Wind-rated garage doors in Delaware

Sussex County's code puts homes at ultimate design wind speeds of 115 to less than 130 mph under the 2021 International Residential Code, which County Council adopted on August 9, 2022 and the county has enforced since January 1, 2023. The county's building code office summed up the change in one line: the old basic design wind speeds of 100 to less than 110 mph became ultimate design wind speeds of 115 to less than 130 mph, and "No new requirements are needed." Ultimate speeds are strength-level 3-second gusts, a different scale from the old figures, so don't compare the two directly.

To put numbers on that range, DASMA's wind load guide for the 2021 IRC lists a 16 by 7 foot door on a building with a 15-foot mean roof height at +10.7 and -12.0 psf at 120 mph, and +12.6 and -14.0 psf at 130 mph, in Exposure B. The guide multiplies those values by 1.48 for Exposure C and 1.80 for Exposure D, so the same door on open waterfront can need about 80 percent more. DASMA's exposure sheet puts Exposure D typically within 600 feet of an open waterway a mile or more across.

Commercial buildings follow the 2021 International Building Code, and the county's FAQ says wind speed designs there run from 105 to 140 mph depending on location and risk category. Inside incorporated towns, check who handles plan review: Fenwick Island's building official covers the town limits only, while Ocean View sends building plans to the county.

None of the Delaware county or town code pages we've read puts any part of the state in one. As Maryland's Department of Legislative Services summarized the 2012 International Building Code, a wind-borne debris region is an area in a hurricane-prone region within one mile of the coastal mean high water line where the ultimate design wind speed is 130 mph, or an area where it is 140 mph, and glazing there must be impact resistant or protected. Sussex County's residential range tops out below 130 mph.

That still isn't a ruling for your building, and DASMA's advice is to check with the local building department. Where impact resistance is required, doors and glazing are tested to standards such as ANSI/DASMA 115, whose large-missile test fires a 2x4 weighing 9 to 9.5 pounds at 50 feet per second or more. Haas lists wind load and impact options on several door lines, including impact polycarbonate glazing.

As DASMA quotes it, the 2021 IRC requires garage doors to be tested to ASTM E330 or ANSI/DASMA 108 and labeled by the manufacturer. DASMA says the label rule is new with the 2021 codes, while the testing requirement has been explicit since the 2006 IRC, and that manufacturers still offer non-rated doors, which carry no wind label, for areas without wind load requirements.

IBHS, the insurance industry's research institute, says an older home's original door is likely not wind-rated, since there were no such requirements before 2006, and that a door with no label, or a label missing its pressures, may not be rated. Leave the label on. Don't treat it as the whole story, either: DASMA's inspection guide for code officials says not to rely on the label alone, because the rating depends on installing the reinforcement, hinges, rollers, track brackets and jamb fasteners shown on the door's wind load drawing. The label itself must identify:

• The garage door manufacturer
• The model or series number
• The positive and negative design wind pressure rating
• The installation instruction drawing reference number
• The applicable test standard

Kent County lists the 2018 International Residential Code with county amendments, adopted August 18, 2020 and effective October 5, 2020, and its adopted-codes page shows no newer edition. By DASMA's account, that edition already requires garage doors to be tested for wind load, but the permanent label rule arrived with the 2021 code. The county page doesn't state a design wind speed, so ask the county what rating applies to your address.

Several towns run their own code offices. Wyoming adopted the 2018 IRC by ordinance in January 2026, while Millsboro and Seaford enforce the 2021 IRC. For Dover, Wilmington, New Castle County and other towns, ask the office that issues your permit which edition and wind speed it uses. On open farmland, expect the exposure question to come up: DASMA's exposure sheet ties Exposure C to flat open country and grasslands, and says the call belongs to the design professional or the building official.

Maryland put the 2021 IBC, IRC and IECC into effect on May 29, 2023, and local governments had to enforce them by May 29, 2024. On the coast, the local figures run higher than Sussex County's. The Town of Ocean City's residential design table lists a 128 mph wind design speed with exposure category D, and its commercial table runs from 120 mph for Risk Category I to 140 mph for Risk Category III. Worcester County's 2024 amendments, for permit applications on or after May 29, 2024, use 125 mph with exposure C.

Close it and secure it before the wind arrives. DASMA says a garage door should be closed and secured before a high wind event, because an open door leaves interior walls, ceilings and the roof structure vulnerable, and it doesn't recommend operating garage doors during high winds. FEMA spells out the stakes: failure of a garage door on an attached garage can rapidly pressurize the house and lead to failure of roof and wall elements. On the other side of the ledger, IBHS found that 90 percent of homes whose garage door survived a storm had no structural roof damage.

• Don't park a car against the door. DASMA says it doesn't reinforce the door and may damage both the car and the door.
• Don't add homemade bracing. DASMA warns that added weight can lead to failure of the tracks or other parts, and that a real upgrade can require matching springs, hardware and track.
• On a home raised on pilings in a coastal V zone, ask about breakaway rules. DASMA notes that tidal-surge breakaway requirements can override wind load and debris requirements below the base flood elevation.
• After the storm, look before you run it. With the door closed, look over the springs, hinges, brackets and fasteners as DASMA's checklist describes, and call a technician if anything is bent, loose or broken.

Start with the number, then pick the door. Ask the building department for the design pressure your address requires; DASMA notes that manufacturers rarely know it unless it's supplied when the door is quoted or ordered, and we ask for it when we quote a new Haas door. Haas offers certified wind-load options up to 140 mph, and the door has to go in with the track, struts and brackets shown on its wind load drawing. DASMA adds that the attachment of the track and jambs to the structure is as critical as the strength of the door, and suggests checking with your insurer before a retrofit, since insurers may set their own requirements or offer savings for wind mitigation.