A Miami-Dade NOA roofing approval is a Notice of Acceptance issued by the Miami-Dade County Product Control Section that clears one specific roofing product or assembly, built exactly as it was tested, for use in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone. It is not a quality medal. It is a dated, expiring, jurisdiction-bound instrument with a limitations page that usually matters more than the headline.
Two things get lost in the marketing copy. First, the HVHZ is only Broward and Miami-Dade counties, per the Florida Building Code definition in Section 202. Outside those two counties an NOA carries no regulatory force at all, though it remains real evidence that a product was tested hard. Second, an NOA approves a system as tested. Swap the fastener, the underlayment, the insulation or the deck and you are no longer inside the approval.
By The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed: August 2026.
What a Miami-Dade NOA actually is
An NOA is a document issued by Miami-Dade County RER, Product Control Section (11805 SW 26 Street, Room 208, Miami) stating that submitted test documentation has been reviewed and accepted. Its own scope paragraph says the product is accepted “to be used in Miami Dade County and other areas where allowed by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).” That clause is the whole geography question in one sentence.
Every NOA carries three dates on every page: an NOA number, an approval date, and an expiration date. The number itself is a file number, not an approval date. NOA No. 26-0331.08, a roofing underlayment acceptance, was approved 04/30/26 and expires 10/09/30. NOA No. 26-0210.06, a modified bitumen system acceptance held by Amrize Building Envelope LLC, was approved 04/23/26 and expires 03/08/31. In both cases the leading digits track when the file was opened, roughly a month or two before approval.
The document also tells you which of two kinds it is. The header on page two reads either ROOFING COMPONENT APPROVAL or ROOFING SYSTEM APPROVAL. That single line changes what the paper does for you, and most marketing copy never mentions it exists.
Component NOA versus system NOA
A component NOA approves a part. A system NOA approves an assembly. A component NOA on its own does not let you build a roof, and the limitations page says so directly.
The underlayment acceptance NOA 26-0331.08 spells it out in Limitation 2: the product is “a component used in roof assemblies. Roof assemblies are approved under specific roof system Notice of Acceptance.” Limitation 6 goes further: the underlayment may be used with any approved roof covering NOA that lists it as a component part of the assembly. If it is not listed, the contractor has to ask the AHJ or Product Control for approval and supply documentation on compatibility, wind uplift and fire testing.
That is the mechanism people miss. Two products can each hold a valid NOA and still be an unapproved pairing, because neither NOA lists the other.
What TAS testing involves
NOAs in the HVHZ rest on the Florida Building Code Test Protocols for High Velocity Hurricane Zones, a separate volume of Testing Application Standards. Roofing products face physical property testing, water infiltration testing, uplift testing and fire testing, with different standards by system type.
| Standard | What it covers | Code reference |
|---|---|---|
| TAS 110 | Physical properties of all roofing products, fasteners, adhesives, mastics and coatings | FBC 1523.1.1 |
| TAS 100 | Wind driven water infiltration resistance for discontinuous systems (shingles, tile, metal, shakes, slate) | FBC 1523.6.5 |
| TAS 114 | Test procedures for continuous roofing assemblies, with appendices covering combustibility, uplift of mechanically attached and adhered assemblies, fastener corrosion and hail | FBC 1523.6.2 |
| TAS 125 | Structural performance of metal roofing panels and anchor to panel attachment under uniform static air pressure | FBC 1518.9.1 |
| TAS 105 | Field withdrawal resistance of fasteners, used to validate the fastener values an NOA assumes | NOA General Limitations |
| TAS 124 | Field uplift test the building official may order on a finished continuous roof | FBC 1523.6.4 |
Two numbers in the code explain why HVHZ approvals are harder to earn than a generic wind rating. FBC Section 1523.4 applies a 2:1 margin of safety to all wind uplift resistance test results, and 1.45:1 to in situ testing on the finished roof. Section 1523.6.2 requires every continuous roofing system to resist a minimum of 90 psf tested wind uplift pressure. Those are floors, applied before any design pressure calculation for a specific building.
