top of page

WMA Regulatory Affairs Update – December 2025

Florida Building Commission Meeting – Alert for Side-Hinged Exterior Doors 

On December 9, WMA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs & Standards Development attended the Florida Building Commission (FBC) meeting in Orlando to request denial of three proposed code modifications to the 9th Edition of the Florida Building Code. These proposals had previously been “approved as amended” by the Structural Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) in October. 


WMA Regulatory Affairs Update – December 2025 Florida Building Commission Meeting – Alert for Side-Hinged Exterior Doors

The modifications involve identical language applied across three FBC sections: 

• FBC–Residential, Chapter 6, Section 609.3 (also references ANSI/WMA 100) – mod S12170 

• FBC–Building, Chapter 17, Section 1709.5.1 – mod S12167 

• FBC–Building, Chapter 24, Section 2411.3.2.1 – mod S12171 


Despite WMA’s request and supporting rationale, the Commission approved all three modifications. The result: the long-standing overhang exception for door assemblies, which allows doors to be installed under an overhang without testing for water infiltration, will now require doors to be tested and labeled to the Limited Water (LW) rating in AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440 in order to use the overhang allowance. 


Background 

For more than 20 years—including the current 8th Edition of the FBC—side-hinged and sliding door assemblies that do not meet HVHZ water-infiltration requirements have been permitted in habitable areas when protected by an overhang with a ratio of 1:1 or greater. 


During the current code cycle, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) proposed eliminating this overhang exception entirely, requiring all doors to meet full water infiltration performance. After initial discussion at the June Structural TAC meeting, IBHS withdrew the original proposals to work with the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) on revised language for reconsideration in October. 


At the October TAC meeting, IBHS introduced amended language allowing the exception only if products are tested and labeled to Limited Water (LW). The TAC approved the revised proposals, advancing them to the Florida Building Commission’s December Consent Agenda. WMA formally requested their removal from Consent for additional deliberation and final Commission vote. 


WMA’s Position

WMA has consistently opposed modifications S12170, S12167, and S12171, based on the following concerns:


  • Statewide impact equivalent to HVHZ requirements: Had the overhang exception been eliminated altogether, it would have effectively applied HVHZ water-infiltration standards across all of Florida. This would have forced most side-hinged exterior doors to convert to outswing designs with high thresholds, creating significant accessibility challenges.

  • Substantial, unnecessary testing costs: The LW compromise, although intended as a middle ground, imposes new and prohibitive testing costs on the side-hinged door industry.

  • LW performance offers no meaningful benefit: Because a LW rating can be achieved with a 0 psf water rating, a door may technically leak during testing and still “pass.” This provides no functional improvement over the existing overhang exception while adding an unwarranted compliance burden.


What Happens Next

With the Commission’s approval of the amended modifications, side-hinged exterior doors will be required to be tested and labeled to LW in order to be installed under an overhang once the 9th Edition of the FBC takes effect on December 31, 2026.


WMA will continue to work with the state and industry partners to address implementation challenges and communicate the impacts to members.


Contact:

Jessica Ferris

Director of Regulatory Affairs & Standards Development

bottom of page