m-and-p-consulting-engineers-pllc

Florida Milestone Inspections Explained: Who Needs One, When, and What Phase 1 and Phase 2 Actually Involve

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:24:56 GMT

What a Milestone Inspection Is, and What It Is Not

The statute applies to any building that is three habitable stories or more in height and that is subject, in whole or in part, to condominium or cooperative ownership as a residential condominium or residential cooperative. Both conditions have to be true. A two-story condominium does not need one. A ten-story office building that has no condominium or cooperative units does not need one under this statute, although it may be covered by a county recertification program.

The statute specifically excludes single-family, two-family, three-family, and four-family dwellings with three or fewer habitable stories above ground.

If you sit on a condominium or cooperative board in Florida, you have probably heard the words milestone inspection more than once since 2022. The law behind it, Florida Statute 553.899 , was passed after the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside and has been amended three times since. This guide explains, in plain language, which buildings need a milestone inspection, when it is due, what happens in Phase 1 and Phase 2, and what your association has to do with the report. Our firm performs these inspections in Miami-Dade and across South Florida, and every fact below comes from the statute as it reads in 2026.

A milestone inspection is a structural inspection of a building, including its load-bearing elements and primary structural members and systems, performed by a Florida-licensed engineer or architect. Its purpose, in the words of the statute, is to attest to the life safety and adequacy of the structural components of the building and to determine any necessary maintenance, repair, or replacement of any structural component. It is not a code compliance inspection. The statute says directly that the purpose is not to determine whether the building complies with the Florida Building Code or the fire safety code.

It is also not a structural integrity reserve study, or SIRS. A SIRS is a financial study of the reserves an association must hold for structural items and comes from a different section of Florida law. And it is not the same as a county building recertification. Miami-Dade and Broward have run their own recertification programs for decades, and those come from county code, not from the state statute. A Miami-Dade condominium can owe both a county recertification and a state milestone inspection. Our guide to 40-year recertification versus milestone inspection covers that overlap.

Which Buildings Need a Milestone Inspection

When Your Milestone Inspection Is Due

The default rule is 30 years. A building must have its milestone inspection performed by December 31 of the year in which it reaches 30 years of age, counted from the date the certificate of occupancy was issued, and then every 10 years after that.

Local governments can shorten that to 25 years. The statute lets the local enforcement agency require the inspection at 25 years where local circumstances, such as proximity to salt water, justify it. Miami-Dade County uses this option for condominium and cooperative buildings within three miles of the coastline.

For older buildings, the statute set catch-up deadlines. A building that reached 30 years of age before July 1, 2022 had to complete its initial milestone inspection before December 31, 2024. A building that reached 30 years between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024 had to complete it before December 31, 2025. If your building falls in either group and has not had an inspection, it is already past due.

If the certificate of occupancy date is not available, the local building official's record of when the building was first occupied is used instead. The local enforcement agency can also extend the deadline for good cause if the association has already signed a contract with an engineer or architect and the inspection cannot reasonably be finished in time.

How the Notice Works

The local enforcement agency, usually your city or county building department, sends the association written notice by certified mail that the milestone inspection is required. The association then has 14 days to notify all unit owners of the required inspection and the date by which it must be completed. That notice can go out electronically to owners who have agreed to electronic notice, or by posting on the association's website.

Once the association receives the written notice, the clock starts. Phase 1 must be completed within 180 days. The statute defines completed as the engineer or architect having submitted the Phase 1 report to the local enforcement agency, so the deadline is about the report being filed, not just the site visit being done.

Phase 1: The Visual Inspection

In Phase 1, a licensed architect or engineer performs a visual examination of the habitable and non-habitable areas of the building, including the major structural components, and provides a qualitative assessment of the building's structural condition. The key question the engineer is answering is whether there are signs of substantial structural deterioration.

The statute defines substantial structural deterioration as substantial structural distress or substantial structural weakness that negatively affects the building's general structural condition and integrity. It specifically says that surface imperfections such as cracks, distortion, sagging, deflections, misalignment, signs of leakage, or peeling finishes are not substantial structural deterioration by themselves, unless the engineer or architect decides those surface signs point to something more serious underneath.

If the engineer finds no signs of substantial structural deterioration, Phase 2 is not required. The engineer files the Phase 1 report and the building's next milestone inspection is due in 10 years.

Phase 2: When It Is Required and What It Involves

Phase 2 is required whenever substantial structural deterioration is identified in Phase 1. Phase 2 can involve destructive or non-destructive testing at the inspector's direction. The statute gives the engineer wide latitude here. The inspection may be as extensive or as limited as necessary to fully assess the areas of distress, confirm whether the building is structurally sound and safe for its intended use, and recommend a program for fully assessing and repairing the damaged portions of the building.

