Jacksonville Window Replacement in 2026: Wind Worksheet and Historic Rules

East or west of the line? The wind figure on a Jacksonville window permit

The City publishes an owner's worksheet for window and door replacement, and it is the clearest view we found of what a window replacement jacksonville fl permit file contains.

It asks for the wind speed, exposure category, and a Florida Product Approval number for each unit, which anyone planning window replacement in jacksonville fl should have ready.

Whether a given job needs a permit is not on the form; for jobs that do, the same sheet covers window replacement jacksonville florida work and replacement windows jacksonville fl alike.

What the owner's worksheet asks for

The worksheet header says it is to be completed by the property owner only. Licensed contractors complete the Spec 4 tab on the BID permit. Fields include address, permit number in the format B/__/____, wind speed in mph, and an exposure category to circle.

Exposure categories are B for protected by woods or structures for at least 1500 feet, C for conditions not B or D, and D for exposed to open terrain or water for 5000 feet. A table collects number of units, area in square feet, manufacturer, model number, optional end zone and interior zone pressures, product approval DP+, product approval DP-, product approval number including suffix, and quality assurance expiration date. The worksheet itself does not say which jobs need a permit.

Read the columns as a list of questions for whoever quotes the job. Number of units and area in square feet come from a tape measure, and manufacturer and model come from the quote. The product approval number with its suffix, the DP+ and DP- pressures and the quality assurance expiration date are the part the sheet hands to floridabuilding.org, which we did not open.

The header also splits the job in two: owners complete the worksheet, and licensed contractors complete the Spec 4 tab on the BID Permit. Which of the two you meet depends on who pulls the permit, a point we return to in the license section.

The line at the St. Johns River and Interstate 95

The worksheet quotes COJ Ordinance 320.103, which requires the municipality to set wind speed demarcation lines by ordinance using recognizable landmarks. At the south end of Duval County the line starts in the middle of the St. Johns River, runs north up the center of the river to the Fuller Warren Bridge where the river meets Interstate 95, then north along Interstate 95 to the northern Duval County line.

For Risk Category II structures the wind speed west of the demarcation line shall be 125 miles per hour and east of the demarcation line 130 miles per hour.

Two practical points follow from the wording. The line is drawn on landmarks, so east of the line means east of the river for the stretch south of the Fuller Warren Bridge and east of Interstate 95 north of it. And the figures are for Risk Category II structures, the class the worksheet names; we did not read which class applies to other buildings. If your address is close to the river or the interstate, ask the Building Inspection Division which figure goes on your permit. The grant and permit sides of a Florida swap are written up in the Tampa guide and the Orlando guide.

An older City map, and why we do not mix it with the worksheet

An older map from 2007 shows a different wind line and different speed numbers.

We do not mix that map with the 2026 worksheet because we do not know how the City uses it today.

What the 2007 map says

The Florida Building Commission copy of the Duval County Wind Speed Lines map is dated May 2007. It describes a 120 mph wind line that starts at Phillips Highway and the Duval County line, follows Phillips Highway, State Road 9A, J. Turner Butler Boulevard, a point 4,115 feet east of the 9A/Butler intersection, Regent Boulevard, Central Parkway, Beach Boulevard/U.S. 90, State Road 9A again, Yellow Bluff Road and Highway 17 to the county line.

The legend says all structures located east of this line shall be considered in the Wind-Borne Debris Region as defined by the Florida Building Code.

What we cannot tell you

This is a different line and different numbers from the 2026 worksheet. We do not know how the City uses the 2007 map today, and we did not find a current City map.

State law: when a permit job must add opening protection

Florida law ties opening protection to certain permit jobs, a detail that matters for hurricane windows jacksonville fl searches.

What s. 553.844 says

Florida Statutes 2025, s. 553.844 subsection (3)(c) says any activity requiring a building permit, not including roof covering replacement or repair work associated with prevention of degradation, applied for on or after July 1, 2008, with an estimated cost of $50,000 or more, must include opening protections as required by the Florida Building Code for new construction in the wind-borne debris region.

The building must be a single-family site-built structure with an insured value of $750,000 or more, or a just valuation for ad valorem tax of $750,000 or more if uninsured or no documentation. The same section lists adding or strengthening opening protections among the mitigation measures the Legislature named.

What it does not say

That leaves one set of cases the text clearly covers: a permit job estimated at $50,000 or more, on a home in the wind-borne debris region, valued at $750,000 or more. A job that bundles windows with other permitted work could reach the cost line, so ask the contractor what the permit estimate is and whether it includes the windows. The general emergency-exit rule for bedroom windows is on our egress window requirements page.

