For homeowners

Types of hurricane shutters: which one fits your windows?

Choose Plywood panel for protection that does not have to be custom ordered; Storm panel for letting light inside the house, in some varieties; Accordion shutter for covering large openings; Roll-down (roll-up) shutter for security when owners are away or the property is vacant; Colonial shutter for permanent mounting that needs little additional hardware; Bahama (awning) shutter for shading the window.

The right choice depends on which floor each window is on, whether the shutter closes from inside or outside, how long it takes to put up before a storm, and the size of each opening.

How we know: By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. · Sources read: 17 October 2026 · Updated 27 October 2026

FEMA (2005): a shutter may look like it is capable of withstanding windborne missiles; unless it is tested, its missile resistance is unknown.
Type	Best for	Main advantages	Main drawbacks
Plywood panel	protection that does not have to be custom ordered	FDEM: available from many sources in all markets	FDEM: heavy and hard to handle; FDEM: 1/2-inch and 5/8-inch panels can be penetrated by the 9 lb. test missile, allowing glass to break; FDEM: must be taken out of storage and carried to each opening, well before tropical storm-force winds arrive; Florida Building Commission course: corrosion-resistant anchors should be permanently installed on the building
Storm panel	letting light inside the house, in some varieties	Florida Building Commission course: many types are corrosion resistant when stored properly	Florida Building Commission course: must be taken out of storage and installed at each location, well before high wind forces are present; Florida Building Commission course: lighter weight panels are easily bent, allowing glass to break unless there is a significant distance between the panel and the glass; Florida Building Commission course: difficult to install on upper stories
Accordion shutter	covering large openings	Florida Building Commission course: excellent protection from flying debris; Florida Building Commission course: can be operated from the inside on single/double hung or sliding windows and swing or sliding glass doors; FDEM: permanently mounted, so it can be closed very quickly, allowing more time to prepare for evacuation or sheltering in place	Florida Building Commission course: requires regular maintenance and cleaning to keep operable; Florida Building Commission course: can be quite noisy when opening and closing
Roll-down (roll-up) shutter	security when owners are away or the property is vacant	Florida Building Commission course: can be operated from the inside for all styles of operable or fixed windows and in-swing or out-swing doors; FDEM: permanently mounted, so it can be closed very quickly, allowing more time to prepare for evacuation or sheltering in place	Florida Building Commission course: motorized units should have battery backup in case of power outages; Florida Building Commission course: must be built out to prevent contact with the door or glass; Florida Building Commission course: generally requires vertical storm bars for large spans and high design pressures
Colonial shutter	permanent mounting that needs little additional hardware	Florida Building Commission course: generally accepted where architectural review committees are strict on aesthetics	Florida Building Commission course: outside locking shutters are generally not practical beyond the first floor; Florida Building Commission course: needs access on either side of the window for the shutters to fold back when open; FDEM: after initial installation, it takes 15 to 30 minutes per shutter to close, depending upon the system; FDEM: does not significantly reduce water penetration; open louver systems or perforated panel backs will allow water inside
Bahama (awning) shutter	shading the window	Florida Building Commission course: generally accepted where architectural review committees are strict on aesthetics; Florida Building Commission course: permanently mounted	Florida Building Commission course: outside locking shutters are generally not practical beyond the first floor; FDEM: after initial installation, it takes 10 to 30 minutes per shutter to close, depending upon the system; FDEM: does not significantly reduce water penetration; open louver systems or perforated panel backs will allow water inside

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.

Start my request

Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.

For your AI assistant

MCP connector · REST API · plain HTML

Hand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.

MCP connector URLhttps://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp
Agent API (OpenAPI)https://instabids.ai/openapi.json
Start-request linkhttps://instabids.ai/intake?from=options-hurricane-shutters&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=options&page_type=options#job=hurricane%20shutter%20installation
Prompt for any AI, with your job

Open it in your assistant

Add InstaBids as a connector

Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.

If your priority is...
Priority	Choose
security while you are away or the home is vacant	Roll-down (roll-up) shutter
shade on the window	Bahama (awning) shutter

In Florida: what the code says

A product may not be advertised, sold, offered, provided, distributed, or marketed as hurricane, windstorm, or impact protection from wind-borne debris …

Florida Statutes s. 553.842(5), read 17 October 2026. This quote and the next are one sentence of s. 553.842(5), shown in order.

… from a hurricane or windstorm unless it is approved pursuant to this section or s. 553.8425 …

Florida Statutes s. 553.842(5), read 17 October 2026.

(e) For shutters: accordion, Bahama, storm panels, fabric storm panel, colonial, roll-up, pre-engineered equipment, protection, and products introduced as a result of new technology;

Florida Building Commission, Florida Administrative Code r. 61G20-3.002, read 17 October 2026. This list comes from the commission's product-approval rule; it is not a ranking of shutter types.

… buildings located in wind‐borne debris regions need to have glazed openings protected from wind‐borne debris.

Florida Building Commission, Advanced Wind Mitigation Methodologies Pt. 2 online retrofit course, read 17 October 2026. From a Florida Building Commission online course on wind mitigation retrofits, which cites Florida Building Code, Residential, section 301.2.1.2; it is the commission's course wording, not the code text.

Glazed opening protection must meet the requirements of the Large Missile Test of an approved impact resisting standard or ASTM E 1996 …

Florida Building Commission, Advanced Wind Mitigation Methodologies Pt. 2 online retrofit course, read 17 October 2026. This quote and the next are one sentence of the same course, shown in order.

… and ASTM E 1886, SSTD 12, ANSI/DASMA 115 (for garage doors) or TAS 201, 202 and 203 or AAMA 506.

Florida Building Commission, Advanced Wind Mitigation Methodologies Pt. 2 online retrofit course, read 17 October 2026.

TAS 201‐ Is a Large Missile Impact Test that evaluates a product’s resistance to impact from wind‐borne debris in hurricane‐force wind conditions.

Florida Building Commission, Advanced Wind Mitigation Methodologies Pt. 2 online retrofit course, read 17 October 2026. From the same course's list of test standards.

… wood structural panels with a minimum thickness of 7/16” and a maximum span of 8’ …

Florida Building Commission, Advanced Wind Mitigation Methodologies Pt. 2 online retrofit course, read 17 October 2026. This quote and the next are one sentence of the same course, on wood structural panels, shown in order.

… are approved for use as opening protection in one‐ and two‐ story buildings.

Florida Building Commission, Advanced Wind Mitigation Methodologies Pt. 2 online retrofit course, read 17 October 2026.

Local rules differ; check your county and city.

Get written bids

Contractors who take part bid on one written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices.

The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.

Contractors in your trade see the scope card and your 5-digit ZIP code.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing.

Sources for the facts on this page

Florida Division of Emergency Management, Hurricane Retrofit Guide: Shutter Selection Matrix, government, read 17 October 2026.
Florida Building Commission, Advanced Wind Mitigation Methodologies Pt. 2 online retrofit course, government, read 17 October 2026.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Technical Fact Sheet No. 26, Shutter Alternatives, government, read 17 October 2026.
Florida Statutes s. 553.842(5), statute or code, read 17 October 2026.
Florida Building Commission, Florida Administrative Code r. 61G20-3.002, statute or code, read 17 October 2026.