Contact your SHPO for guidance before undertaking any flood or wind mitigation work on a National Register property.

Can I get a tax credit for hurricane protection on my historic home?

Potentially. Florida offers a 20% state income tax credit for qualified rehabilitation of historic structures, and the federal Historic Tax Credit program offers 20% for income-producing historic properties. Hurricane protection installed as part of a qualified rehabilitation may be includable in the credit basis. Consult a tax advisor and your SHPO for guidance specific to your project.

☣️ Public Health Warning — After Any Hurricane

Waste bags at the curb spread E. coli, Leptospirosis, and Norovirus across entire neighborhoods through rainwater runoff, animal vectors, and children near debris piles. Double-bag all waste. Label it BIOHAZARD. Keep all children and pets away from every curb pile on your street — not just your own.

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