Three local historic districts and the Certificate of Appropriateness

If your home sits in a locally designated historic district, a home window replacement jacksonville fl project requires a Certificate of Appropriateness, according to the City.

What the City page says

The Certificate of Appropriateness Process page (Internet Archive copy of 13 Aug 2026) says a COA application is required for all properties within the three locally designated historic districts as well as locally designated Landmarks. COAs must be submitted for any work done to the exterior of a building like repairing windows and siding, as well as site work like fencing, driveways and sheds.

Once a COA is approved it is valid for 1 year and after work has begun, the COA will be valid for 5 years. The page links a 2026 COA Matrix, a Window Supplement, a Window Survey Form for any window replacement, Section 307.106 of the Ordinance Code, and design guidelines for Springfield and Riverside Avondale. An earlier copy (9 Mar 2026) said most work can be approved administratively, but window replacement, demolition and relocation require review by the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission.

The newer page no longer repeats that sentence; because we did not read the Matrix we cannot say whether window replacement still goes to the Commission. Contact: HistoricPreservation@coj.net, (904) 255-7800, 214 North Hogan Street, Suite 300.

What we could not open

We did not read the 2026 COA Matrix, the Window Survey Form, Section 307.106, or the two district guideline PDFs.

For an owner the first step is the address, not the paperwork: is the property in one of the three districts, or a local landmark? The page names Springfield and Riverside Avondale / St Johns Quarter. The third district is not named in the text we read, so ask the Historic Preservation Section at the number above instead of guessing from a neighborhood name. The page's own wording is broad, too: repairing windows is listed as exterior work that needs a COA, not only replacing them.

What the City's Window Supplement says

The Window Supplement sets the rules for historic window work, including window repair jacksonville fl jobs. A job for window glass replacement jacksonville fl is handled apart from a whole unit, and so is window screen replacement jacksonville fl.

It emphasizes repair first and gives specific installation requirements.

Repair first

The Supplement says repairing historic windows should always be attempted before window replacement is considered. Listed repairs include paint repair, putty repair, wood repair with wood epoxy or limited wood replacement, and pulley repair. Replacing a window can be approved when attempts to repair are unsuccessful or the window is deemed beyond repair by Staff.

Recess, trim and custom sizes

Window replacement approvals require windows to be traditionally recessed in the wall and the trim to be retained or repaired as needed. The recession of windows on historic structures shall be between 2-4 inches and 1-4 inches on new construction. Window replacements often require ordering a custom size to fit the opening, since resizing the window is not included in standard approvals.

Nailing fins and grids

Window sash replacements, also called sash packs or kits, are the most historically accurate option and can be cost-effective because you are not buying a full frame. Block frame or box unit windows are sashes in a frame that can be installed directly into the existing window opening from the inside, preserving the window trim but potentially reducing glass and sash size unless fitted to the rough opening.

Historic Preservation Staff cannot approve products that require installation with permanent nailing fins; such windows require complete exterior window trim removal and must be installed on the outside, ending flush with the wall. Products that have removable nailing fins can be installed from the inside and are acceptable only when the fins are removed and the window is recessed within the opening. Staff cannot approve products that only have interior muntin grids between the glass and cannot approve post-manufacturer applied muntins after the fact.

Storm windows and small fixes

Addressing maintenance issues like replacing broken glass, failing glazing putty, and repairing rotten wood can improve air infiltration. The Supplement text we read says nothing about hurricane, wind, or impact-rated glass.

Broken glass is on the Supplement's maintenance list, so a glass-only job is the kind of work it treats as repair; we did not read whether such a job needs its own COA step. A quote that opens with a full new unit for every opening has skipped the first two steps the City asks about. The material trade-offs are on our vinyl vs wood and double-hung vs casement pages.

Where a hurricane product and a historic approval can pull apart

When a window and door replacement jacksonville fl project involves both a hurricane-rated product and a historic district, the two lists may pull in different directions, and no document we read says how.

Two lists, one window

No document we read connects the wind worksheet with the Window Supplement. We did not read any Florida Product Approval listing, so we do not know how any given product is installed. We make no claim that impact-rated windows have or lack removable fins.

Here is the problem without guessing at products. The worksheet needs one row per unit with a product approval number. The Supplement needs staff to be able to approve how the product is installed. Both have to be true of the same unit. If a quote names a product, the useful question is how it is installed and whether its listing allows that installation; we did not read any listing, so we cannot answer it for you.

