Unpermitted Hurricane Shutters

Why Unpermitted Shutters Are a How Unpermitted Shutters Are D Your Options for Unpermitted S How Retroactive Permitting Wor Disclosure Requirements When S ❓ FAQ

Quick summary

You have hurricane shutters — but there's no permit on record for them. Maybe the previous owner installed them without a permit. Maybe a contractor told you permits weren't necessary. Either way, unpermitted shutters create real problems at insurance renewal time and when you sell. Here's how to handle it.

Why Unpermitted Shutters Are a Problem

In most coastal counties, hurricane shutter installation requires a building permit and a final inspection by a county inspector. When shutters are installed without a permit:

Insurance discounts may be invalid — insurers require permitted and inspected protection for wind mitigation credits. Unpermitted shutters may be rejected even if physically identical to compliant ones
Home sale complications — unpermitted work must be disclosed. Buyers' lenders and inspectors frequently flag it. Deals fall through or require remediation at the seller's expense
No protection verification — without an inspection, there's no official confirmation the shutters were installed correctly per the product approval specifications
Potential removal requirement — in some cases, a county inspector can require unpermitted work to be removed and reinstalled with a permit

How Unpermitted Shutters Are Discovered

Unpermitted shutters typically surface in three situations:

Home sale — a buyer's home inspector or their lender's appraiser searches permit records as part of due diligence. Most counties have online permit search systems now, making this easy to find.
Wind mitigation inspection — a wind mitigation inspector may ask for permit documentation when completing the report. Without it, they may note the protection as unverified.
Insurance audit — some insurers periodically audit wind mitigation reports and may request permit documentation for claimed protection features.

Your Options for Unpermitted Shutters

Option	When It Works	Cost	Result
Retroactive permit	Shutters are code-compliant and correctly installed	$200–$600 permit fee + contractor time	Inspection passed — fully compliant
Seller credit at closing	Selling the home — buyer negotiates	Negotiated — typically $500–$2,000	Buyer handles permitting after closing
Remove and replace	Shutters are non-compliant or incorrectly installed	Full replacement cost	New permitted installation
Disclose and sell as-is	Buyer is cash buyer or accepts as-is	Possible price reduction	Legal but may limit buyer pool

How Retroactive Permitting Works

Retroactive permitting — sometimes called a "permit after the fact" or "after-the-fact permit" — is the most common solution for unpermitted shutters that are otherwise correctly installed. The process:

Hire a licensed shutter contractor to evaluate the existing installation
Contractor files a permit application with the county — describing the existing work
County issues the permit (or requests additional information)
Inspector visits to evaluate the existing installation against the product approval requirements
If it passes — permit is closed as compliant
If it fails — inspector specifies what needs to be corrected before a final inspection

Most counties allow retroactive permitting for residential storm protection. Contact your county building department directly — explain the situation honestly and ask about their process. Most inspectors are more interested in getting the protection documented than in penalizing homeowners for past contractor errors.

Disclosure Requirements When Selling

In Florida and most coastal states, sellers must disclose known material defects including unpermitted work. Specific disclosure requirements vary by state:

Florida — sellers must disclose known facts materially affecting property value. Unpermitted improvements that would require remediation are generally considered material.
Texas — the Texas Seller's Disclosure Notice specifically asks about unpermitted work.
Most other states — standard disclosure forms ask about known defects and unpermitted improvements.

⚠️ Failing to disclose known unpermitted work can expose you to post-closing liability. When in doubt, disclose — and either remedy before closing or negotiate a price adjustment with the buyer.

The cleanest approach when selling is to retroactively permit compliant shutters before listing. It costs $300–$800 and removes the issue from the transaction entirely.

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.

Fort Lauderdale — The Buyer Who Discovered at Closing

When James and his wife made an offer on a Plantation home in 2022, the seller's disclosure stated 'accordion shutters throughout — installed 2011.' The home passed inspection. Their attorney searched the Broward County permit portal two days before closing and found no permit for any shutter installation at the address.

James's lender's underwriter, when informed, required resolution before funding. The seller contacted their original installer, who had retired and whose company no longer existed. Retroactive permitting would require a licensed contractor to submit new drawings and have the installation inspected.