When choosing where to test, the engineer must prefer locations that are the least disruptive and the easiest to repair while still being representative of the structure. If a Phase 2 inspection is required, the engineer performing it must submit a progress report with a timeline to the local enforcement agency within 180 days after the Phase 1 report was filed.

Who Can Perform a Milestone Inspection

Only an architect licensed under Chapter 481 or an engineer licensed under Chapter 471 of the Florida Statutes and authorized to practice in Florida can perform a milestone inspection. A home inspector, a general contractor, or an out-of-state engineer without a Florida license cannot. The statute does allow the inspection to be performed by a team, as long as a licensed architect or engineer acts as the registered design professional in responsible charge and every report is signed and sealed by the appropriate qualified team member.

There is also a conflict of interest rule worth knowing. An engineer or architect who bids on a milestone inspection must disclose in writing whether they intend to bid on any repair work the inspection recommends. Any contractor or design professional who bids on the recommended repairs cannot have an interest in the firm that did the inspection, or be a relative of someone who does, unless that relationship is disclosed to the association in writing. A contract that violates this rule is voidable by the association.

What the Report Must Contain and Who Receives It

After Phase 1 or Phase 2, the engineer or architect must submit a sealed copy of the inspection report, along with a separate summary of the material findings and recommendations, to the association, to any other owner of a portion of the building, and to the building official of the local government with jurisdiction. The report must, at a minimum:

Bear the seal and signature of the licensed engineer or architect who performed the inspection
State the manner and type of inspection that forms the basis of the report
Identify any substantial structural deterioration, describe its extent, and identify recommended repairs
State whether any unsafe or dangerous conditions, as defined in the Florida Building Code, were observed
Recommend remedial or preventive repairs for items that are damaged but do not rise to substantial structural deterioration
Identify and describe any items that require further inspection

Within 45 days of receiving the report, the association must distribute the inspector-prepared summary to every unit owner, regardless of what the report found, by mail or personal delivery and by email to owners who have consented to electronic notice. The association must also post the summary in a conspicuous place on the property and publish the full report and summary on its website if it is required to have one.

After the Inspection: Repairs and Timelines

If a Phase 2 report identifies substantial structural deterioration, the statute requires every county and municipality to adopt an ordinance setting a timeframe within which the association must schedule or begin repairs. Whatever the local timeframe is, repairs must begin within 365 days after the local enforcement agency receives the Phase 2 report. If the association does not submit proof that repairs have been scheduled or started within the required time, the local enforcement agency must review the building and decide whether it is unsafe for human occupancy.

That is the part of the law with real teeth, and it is the reason associations should engage an engineer for repair design as soon as a Phase 2 report is issued rather than waiting for the deadline. Our structural design and analysis team prepares sealed repair drawings and permit documents for exactly this situation.

How the Law Has Changed: SB 4-D, SB 154, and HB 913

Senate Bill 4-D, passed in a 2022 special session, created the milestone inspection requirement. Senate Bill 154 in 2023 revised it, including the shift to a 30-year statewide trigger with a local 25-year option. Further amendments followed in 2024 and in 2025 through House Bill 913. The statute's own history line lists each of these as chapters 2022-269, 2023-203, 2024-244, and 2025-175 of the Laws of Florida. Because the details have moved several times, always read the current version of Section 553.899 rather than a summary written in a previous year, including this one if you are reading it years from now.

Common Questions About Florida Milestone Inspections

Need a Milestone Inspection in Miami?

M&P Consulting Engineers performs Phase 1 and Phase 2 milestone inspections across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, prepares the sealed reports and unit owner summaries the statute requires, and designs the repairs when they are needed. If your association has received a notice, or you want to get ahead of one, call 786.273.1682 or visit our milestone inspection services page .

Sources

Florida Statute 553.899 , Mandatory structural inspections for condominium and cooperative buildings, 2026 Florida Statutes. Checked 1 September 2026.
Miami-Dade County, Building Recertification program page, Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources. Checked 1 September 2026.
Senate Bill 4-D (2022 Special Session D), Florida Senate.
Senate Bill 154 (2023), Florida Senate.
House Bill 913 (2025), Florida Legislature.

40-Year Recertification in Miami-Dade vs. the Florida Milestone Inspection: Do You Need Both?

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:21:02 GMT

Two Requirements, Two Governments

The statute specifically excludes single-family, two-family, three-family, and four-family dwellings with three or fewer habitable stories above ground.

