No Florida Product Approval
Florida requires structural products to carry a Florida Product Approval or site-specific sealed engineering. Most national kits sold at Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's, Amazon, Wayfair, and BJ's have neither — they're built for a national market, not Florida's code. Without one of the two, the reviewer has no legal basis to approve the structure.
The Manufacturer's Sheet Isn't Sealed by a Florida PE
The “engineering documentation” in the box is a generic sheet with no Florida PE signature and seal. Counties cannot accept unsealed calculations for a structure anchored to the ground. It doesn't matter how professional the sheet looks — without the seal, it's not engineering under Florida law.
No Site-Specific Wind Analysis
FBC 2023 and ASCE 7-22 wind loads depend on your address: design wind speed (130 to 180+ mph across Florida), exposure category, enclosure classification, and structure geometry. A one-size-fits-all rating can't account for any of that — the county needs calculations run for your parcel, not a national average.
Kits Are Rated for Lower Wind Speeds Than Florida Requires
Many aluminum and light-steel kits are rated for 90–120 mph — fine for most of the country, well short of Florida's requirements. The frame members are often adequate, but the factory anchorage almost never is. That gap is exactly what our reinforcement design closes.
The Factory Anchors Are the Weak Link
Kit instructions typically call for small wedge anchors into whatever slab exists, or shallow stakes into soil. Under Florida wind uplift, those pull out. Nearly every kit we engineer needs upgraded post bases, larger or deeper footings, or stronger connection hardware — and we design exactly what your inspector will look for.
Your Contractor Is Right to Refuse
A licensed contractor who installs an unpermitted structure risks their license and liability for anything that happens to it. When your installer says “not without a permit,” that's professionalism, not an obstacle. Sealed engineering is what lets them say yes.
Before You Return the Kit — or Install It Anyway
Don't install without a permit: fines, forced removal, denied insurance claims, and a resale problem all follow the structure, not the person who built it. And don't return the kit in frustration either — most kits CAN be permitted with the right site-specific engineering and upgraded anchorage. Send us the kit's model number and your address first. If it truly can't meet code, we'll tell you honestly before you spend anything on the full package.
