Naples homeowners protect windows and doors with one of four main options: accordion shutters, roll-down shutters, removable panels, or impact-resistant windows and doors. Which fits depends on the opening, your budget and your association's rules. Whatever you choose, it needs a permit, an approved product, and a plan for who closes it before the storm.
This guide from True North Home Watch is for owners in Naples, Marco Island and Bonita Springs, especially those who are away. It is general information, not legal or insurance advice, and your building department and association rules control.
Key takeaways
- Accordion, roll-down and panel shutters and impact glass all have trade-offs. No single type is best for every opening.
- NOAA issues a hurricane watch 48 hours, and a warning 36 hours, before tropical-storm-force winds are expected. Installers get busy fast in that window.
- The City of Naples requires a permit for shutters and an approved product (Florida product approval or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance).
- Florida law says condo and HOA boards must adopt hurricane protection specifications and may not refuse compliant installations.
- True North coordinates your shutter company but does not install or remove shutters.
What are the main types of hurricane shutters, and which is right for my home?
The Florida Division of Emergency Management's Hurricane Retrofit Guide lays out the trade-offs clearly. Here are the four options most Naples owners consider:
| Type | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Accordion | Permanently mounted; works well over large areas like patios and lanais; can often be closed from inside or outside | Joints between panels can let wind-driven rain in; can't be closed from inside over casement or out-swing doors |
| Roll-down | Works on any window or door type; can be crank, remote or motorized; permanently mounted | Rain can get behind individual slats; wide spans need extra reinforcing; motorized versions cost more |
| Panel or corrugated (metal or clear) | Lowest-cost category; lightweight; clear panels let light in | Need prep time and storage space; difficult above the first floor; someone has to hang them each storm |
| Impact windows and doors | Protect around the clock with nothing to deploy | Very high up-front cost; expensive glass replacement if damaged |
Two details from the guide are worth knowing. First, it names installation as one of the greatest risks for poor shutter performance. Second, it explains that "porous" systems, which have small gaps, should be used only over windows and doors that are wind-pressure rated, while non-porous systems can be used in any situation. If your home is older, ask your installer which category your openings need.
If you spend months away, a permanent system that can be closed with a crank or remote is far easier to manage than panels stored in a garage. FEMA notes that deployed shutters require manual installation, so there must be enough time before a storm to finish the job. Panels demand the most of that time.
What do the Florida Building Code and the City of Naples require?
The Florida Building Code requires protection for glazed openings in what it calls the wind-borne debris region. A Florida Building Commission report describes the current definition, based on ASCE 7-22, as areas within 1 mile of the mean high water line where open water lies upwind and the design wind speed is 130 mph or more, or anywhere the design wind speed is 140 mph or more. Both shutters and impact-resistant glazing are accepted ways to meet the protection requirement. Whether your specific address falls inside the region is a question for your building department or a licensed professional.
For shutters themselves, the rules are practical:
- Use an approved product. The Retrofit Guide says to check the Florida Building Code product approval listing, or the Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, and warns that if a manufacturer isn't listed, the product may not be tested or approved.
- Pull a permit. The City of Naples requires a shutter permit. Its checklist asks for design pressures for all openings, a floor plan showing shutter locations and the product approval documentation. Owner-builders must sign an affidavit. Marco Island, Bonita Springs and unincorporated Collier County have their own procedures, so ask your local building department.
- Keep the paperwork. File the permit and product approval records with your other home documents.
Not sure what your insurer will want to see? Our guide to vacant home insurance in Florida covers the questions to ask your agent.
What are the condo and HOA rules for shutters?
Florida law gives associations a role, but limits it. Under Florida Statute 718.113, the board of a residential condominium must adopt hurricane protection specifications for each building. A board may not refuse to approve a unit owner's installation or replacement that conforms to those specifications, and installing shutters is not considered a material alteration of the common elements. The statute also says that if hurricane protection has to be removed and reinstalled so the association can repair property it maintains, the owner is not responsible for that removal cost.
For homeowners' associations, Florida Statute 720.3035 works the same way. The board or architectural committee must adopt hurricane protection specifications and may not deny an application that conforms to them. It also lets the association require owners to maintain an existing unified building scheme for exterior appearance. In plain terms: color and style can be regulated, but a compliant hurricane shutter cannot be blocked.
Before you order, ask your association for its written specifications and any application form. It can save you from buying a shutter in the wrong color.
When should I get shutters installed or closed?
Well before a storm is near. NOAA defines a hurricane watch as hurricane conditions being possible in an area, issued 48 hours before the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds. A hurricane warning means those conditions are expected, issued 36 hours before. Those windows are short, and everyone else in Southwest Florida is calling their shutter company at the same moment.