Discontinuous systems get a stacked list. Under FBC 1523.6.5.1, asphaltic shingle systems must comply with TAS 100, TAS 107, ASTM D3462 and ASTM D3018. That sits alongside, not instead of, the shingle wind classifications covered in ASTM D3161 and D7158 wind ratings.
Miami-Dade NOA versus Florida Product Approval (FL number)
These are two different instruments issued by two different bodies, and the common claim that statewide approvals are not accepted in the HVHZ is wrong. A statewide Florida Product Approval can absolutely cover HVHZ use. What it cannot do is skip HVHZ test protocols.
| Miami-Dade NOA | Florida Product Approval (FL number) | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Miami-Dade County RER, Product Control Section | Florida Building Commission, administered via floridabuilding.org |
| Number format | File number, for example 01-0712.04 | FL number, application ##### or product #####.# |
| Legal force | Miami-Dade County, plus anywhere the local AHJ chooses to accept it | Statewide. Under s. 553.842(4) F.S., statewide approval “shall preclude local jurisdictions from requiring further testing” |
| HVHZ coverage | Always HVHZ, that is its purpose | Optional. Each listing states “Approved for use in HVHZ: Yes/No” and “Approved for use outside HVHZ: Yes/No” |
| Basis | Testing reviewed by Product Control, itself a state approved evaluation entity under s. 553.842(8)(a) | Certification mark, test report, or an evaluation report from an approved entity or a Florida licensed PE or architect |
| Expiration | Explicit expiration date printed on every page | Tied to code version, with quality assurance contract expiration tracked separately |
| Search | miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp | floridabuilding.org/pr/pr_app_srch.aspx |
A concrete example makes the split obvious. TAMKO Building Products holds FL12328-R11 under the 2023 code version, and that single application contains two separate product listings. FL 12328.1 is described as roof underlayments “for use in FBC HVHZ jurisdictions” and reads Approved for use in HVHZ: Yes, Approved for use outside HVHZ: No. FL 12328.2 is the non-HVHZ listing and reads the reverse. Same manufacturer, same product family, two approvals, two different sets of installation instructions.
Florida law also puts teeth behind the marketing question. Section 553.842(5) F.S. states that a product may not be advertised, sold or marketed as hurricane, windstorm or impact protection from wind borne debris unless it is approved under that section or s. 553.8425, and that doing so exposes the seller to the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Why substituting a component invalidates the approval
The code language is blunt. FBC Section 1512.2.5 requires that roofing assemblies detailed in the Product Approval “shall be installed in strict compliance with the method of application set forth in such Product Approval.” Section 1512.2.1 adds that where manufacturer literature conflicts with the Product Approval, the Product Approval prevails.
So the approval is not a permission slip for a product. It is a description of an assembly, and the assembly is the unit of approval. Changes that commonly break it include:
- A different deck. System NOAs are written per deck type. NOA 26-0210.06 lists deck types individually, for example “Deck Type 2I: Steel, Insulated, 18-22 ga., Type B (min. Grade 33) steel deck” with specified screw type and spacing. A different gauge or attachment is a different assembly.
- A different fastener or fastener density. General Limitation 5 of that NOA ties fastener spacing to a Minimum Characteristic Force value of 275 lbf tested per TAS 105, and states that if field tested values fall below 275 lbf, insulation attachment is not acceptable.
- A substituted underlayment or base sheet. The approved assembly names specific sheets, adhesives and application rates, down to cold adhesive at 1.5 to 2.0 gal./sq. or hot asphalt at 20 to 40 lbs./sq.
- Extrapolating to corners and perimeters. General Limitation 9 states that neither rational analysis nor extrapolation is permitted for enhanced fastening at enhanced pressure zones.
- Any change by the manufacturer. The NOA’s own termination clause fires “if there has been a revision or change in the materials, use, and/or manufacture of the product or process.”
There is a legitimate escape hatch, and it runs through the building official, not the salesperson. FBC 1512.2.4 lets a permit applicant propose an alternate detail where the Product Approval does not address a specific job condition, and the building official may accept it if code provisions are still met. FBC 1512.2.3 allows a onetime approval for a one off system, supported by testing or rational analysis.
