How do I ask my HOA or condo board to approve shutters?
Fill in the blanks and the letter writes itself. Copy it into an email or print it, and attach the product sheet and approval document from the installer's quote.
Your letter
[Date] To the Board of Directors / Architectural Review Committee [Homeowners Association name] Re: Architectural request — accordion hurricane shutters at [property address] Dear Board Members, I am writing to request approval to install accordion hurricane shutters at [property address]. Openings to be protected: [list the openings, e.g. all windows and the rear sliding glass door / the balcony opening and two windows]. Product: [maker and model], in [colour], an accordion shutter product that carries the product approval our county requires (a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance in Miami-Dade and Broward; a Florida Product Approval in Palm Beach). The approval documents and the product sheet are attached. Installer: [installer's business name and licence number, as supplied by the installer]. The installer will pull the building permit and the work will be inspected by the building department. The shutters will be mounted on the exterior walls beside each opening as the product approval describes, and will match the colour and style the association specifies. I would be grateful for the Committee's approval and for any colour, style or scheduling requirements I should pass on to the installer. Please let me know if any further documents are needed. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, [Owner name] [property address]
Attach with the letter (most boards ask for these)
- The product sheet and the approval document (Notice of Acceptance or Florida Product Approval), from the installer's quote.
- A colour sample or the maker's colour chart with the colour marked.
- A simple sketch or photos of the openings, marked with where each shutter goes and how it stacks.
- The installer's business details and licence number as they supply them; the installer pulls the permit once the association approves.
The letter is a starting point. Your association may have its own form; if so, use the form and attach this as the description.
Need the product details and the approval documents for the application? The installer supplies them with a free estimate.
How this works
Boards approve faster when the request answers their questions in order: which openings, which product and approval, which colour, who installs and who pulls the permit. The letter follows that order and names the county's approval (Notice of Acceptance or Florida Product Approval) so nobody has to ask.
Nothing you type leaves your browser. The product name, approval number and installer details come from the installer's quote, which is free; the association's own form, if it has one, takes this letter as the description.
It runs in your browser and nothing you enter is sent anywhere. It is a guide, not a quote or a professional assessment — products, openings and walls differ, so follow the maker's instructions where they disagree, and the installer confirms what the job needs when they measure it.
Questions people ask
- Do I need HOA approval for hurricane shutters in Florida?
- Most associations require an architectural request before any exterior change, and shutters are one. Florida law limits how far an association can refuse hurricane protection outright, but it can set the colour, style and product, so apply before ordering.
- What does the board usually want to see?
- The product and its approval document (a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance in Miami-Dade and Broward, a Florida Product Approval in Palm Beach), the colour, which openings, and who is installing. The installer supplies the product details with the quote.
- Who pulls the permit, me or the installer?
- The installer. The association's approval comes first, then the installer applies to the city or county for the building permit, and the building department inspects the finished work.
- What if the association has its own form?
- Use the form. The letter is a description you can attach to it, and the attachments list is the same.
- Can a condo association tell me how the shutters are anchored?
- Yes. Many have engineering rules for balconies, such as anchoring to the slab or columns rather than the railing. The installer works inside those rules and the product's approval.
Other free tools
Rather have someone look at it?
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