Practical steps for the off-season:
- Order and permit new shutters in the spring or early summer, not after a storm is named.
- Get a written storm-closing plan from your shutter company that says who closes what, and in what order.
- Test motorized or crank shutters before you leave for the summer, so a stuck track is found in May, not during a watch.
- Find out in advance whether your association closes shutters for you or expects each owner to arrange it.
Our hurricane-ready Naples checklist puts shutters in context with the rest of your prep.
Who puts hurricane shutters up: the owner or a company?
Permanent systems such as accordion and roll-down shutters are normally closed by whoever is at the home: you, a neighbor, or a company you have arranged in advance. Panel systems have to be hung. Installing new shutters is a job for a shutter contractor, and the Retrofit Guide's warning about poor installation is the reason to choose carefully.
Here is where True North fits. Our Hurricane Prep & Shutter Coordination service coordinates your shutter company. We confirm the schedule, let their crew in, verify the job is done and send you photos. True North does not install or remove shutters; your shutter company does that work. If you are still deciding on a home watch company, see why a neighbor isn't home watch when a storm is coming, or explore our home watch services. Pricing details are on our pricing page.
What should I do about shutters after the storm passes?
Keep them closed until local officials say the area is safe and the storm has cleared. Ready.gov advises following reentry guidance from local authorities and returning home only when it is safe. After a storm, roads or whole neighborhoods can be closed or unsafe, so your access to the property, and everyone else's, may be delayed.
Because True North lives and works locally, we know right away when your area reopens, and we visit as soon as it is safe. Then:
- Inspect first. We check the exterior, look for visible damage and water intrusion, and photograph what we find.
- Coordinate the reopening. When it is time, we let your shutter company in to open or remove them.
- Share the report. You get photos you can pass to your adjuster if you need to file a claim.
Our guide to what out-of-state owners should do after a hurricane covers documentation and claim deadlines in more detail.
Have a plan before the watch is issued
Ask about True North's Hurricane Prep & Shutter Coordination, and see our pricing page for how it is quoted.
Get a Free Quote Call (239) 301-8657What do Naples owners ask about hurricane shutters?
What is the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning?
NOAA defines a hurricane watch as hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or higher) being possible in the area, issued 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected. A warning means those conditions are expected, issued 36 hours before. In practice, a watch is your cue to finish shutter work, and a warning means it should already be done.
Do I need a permit to install hurricane shutters in Naples?
In the City of Naples, yes. The city's shutter permitting checklist requires a permit application and plan review documents, including design pressures, a floor plan showing shutter locations and a Florida product approval or Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance for the shutters. Other jurisdictions in Collier and Lee counties have their own procedures, so check with your local building department before you order.
Can my condo association or HOA stop me from installing shutters?
Not if your shutters meet the association's own specifications. Florida law requires condominium boards and HOA boards to adopt hurricane protection specifications, and they may not refuse or deny a compliant installation. They can, however, set rules on color, style and appearance, so get the specifications in writing before you buy.
Do impact windows replace the need for shutters?
Impact-resistant windows and doors are one of the accepted ways to protect openings, and they work all the time without any deployment. Florida's Hurricane Retrofit Guide notes the trade-offs: a much higher up-front cost than shutters, and expensive glass replacement if the glass is damaged. Many owners use impact glass on some openings and shutters on others.
Does True North install or remove hurricane shutters?
No. True North does not install or remove shutters. Our Hurricane Prep & Shutter Coordination service works with your own shutter company: we confirm the schedule, let their crew in, check that the work was done and photograph the finished result. You keep your relationship and contract with the shutter company, and we make sure it actually happens while you are away.
How soon after a storm can True North get to my home?
As soon as it is safe. Roads or whole neighborhoods can be closed after a storm, and Ready.gov advises following reentry guidance from local authorities. Because True North lives and works locally, we know right away when your area reopens, and we visit as soon as it is safe to do so, then send photos and a report on what we find.
Sources
- NOAA National Ocean Service: Hurricane watch vs. warning
- Florida Division of Emergency Management, Hurricane Retrofit Guide: Professionally installed shutters
- Florida Building Commission: Investigation of the Wind-borne Debris Regions in ASCE 7-22
- Florida Statutes 718.113: Condominium maintenance and hurricane protection
- Florida Statutes 720.3035: Homeowners' association architectural control and hurricane protection
- City of Naples: Shutter permitting documents
- FEMA P-2181 Fact Sheet 3.2: Wall systems and openings
- Ready.gov: Hurricane hazard information sheet