Is It Inevitable?
A Look at Side-Hinged Exterior Doors and Limited Water Testing in Florida
by Jessica Ferris
The ninth edition of the Florida Building Code (FBC) is scheduled to take effect on December 31, 2026, and side-hinged exterior doors narrowly avoided a new testing requirement.
At the Florida Building Commission’s Rule Development Workshop, it was clarified that the new Limited Water (LW) testing requirement under AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, the North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS), will not apply to side-hinged exterior doors under the revised overhang exception language.
Background
In December 2025, FBC approved, as amended, three code modifications adding LW testing requirements for “door assemblies” under the overhang exception in sections R609.3, 1709.5.1 and 2411.3.2.1 of the FBC—changes that World Millwork Alliance (WMA) opposed. The original proposals sought to eliminate the overhang exception entirely.
On February 24, 2026, Florida’s Structural Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met to review three public comments submitted during the rule development workshop process, which follows approval of a new edition to the FBC to address errors and correlation issues.
These comments identified a potential correlation issue between Sections 1709.5.1 and 2411.3.2.1 regarding whether LW testing should apply to side-hinged exterior doors.
One comment proposed language clarifying that LW testing should apply to side-hinged doors, while the other two proposed language clarifying that it should not. Ultimately, the Structural TAC denied all three comments, determining that they went beyond correlation fixes, constituting substantive code changes.
The TAC’s recommendation was then forwarded to FBC for final consideration at the March 13 Rule Development Workshop.
Outcome of the Rule Development Workshop
At the workshop, FBC approved all public comments that had been recommended by the various TACs. Comments that had been denied by the TACs were not reconsidered unless a proponent specifically requested further commission review, which did not happen. As a result, the commission did not revisit the three denied comments related to side-hinged exterior doors. However, during the general public comment period at the close of the workshop, staff from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) responded to a commenter who asked whether side-hinged exterior doors should be prepared to test to LW before the ninth edition takes effect, since there appears to be ambiguity about this. DBPR staff stated that the controlling section for side-hinged exterior doors is Section 1709.5.2, which does not include an LW testing requirement within its referenced overhang exception.
While this statement does not constitute a binding comment, per se, it does suggest that, for now, manufacturers and distributors of side-hinged exterior doors have some time before they would need to conduct Limited Water (LW) testing when relying on the overhang exception.
What Lies Ahead
It is reasonable to expect that water testing requirements for doors in Florida will remain an issue in future code cycles. When code development for the tenth edition of the FBC begins, there will likely be an effort to close the Section 1709.5.2 gap and ensure that LW testing requirements extend to side-hinged exterior doors.
In the meantime, the revision cycle for ANSI/WMA 100, Standard Method for Determining Structural Performance Ratings of Side-Hinged Exterior Doors and Procedures for Component Substitution, is underway. The standard is referenced in the residential code of the FBC under Section R609.3. WMA’s Regulatory Affairs and Standards Development Committee (RASDC) is making needed updates and taking a proactive approach by adding a water test at a minimum 0 psf to the standard so that side-hinged exterior doors will have a streamlined, flexible and cost-effective option for water testing to meet the requirements of the Florida Building Code.
WMA will be announcing proposed revisions later this year and the opportunity for interested parties to submit public comments and/or participate on the ANSI consensus body committee.
Although side-hinged exterior doors have avoided the new Limited Water testing requirement under the upcoming ninth edition of the Florida Building Code, the issue is far from settled. Manufacturers should continue monitoring developments in Florida and support WMA’s efforts to establish practical and cost-effective testing pathways during ANSI/WMA 100’s revision cycle.
