Broward County's Building Safety Inspection Program: Deadlines, Forms and What the Engineer Checks
If your Broward County building or association just received a Notice of Required Building Safety Inspection, the clock is already running. The county's Building Safety Inspection Program, known as BSIP, is administered by the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals under BORA Policy 05-05, and it applies to almost every building in the county once it reaches 25 years old. This guide covers who it applies to, the deadlines, what the report has to contain, and how BSIP is different from Florida's separate, statewide milestone inspection law.
What the Building Safety Inspection Program Covers
BSIP requires a Structural and Electrical Safety Inspection Report for buildings and structures 25 years of age or older, certifying that the building is structurally and electrically safe for continued occupancy. Unlike the state's milestone inspection, which is written specifically for condominium and cooperative ownership, BSIP applies broadly across building types: commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential alike. If your Broward building is a quarter-century old or older and doesn't fall into one of the exemptions below, this almost certainly applies to it.
Who Is Exempt
The program exempts U.S. and State government buildings, school buildings under Broward County jurisdiction, single-family, two-family, three-family, and four-family dwellings with three or fewer habitable stories above ground, fee-simple townhouses, minor structures under 3,500 square feet, and railroads. One detail worth knowing: an elevated deck, balcony, or parking garage attached to an otherwise exempt building doesn't automatically inherit that exemption. Those structures can still require inspection on their own.
The 25-Year Trigger and the 10-Year Cycle
The initial inspection is due when a covered building or structure reaches 25 years of age. After that first inspection, subsequent inspections are required at 10-year intervals, counted from the original required inspection date, not from whenever the report actually gets filed. That last part matters: falling behind on one cycle doesn't reset or delay the next one.
The Notice, and the Two 180-Day Clocks
Broward's Building Official sends notice by certified mail each year, between June 1 and August 31, to owners of buildings due for inspection that cycle. From the date of that notice, the owner has 180 days to submit the completed, signed and sealed report. If the report identifies necessary repairs, the owner then has a second 180-day window, this one counted from the date of the report, to complete the work. Practically, that means a building with repair needs can be looking at close to a full year from notice to compliance, which is the argument for scheduling the inspection the moment the notice arrives rather than waiting.
What Goes Into the Structural and Electrical Safety Inspection Report
The report has to be prepared by a qualified Florida-licensed Professional Engineer or Florida Registered Architect and must certify the building's structural and electrical condition on Broward's designated Safety Inspection Report Form. In practice, the structural portion covers foundations, load-bearing elements, the building envelope and facade, balconies, railings, and roof structure, while the electrical portion, prepared separately by an electrical-discipline engineer, covers the building's electrical systems and safety. Both halves are required before the county considers the filing complete.
The $350 Filing Fee and Who Can Prepare the Report
Broward charges a $350 fee per building or structure, due at the time the report is submitted. That's separate from whatever your engineer charges for the inspection itself. Only a Florida-licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect can sign and seal the report; a home inspector, general contractor, or out-of-state engineer without Florida licensure cannot.
How BSIP Relates to Florida's Milestone Inspection Law
BSIP is a Broward County program. It is not the same thing as the milestone inspection required statewide under Fla. Stat. 553.899, which applies specifically to condominium and cooperative buildings three habitable stories or taller, on a 25 or 30-year clock depending on distance from the coast. A Broward condominium that's 25 years old or older, three stories or taller, very often owes both requirements at once: BSIP to the county, and the milestone inspection under state law. The two have separate notices, separate reports, and separate filing offices, even when one engineering site visit can inform both. Our Florida Milestone Inspections Explained article covers the state law in full, and our Broward County BSIP page covers how M&P handles the structural side of this filing.
What Happens If You Don't Comply
Broward's Building Official enforces BSIP compliance, and a building that misses its deadlines is exposed to code enforcement action through the municipality with jurisdiction. We were not able to confirm a published, fixed dollar penalty schedule for Broward the way Miami-Dade publishes one for its recertification program — if that's a detail worth including, confirm the current fine structure directly with BORA or the relevant city building department before publishing rather than guessing at a figure.
Common Questions About Broward's Building Safety Inspection Program
Which buildings need a BSIP inspection?
Any building or structure in Broward County 25 years of age or older, except U.S. and State government buildings, school buildings under county jurisdiction, single-family through four-family dwellings of three or fewer stories, fee-simple townhouses, minor structures under 3,500 square feet, and railroads.
How is BSIP different from a milestone inspection?
BSIP is a Broward County program covering nearly all building types. The milestone inspection is a Florida state requirement under Fla. Stat. 553.899 that applies only to condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller. A Broward condo over 25 very often owes both.
What are the deadlines after I get a notice?
180 days from the notice date to submit the completed report. If the report finds repairs are needed, a further 180 days from the report date to complete them.
Who can perform the inspection?
A qualified Florida-licensed Professional Engineer or Florida Registered Architect for the structural portion, and a separately licensed electrical-discipline engineer for the electrical portion.
What does it cost?
Broward charges a $350 filing fee per building at the time of submittal, in addition to the engineering fee for the inspection itself.
Do all Broward cities follow the same rules?
Yes. BSIP is a county-wide program administered through the Board of Rules and Appeals, and every municipality in Broward enforces it through its own building department.
Need a BSIP Inspection in Broward County?
M&P Consulting Engineers performs the structural half of Building Safety Inspection Program reports across Broward County and coordinates the electrical portion where needed. If your association or building has received a notice, or you want to get ahead of one, call 866-531-7621 or visit our Broward County BSIP page.
Sources
- Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals, Building Safety Inspection Program (BORA Policy 05-05). Checked 9 September 2026. Confirm the current URL at drafting; the earlier PDF link returned a 404 on this pass.
- City of Pompano Beach, Building Safety Inspection Program page, checked 9 September 2026.
- Fla. Stat. § 553.899, Florida Legislature, Online Sunshine.
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