Updated August 2026. Impact windows and hurricane shutters can both be approved opening protection in Florida. Statewide Windows & Doors bids both. The difference is how they get used: impact glass stays in place year-round. Shutters only protect the opening if someone closes them before the storm.

Quick answer

If you live in the house during hurricane season, or you travel, impact windows are usually the cleaner spec. If budget is the constraint and you have a real plan to deploy approved shutters every time, shutters can still be the right bid. Code cares about an approved system. It does not care which brochure won.

Impact windows vs shutters


Impact windows
Approved shutters / panels
When they protect
Always, once installed
Only when deployed
Code path
NOA or FL# on the window assembly
NOA or FL# on the shutter/panel system
Everyday
Light, noise, security without extra hardware on the glass
Clear view until you close them; no Low-E benefit from the shutter
Egress
You can still open the window or door
Accordion and panel systems can block a bedroom exit if they stay closed. Plan that.
First cost
Usually higher
Usually lower

When we spec impact

  • Nobody will be home to close shutters
  • You want the openings done once, with permit and approvals on the glass
  • You also want heat, noise, and a harder opening to kick

When shutters can win the bid

  • The product is approved for that opening and you will actually deploy it
  • Budget cannot do glass on every opening this year
  • A historic or HOA constraint makes glass a worse fit (confirm in writing)

A mixed job is common: impact on the main living openings, approved shutters where the bid has to land. Do not leave one unprotected opening and call the house done.

What to put on the quote

  • NOA or FL# for each system
  • Design pressure for that opening
  • Permit in the price
  • Who deploys shutters if that is the path

Related: Do I need impact windows in Florida? and the cost guide.

FAQ

Are shutters worse in a hurricane?

Not if they are approved and closed. An open shutter is not protection. That is the whole issue.

Will impact lower insurance more than shutters?

Carriers care about opening protection on the wind-mitigation form. Both can count if they are approved and cover the openings. Get the spec in writing. Do not promise a discount.

What about fire?

You need a way out. Impact glass still opens. Shutters that stay closed over a bedroom window are an egress problem. Ask how that is handled before you buy.

Get both quoted on your openings

Call Statewide Windows & Doors at (561) 816-4010 or request a free estimate. We will put impact and shutter lines on the same house so you can see the real number.