Put the install method in writing

The reader should ask for the installation method in writing and give it to both offices. That includes whether the product uses permanent nailing fins, removable fins, or a block frame, and the planned recess depth.

Who may pull the permit: contractor or owner-builder

Florida law defines who may pull a permit for window installation jacksonville fl work.

Who signs the permit also shapes how a quote from any of the window replacement companies in jacksonville fl should read, though we do not rank companies.

What s. 489.103(7) says

Florida Statutes 2025, s. 489.103(7) says the licensing law does not apply to owners of property when acting as their own contractor and providing direct, onsite supervision of all work not performed by licensed contractors. This applies when building or improving one-family or two-family residences for the occupancy or use of such owners and not offered for sale or lease. A sale or lease within 1 year after completion creates a presumption the work was for sale or lease.

The owner must personally appear and sign the building permit application.

The statute is blunt about the owner's side: the owner is the responsible party of record, and the disclosure lists injuries to unlicensed workers and gaps in homeowner's insurance as risks the owner may carry. A written quote should say who holds the permit.

What we did not read

We did not read the license categories that apply to window installation. We did not read any City statement on which window jobs need a permit. The order of a job on site is in our replacement process guide.

Glass for Duval County: the Southern zone

ENERGY STAR climate zones determine the glass performance targets for Duval County.

All 56 Duval County ZIP codes fall in the Southern zone.

All 56 Duval ZIP codes in the table

The ENERGY STAR climate-zone table by ZIP code, version 7, read 22 Oct 2026, lists all 56 Duval County ZIP codes (cities Jacksonville, Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach) in the Southern zone.

What U-factor and SHGC mean

ENERGY STAR criteria for the Southern zone (table of Oct 2023) require U-factor <= 0.32 and SHGC <= 0.23, with air leakage <= 0.3 cfm/ft2. U-factor measures heat flow; lower is better insulation. SHGC measures the share of the sun's heat the whole window lets in.

Read the numbers as a ceiling on two scores, not a shopping list: a Southern-zone label means a U-factor of 0.32 or lower and an SHGC of 0.23 or lower on the same window. The criteria table puts the SHGC cap at 0.23 for both the Southern and South-Central zones and at 0.40 for North-Central. How long a unit lasts is on how long windows last.

The money: what is confirmed and what is not

Money questions come up early in any window replacement cost jacksonville fl conversation.

The statute on My Safe Florida Home describes a grant program, but we cannot confirm current funding.

On 22 October 2026 the first results for a search on window replacement jacksonville fl prices were contractor pages, a listicle and Yelp, not a public price list; we did not read them for facts.

Autocomplete shows people type city of jacksonville window replacement program; we found no City document for such a program and did not read JEA rebate pages.

My Safe Florida Home: what the statute says

Florida Statutes 2025, s. 215.5586 (My Safe Florida Home) provides grants for single-family detached homes or townhouses that are site-built, owner-occupied, and have a homestead exemption. For a grant the home must have an insured value of $700,000 or less, and the building permit application for initial construction must have been made before 1 January 2008.

The grant must be matched on the basis of $1 from the applicant for $2 from the state up to a maximum state contribution of $10,000; low-income homeowners are not required to match. Eligible improvements, when recommended by a hurricane mitigation inspection, include opening protection such as exterior doors, garage doors, windows, and skylights. Work must be based on all required local permits and inspections and done by properly licensed contractors; the grant application must name the contractor and the state license number.

We did not read a 2026 version of the statute, the current funding, or the waiting list, so we cannot say if a Jacksonville homeowner can get a grant now.

Treat the grant as something to check, not a plan to budget. The statute ties it to an inspection that recommends the work, to a home whose initial building permit was applied for before 2008, and to local permits and a licensed contractor. It says grants are used for improvements an inspection recommends, so the inspection comes before the purchase, not after; we did not read the program's own rules on timing.

The federal credit and the City program

The IRS Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit applies to improvements made through 31 Dec 2025, so no federal window credit for a 2026 install per our reading. We found no City document for a window replacement program, and we did not read JEA rebate pages. A quote line called a rebate, discount, or program must name the program in writing. The cost drivers are on window installation cost; if a quote leans on insurance money instead, read does home insurance cover window replacement.

Repair, sash kit, insert or full replacement

Before you sign a contract, decide whether the job is a repair, a sash kit, an insert, or a full replacement.

The Supplement and the worksheet give different clues.

Which job is your quote?

A sash pack replaces only the sash and keeps the frame. A block frame or box unit inserts into the existing opening from the inside. A full replacement with nailing fins removes exterior trim and installs from the outside.

