Emergency Board Up in Tampa, FL

How Much Does Emergency Board Up Cost in Tampa?

Emergency board up in Tampa typically costs $180 to $910 to cover one to a few broken windows or a door with plywood.

A vacant building held to the city standard costs more than an emergency sheet, because each window panel gets a 3 by 18 inch screened vent and two coats of paint^[2]. About a third of Tampa homes are in buildings of five or more units^[1], where upper-floor glass is harder to reach. After a declared emergency, Florida law bars unconscionable prices^[5].

Our cost page explains the rest of what changes a price.

How Does Tampa Require a Vacant Building to Be Boarded Up?

Sec. 19-233 makes it unlawful to keep a vacant structure in the city unsecured, and Sec. 19-234 puts that duty on the owner^[2]. The code sets the method:

• half-inch sheathing grade plywood cut to fit inside the opening^[2]
• 3/8-inch carriage bolts with nuts and washers, tightened from inside^[2]
• 2x4 braces overlapping the opening six inches each side^[2]
• a 3 by 18 inch vent covered with galvanized hardware cloth^[2]
• two coats of exterior latex enamel on both sides^[2]
• entrance doors nailed shut with 12-penny nails every 12 inches^[2]

The glass comes out first unless the sash can be moved out of the way^[2]. Neighborhood Enhancement enforces Chapter 19^[6]. If an owner ignores an order to secure, the director can hire a contractor, bill the owner the city's costs plus an administrative fee, and lien the property if the bill goes unpaid for 30 days, at one-half percent interest a month^[2].

How Hard Have Hurricanes Hit Tampa in Recent Years?

Tampa Bay took two hurricanes about two weeks apart in 2024. Helene pushed 5 to 7 feet of surge into the bay and destroyed at least 419 homes in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties combined^[8]. Milton made landfall near Siesta Key on October 9, 2024, with gusts of 80 to 100 mph across the county^[9].

Milton also set off 45 known tornadoes on land^[10], so windows can break well away from the water. Surge is the bigger danger. Boarding up never replaces leaving when an evacuation order comes.

Boarding Up Older Homes, Historic Districts and Condos in Tampa

About 44.5 percent of Tampa homes were built before 1980^[1], and older windows rarely match stock sheet sizes, so each panel is cut to the opening. Tampa has four local historic districts, Hyde Park, Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights and Ybor City, with 2,054 structures in Ybor's alone^[11]. In those districts we fasten boards so they come off without harming old trim or brick.

About a third of homes are in buildings of five or more units, and about half of occupied homes are rented^[1], so a condo association, manager or landlord often has to approve the work. On a vacant foreclosure, the city's registry rules require broken windows to be reglazed or boarded, plus a street-facing sign at least 18 by 24 inches with a 24-hour contact^[2]. Registration costs $125 a year^[12].

Will Your Insurer Pay for a Board Up in Tampa?

Your insurer decides, under your policy. Florida's Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights tells policyholders to make and document emergency repairs, keep receipts, and photograph damage before and after^[13]. We photograph each opening and give you an itemized invoice.

On a policy issued on or after January 1, 2023, Florida law makes any assignment of post-loss benefits void^[4], so a board-up company cannot take over the claim. You file it and your insurer decides what it reimburses. On policies issued from July 1, 2019 through 2022, an emergency assignment is capped at the greater of $3,000 or 1 percent of Coverage A^[4].

Notice is due within one year of the date of loss, which for a hurricane is the landfall date^[14]. Insurers must pay or deny within 60 days of notice^[15]. More is on our Florida board-up rules page.

Tampa Neighborhoods We Board Up

We work across the city, from Ybor City, Tampa Heights and Seminole Heights to Hyde Park, Palma Ceia, Davis Islands and Ballast Point, west to Westshore and Drew Park, and north to Sulphur Springs, Tampa Palms and New Tampa^[16]. We also take jobs in Temple Terrace, Brandon, Riverview and Town 'n' Country, and in cities such as Lakeland and Miami.

ZIP codes: 33602, 33603, 33604, 33605, 33606, 33607, 33609, 33610, 33611, 33612, 33614, 33616, 33617, 33619, 33620, 33621, 33629, 33647

Near Tampa

We also cover St. Petersburg, Clearwater in the Tampa Bay area. See all areas, the price table and Florida rules.