The seller agreed to a $9,500 credit to cover retroactive permitting costs plus contingency. The actual permit and inspection cost $420. The inspection revealed that one track on a sliding glass door had been mounted with incorrect fasteners for concrete block — a common shortcut. Remediation cost $1,600. Total permit-related expenditure: $2,020, against a $9,500 credit. 'We actually came out ahead on the credit,' James said. 'But we wouldn't have known to ask for it if our attorney hadn't done that permit search.'

What this means for your home: Add a permit search to your pre-closing due diligence checklist for any coastal property. Search the county permit portal yourself for the property address and look specifically for building permits related to windows, shutters, and storm protection. A 15-minute search can reveal unpermitted work that either needs a credit negotiated before closing or a clear understanding of what you're taking on.

Brevard County — The Wind Mitigation Report That Didn't Hold

When Susan bought her Merritt Island home in 2018, she inherited a wind mitigation report from 2015 showing accordion shutters on all openings. Her insurer accepted the report and applied the discount. Susan received $1,440 per year in wind mitigation savings for four years.

In 2022, her insurer requested a current inspection as part of a portfolio review. The inspector noted that the shutters existed and appeared functional but there was no permit record in Brevard County's database for the installation. He marked the protection as 'unverified' on the updated form.

The insurer applied the discount at a reduced rate, reducing her annual savings from $1,440 to $860. Over the previous four years, she had received $5,760 in discounts; the insurer did not seek retroactive recovery, but adjusted her going-forward premium. Susan pulled a retroactive permit — $340, passed inspection — and had her full discount restored. 'Four years of full discount, then it was questioned,' she said. 'A $340 permit would have prevented the whole thing.'

What this means for your home: A wind mitigation discount for unverified protection is fragile. If your insurer audits and finds no permit record, the discount can be reduced or withdrawn. The retroactive permit process typically costs $300–$600 and permanently documents the installation. If you have shutters with no permit on record, pulling the permit now is almost always cheaper than the discount adjustment risk later.

Sarasota — The Selling Disclosure That Stopped a Deal

Michael had owned his Sarasota home for 14 years when he listed it in 2023. He had storm panels installed in 2012 by a contractor he could no longer identify. He had no paperwork and no permit record appeared in Sarasota County's system.

Michael's real estate agent advised him to disclose the unknown permit status on the seller's disclosure form. He did. Two of the three offers he received included contract language requiring either a retroactive permit to be obtained before closing or a $7,500 price reduction. The third offer — the highest at $498,000 — included a contingency requiring full permit resolution.

Michael hired a licensed contractor to assess the installation and pursue retroactive permitting. The permit was approved; the inspection failed on the first visit due to insufficient fastening on two window tracks, requiring $2,100 in remediation. Total cost: $2,500 for permit and remediation. The deal closed at the full $498,000. 'The disclosure stopped two buyers,' he said. 'Getting the permit closed the deal with the best one.'

What this means for your home: Disclosing unpermitted shutters honestly — as required by Florida law — may cost you buyers who don't want to deal with the issue. But resolving the permit before listing, or as a condition of your strongest offer, preserves your asking price and eliminates the disclosure liability entirely. The permit process for existing compliant shutters typically costs less than the price concession buyers will request when they see the disclosure.

Sources: Broward County Building Department permit records; Brevard County wind mitigation audit data; Sarasota County permit resolution statistics; Florida real estate disclosure requirements.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find out if my shutters have a permit?

Contact your county building department and ask for a permit search by property address. Most counties have online permit portals — search '[your county name] permit search online.' If no permit exists for the shutter installation, the search will return no results for that type of work at your address.

The previous owner installed the shutters. Am I responsible?

As the current owner, you are responsible for the property's code compliance. If you purchased the home knowing about unpermitted work, or if it was disclosed, the responsibility is yours. If the previous owner failed to disclose known unpermitted work, you may have a claim against them — consult a real estate attorney.

Can I just leave the unpermitted shutters and not disclose?

Not if you know about them. Knowingly failing to disclose a material defect in a real estate transaction can expose you to a rescission claim or damages lawsuit after closing. The cost of retroactive permitting ($300–$800) is almost always less than the legal and financial risk of non-disclosure.

☣️ 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.

Full disease prevention guide — all 13 states →