Hurricane Season Garage Door Checklist for South Florida

Published August 25, 2026

Season runs June through November. The garage door is the largest opening in most houses and the one most likely to fail, so it deserves more than the ten seconds it usually gets.

Before the Season — Do This in May

• Find your door’s rating label on an inside panel. No label almost certainly means no hurricane rating. See our guide to NOA requirements.
• Inspect the lift cables strand by strand where they wrap the drums. Frayed cables fail under load.
• Check the tracks for dents and the brackets for loose bolts.
• Test the balance: disconnect the opener and lift by hand. It should stay put halfway.
• Lubricate springs, hinges, bearings and rollers.
• Photograph the door from inside and out for your insurance file.

When a Warning Is Issued

• Close the door and keep it closed. A door left open turns the garage into a wind scoop.
• If you have a bracing kit, install it now — it takes about twenty minutes and it is useless after the wind arrives.
• Move vehicles out of the garage if the door is unrated. A failing door and a car in the same space is a bad combination.
• Locate the emergency release cord so you can operate the door by hand if power fails.
• Do not park against the door to brace it. That is not how the load works and you will lose the car.

After the Storm

• Look for creased or bowed panels before operating the door. A creased section can jam and damage the track.
• Check whether the door still sits square in the opening.
• Listen for new noises on the first cycle and stop if anything binds.
• Photograph any damage before repairs for your claim.

The Thing Most People Get Wrong

An unrated door that survived a previous storm is not proven. Wind load is about the specific pressure at your specific location during that specific event. Surviving one storm at Category 1 pressures says nothing about what happens at Category 3.

Not Sure What You Have?

We will look at your door and tell you what it is rated for, at no charge. Serving Miami-Dade and Broward.