How to read an NOA’s limitations page
The limitations page is where the real scope lives, and it routinely contradicts the impression the cover page gives. Read it before you read anything else.
Start with the design pressure trap. The cover page of NOA 26-0210.06 lists a Maximum Design Pressure of minus 157.5 psf. Inside the same 46 page document, a specific assembly (System Type C(8), membrane fully adhered over mechanically fastened insulation on an insulated steel deck) carries a Maximum Design Pressure of minus 45 psf. The cover number is the best case across every assembly in the document. The number that governs your roof is the one printed under the assembly you actually built.
Then check these, in order:
- Fire classification. General Limitation 1 on both NOAs examined states that fire classification is not part of the acceptance and directs you to a current Approved Roofing Materials Directory. An NOA is not a fire rating.
- Component or system. If the header says component approval, find the system NOA that lists it.
- Excluded uses. The underlayment NOA 26-0331.08 bars the product from roof tile assemblies, from hot mopping, and from recover applications over an existing membrane, and limits exposure as a temporary roof to 30 days.
- Deck types listed. If your deck is not in the document, the document does not cover your roof.
- Quality assurance. General Limitation 10 requires a quality assurance audit under Rule 61G20-3, Florida Administrative Code. Approvals can be revoked when that lapses.
How to verify a Miami-Dade NOA number is current
Verification takes about two minutes and is the single highest value check a building owner or adjuster can run. Both databases are public and free.
- Get the exact number from the submittal, the product label or the permit package. FBC 1523.5 requires products to be identified with the product approval number or logo, and 1523.5.1 requires shingles, tile and metal panels and clips to be labeled on the underside.
- Open the Miami-Dade Product Control Search at miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp and enter the file number in the format shown on the page, for example 01-0712.04. The advanced search also filters by file classification (high velocity hurricane zone or non-HVHZ), applicant, category, subcategory, material, impact rating and maximum design pressure.
- Open the returned PDF and check the expiration date printed in the lower right of every page against today’s date. An NOA is not valid past that date, and renewal is only considered after a renewal application is filed and provided no code change has negatively affected performance.
- Confirm the assembly. Find the deck type, fastener schedule and layer list that match what is being installed, then read the Maximum Design Pressure printed under that assembly.
- Cross check the statewide side at floridabuilding.org/pr/pr_app_srch.aspx if the job is outside Broward or Miami-Dade. Search by FL number or manufacturer plus code version, then read the Limits of Use block for the HVHZ and non-HVHZ flags.
- Match it to the permit. The Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) HVHZ Uniform Roofing Application Form for Miami-Dade County and Broward County asks for a “Product Approval #” in Section C for low slope systems and a “Product Control Number” in Section D for steep slope systems, plus the maximum design pressure “from the specific product approval system.”
One timing note worth flagging in 2026. The 8th Edition (2023) governs permits submitted through 30 December 2026, and the 9th Edition (2026) takes effect 31 December 2026. Code edition changes are exactly what NOA renewal language contemplates, so expect a wave of reissued numbers around that date and expect old paperwork in circulation to go stale faster than usual.
What an NOA means outside the HVHZ
Outside Broward and Miami-Dade counties, an NOA is evidence, not authority. No code section in Ohio, Texas or Oklahoma requires one, and no building official there is obliged to accept it. The NOA text itself concedes the point by referring to “other areas where allowed by the Authority Having Jurisdiction.”
That does not make it meaningless. A product with a current HVHZ acceptance has been through the 2:1 uplift safety margin in FBC 1523.4, wind driven rain testing under TAS 100, and a quality assurance audit regime under Rule 61G20-3. Very few product approvals in the United States stack that combination. Treating it as a strong testing signal is fair. Treating it as a code credential in Kansas is not.