The Supplement treats each of these differently, as the sections above show; it does not say what the permit office asks for each.

Ask the quote to name one of four words: glass, sash, insert or unit. Sash packs or kits are called the most historically accurate replacement, and cost-effective because you are not buying a full frame. Block frame or box units go in from the inside and can shrink the glass unless fitted to the rough opening. A full unit with permanent nailing fins is the one product type staff say they cannot approve in a district. The signal-by-signal tests are on our when to replace windows page, the leak-chasing half is on drafty windows.

Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach

The ENERGY STAR table lists Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach as separate city names inside Duval County.

Searches for window repair jacksonville beach point to those communities.

We did not read their building departments or any historic rules.

Cities we did not read

We did not read the building departments for Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, or Neptune Beach. We did not read any historic district rules for those cities. Other towns around Jacksonville are outside Duval County and were not read.

If your house is in one of these three cities, the City of Jacksonville documents on this page may not be the ones that apply: the table only shows that they are separate city names inside the county. Start with the building department of your own city and ask the same two questions, which wind figure goes on the permit and whether any historic approval applies. Another city with its own historic approval beside the permit is covered in the San Antonio guide.

Seven questions to put in writing before you sign

Put these seven questions in writing before you sign any contract.

We do not rank companies, so a search for best window replacement company in jacksonville fl will not yield a recommendation from us.

Each question below points back to the document that checks the answer, so you can hold a quote against the paper instead of against a sales pitch.

The seven questions

1. What wind speed and exposure category will you enter on the City worksheet for my address? The worksheet asks the owner for wind speed (125 mph west, 130 mph east of the St. Johns River/I-95 line) and exposure category (B, C, or D).
2. What is the Florida Product Approval number with DP+ and DP- pressures for each window unit you propose? The worksheet requires a product approval number including suffix, DP+, DP-, and quality assurance expiration date for every unit.
3. What is the installation method: does the product use permanent nailing fins, removable fins, or a block frame, and what recess depth is planned? The Window Supplement says staff cannot approve products that require permanent nailing fins; removable fins are acceptable only when removed and the window is recessed 2-4 inches in historic structures.
4. Will you provide a Certificate of Appropriateness number or a written statement that my address is outside the three local historic districts? The COA Process page says a COA is required for all properties in the three locally designated historic districts and for locally designated Landmarks.
5. If the quote mentions a rebate, discount, or program, can you name the specific program in writing? We found no City document for a window replacement program; a quote line called a program must name the program in writing.
6. Who will sign the building permit application: you as the licensed contractor or me as the owner-builder? Florida Statutes s. 489.103(7) allows owners to act as their own contractor with direct supervision, but the owner must personally appear and sign the permit application.
7. If the job is estimated at $50,000 or more and my home is in the wind-borne debris region with a value of $750,000 or more, how will opening protection be provided? Florida Statutes s. 553.844 names opening protection for permit jobs meeting those thresholds in the debris region.

What we read, and what we did not

This guide is based on documents read on 22 October 2026.

We list what we read and what we did not read so you can judge the gaps.

Documents read on 22 October 2026

We read every document in the table below and in Sources on 22 October 2026, from the Internet Archive where the City site was down. Items marked not read were not read, and this page does not guess at them: the 2026 COA Matrix, the Window Survey Form, Section 307.106, the district guideline PDFs, the ordinance text itself, any Florida Product Approval entry, the Florida energy code, JEA and the beach cities.

Common questions, Jacksonville edition

Sources

• City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division: Window and Door Replacement Worksheet (read from the Internet Archive copy of 18 Feb 2026)
• Florida Building Commission: Duval County Wind Speed Lines map, May 2007, with the City wind line description
• Florida Statutes 2025, s. 553.844: Windstorm loss mitigation, requirements for roofs and opening protection
• City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Section: Certificate of Appropriateness Process (Internet Archive copy of 13 Aug 2026)
• City of Jacksonville: earlier Certificate of Appropriateness Process page (Internet Archive copy of 9 Mar 2026)
• City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation: Window Supplement, version May 2024 (Internet Archive copy of 5 Jan 2026)
• Florida Statutes 2025, s. 489.103: Exemptions from contractor licensing
• Florida Statutes 2025, s. 215.5586: My Safe Florida Home Program
• My Safe Florida Home Program: program site (read 22 Oct 2026)
• ENERGY STAR: climate zone table by ZIP code, version 7 (Duval County ZIP codes)
• ENERGY STAR: certification criteria for residential windows by zone, October 2023
• IRS: Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, improvements made through December 31, 2025