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FGIA Southeast Region member Lynn Miller and Code Compliance Manager for PGT Custom Window + Doors summarized significant changes proposed for the 7th Edition of the Florida Building Code from a fenestration standpoint compared with the 6th edition published in 2017.

Among these were:

  • A new wind speed map based on ASCE7-16 was added for Risk Category IV (essential facilities) and increased wind loads for skylights.
  • The threshold exception for exterior doors of dwelling units was added back into Chapter 10 of the Commercial Code, as were concrete/masonry buck and installation requirements to Chapter 17. 
  • The Safety glazing exception was added for outboard sacrificial lites of laminated, insulated glass in bathroom windows.
  • The Sill height requirement was revised to 24” minimum for Existing, Residential and Commercial codes.
  • Updated calculations for vertical and skylight glazed fenestration area in the Residential Energy Code were implemented.
  • Area-weighted U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) allowance language was added for replacement fenestration in the Residential Energy Code.