Contractors who cite it should also read the NOA’s own advertisement clause, which is unusually restrictive. The document permits the NOA number to be displayed in advertising literature only when preceded by the words Miami-Dade County, Florida and followed by the expiration date, and states that if any portion of the NOA is displayed it must be displayed in its entirety. The termination clause then adds that “misuse of this NOA as an endorsement of any product, for sales, advertising or any other purposes shall automatically terminate this NOA.” A generic NOA badge on a website, with no number and no expiration date, is the exact use the county wrote that sentence to prohibit.
For homeowners comparing storm zone options, the product approval question sits downstream of the material question covered in best roof for hurricane zones and the assembly question in what a hurricane resistant roof actually requires. Product approval rules and licensing also vary sharply by state, which we track in the 2026 state roofing code and licensing report and, for Florida specifically, in our guide to Florida roofing contractor license requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Miami-Dade NOA required outside Miami-Dade and Broward counties?
No. The High Velocity Hurricane Zone consists only of Broward and Miami-Dade counties under the Florida Building Code definition in Section 202. Elsewhere in Florida, products comply through statewide Florida Product Approval. Outside Florida, no code requires an NOA, though a local authority having jurisdiction may choose to accept one as supporting evidence.
What is the difference between a Miami-Dade NOA and a Florida Product Approval?
An NOA is a county instrument issued by Miami-Dade Product Control and always covers HVHZ use. A Florida Product Approval is a statewide FL number issued through the Florida Building Commission, and each listing states separately whether it is approved for use in HVHZ and outside HVHZ. Under s. 553.842(4) F.S., statewide approval blocks local jurisdictions from demanding further testing.
How long is a Miami-Dade NOA valid?
Until the expiration date printed on every page, which is typically several years after approval. NOA No. 26-0210.06, approved 04/23/26, expires 03/08/31. Renewal is considered only after a renewal application is filed and provided no code change has negatively affected the product’s performance. The NOA also terminates early if the product’s materials, use or manufacture change.
Does a Miami-Dade NOA cover fire rating?
No. Both NOAs reviewed for this article carry the same General Limitation 1: fire classification is not part of the acceptance, and users are directed to a current Approved Roofing Materials Directory for fire ratings. Fire resistance in the HVHZ is tested separately under ASTM E108 or UL 790, per Florida Building Code Section 1523.1.2.
Can I substitute a different underlayment or fastener and keep the NOA?
No. Florida Building Code Section 1512.2.5 requires assemblies to be installed in strict compliance with the method of application set forth in the Product Approval. Substituting a fastener, underlayment, adhesive, insulation or deck type produces an assembly that was not tested, so the approval no longer describes the roof. The permit applicant can propose an alternate detail to the building official under Section 1512.2.4.
Where do I look up an NOA number?
Use the Miami-Dade Product Control Search at miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp, entering the file number in the format shown on that page, for example 01-0712.04. For statewide approvals, use floridabuilding.org/pr/pr_app_srch.aspx and search by FL number or by manufacturer plus code version. Both return the underlying PDF, which contains the limitations and expiration date.
Does a Miami-Dade NOA mean a roof is hurricane proof?
No. An NOA approves a tested product or assembly against defined protocols with a stated maximum design pressure, and that pressure must still exceed the design pressures calculated for the specific building. Installation quality, deck condition, fastener withdrawal values and roof geometry all affect real performance. The county may order a field uplift test under TAS 124 on a finished continuous roof.
Sources
- Florida Building Code, Building, Sections 1512, 1518, 1523 (High Velocity Hurricane Zones), floridabuilding.org
- Florida Building Code Section 202 and R202, definition of High-Velocity Hurricane Zone
- Section 553.842, Florida Statutes, Product evaluation and approval (2025 Florida Statutes)
- Miami-Dade County RER Notice of Acceptance No. 26-0331.08 (roofing underlayment component approval) and No. 26-0210.06 (modified bitumen system approval over steel decks)
- Miami-Dade County Product Control Search, miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp
- Florida Building Commission Product Approval search, floridabuilding.org/pr/pr_app_srch.aspx, application FL12328-R11
- Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) High Velocity Hurricane Zone Uniform Roofing Application Form, Rev. Feb 2024
- Miami-Dade County RER, HVHZ Chapter 15 Code Changes presentation, effective 1 January 2024