Every week we hear some version of the same question from a board member or property manager in Miami-Dade: we just did our 40-year recertification, so we are done with the milestone inspection, right? Or the reverse. The honest answer is that these are two different requirements from two different governments, and a lot of buildings in Miami-Dade County owe both. This article explains exactly how they differ and how to handle them without paying for two separate engineering projects.

The 40-year recertification is a Miami-Dade County program. It comes from Section 8-11(f) of the Code of Miami-Dade County, has existed since 1975, and is enforced by the Building Official of the county or of the municipality where your building sits. There are 35 municipalities in the county, and each one's building department handles recertifications inside its own limits. The notice you receive comes from whichever one has jurisdiction.

The milestone inspection is a State of Florida requirement. It comes from Florida Statute 553.899 , was created in 2022 after the Surfside collapse, and applies everywhere in Florida. It is enforced by what the statute calls the local enforcement agency, which in practice is the same city or county building department, but the rules it enforces are the state's rules, not the county's.

Side by Side: Recertification vs. Milestone Inspection

When Your Milestone Inspection Is Due

Who requires it: Recertification: Miami-Dade County Code. Milestone inspection: Florida Statute 553.899.

Which buildings: Recertification: most buildings in the county, residential and commercial, except single-family homes, duplexes, and small buildings with an occupant load of 10 or fewer and 2,000 square feet or less. Milestone inspection: only condominium and cooperative buildings that are three habitable stories or taller.

When it is first due: Recertification: 30 years for most buildings built in 1993 or later, 25 years for condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller within three miles of the coastline built in 1998 or later, with catch-up deadlines of December 31, 2024 for older buildings, and buildings built in 1982 or earlier that already recertified staying on their existing schedule.

Milestone inspection: 30 years from the certificate of occupancy statewide, or 25 years where the local enforcement agency requires it, which Miami-Dade does for coastal buildings.

How often after that: Both: every 10 years.

What is inspected: Recertification: structural and electrical, on the county's required report templates, including foundations, facade, parapets, seawalls, parking lot lighting and guardrail certificates, and infrared thermography on large electrical systems. Milestone inspection: structural only, in two phases, focused on substantial structural deterioration.

Who can perform it: Recertification: a Florida-registered engineer or architect with proven experience in that building type; the county asks for proof of structural specialization for the structural report and an electrical-discipline engineer for the electrical report. Milestone inspection: an architect licensed under Chapter 481 or an engineer licensed under Chapter 471.

Who gets the report: Recertification: the Building Official, through the county portal or the municipal building department. Milestone inspection: the association, any other building owner, and the building official, plus a summary to every unit owner within 45 days, posted on the property and on the association website.

If you miss the deadline: Recertification: late fee after 90 days, then a citation with an initial penalty of $510 and further penalties up to $10,000 per violation, and possible lien. Milestone inspection: the local agency may set timelines and penalties, and if Phase 2 repairs are not started within 365 days the agency must decide whether the building is unsafe to occupy.

Can One Inspection Satisfy Both?

Partly, and this is where a good engineer saves an association real money. In 2022, Miami-Dade County rewrote its recertification schedule specifically to integrate the new state law. That is why coastal condominiums in the county are now recertified at 25 years instead of 40. The county's own recertification page describes the current schedule as the integration of the state milestone requirement with the county program.

What that means on the ground is that a coastal condominium in Miami-Dade will get its recertification notice and its milestone requirement on the same cycle. One site visit by a qualified structural engineer can gather everything needed for both. But the outputs are different documents. The county wants its structural report on its own template, with the electrical report and the parking lot certificates alongside it. The state wants a milestone inspection report that meets the requirements of Section 553.899, with a separate summary for unit owners and the 45-day distribution that follows. Both have to be produced and both have to be filed with the right office. An engineer who only prepares the county packet leaves the association out of compliance with the state, and vice versa.

Our approach is to plan the site visit for both from the start. Learn more on our Miami-Dade 40-year recertification page and our milestone inspection services page .

Which One Comes First for a Miami-Dade Building

Take a 12-story condominium on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach with a certificate of occupancy from 1999. It is within three miles of the coastline, it is condominium ownership, and it is well over three stories. Under the county schedule it is due for recertification at 25 years, which was 2024. Under the state statute, Miami-Dade's 25-year local option means the milestone inspection was due by December 31, 2024 as well. Both landed at once. If that building has not been inspected, it is past due on both.

Now take a six-story rental apartment building in Doral, built in 1996, with no condominium units. It is inland and it is not condominium or cooperative ownership. The state milestone statute does not apply to it at all. The county recertification does, at 30 years, which is 2026. That building owes one inspection, not two, and the report goes on the county template only.

The difference between those two buildings is not the age or the size. It is the ownership type and the distance from the coast. Those two facts decide which rules apply.

What Boards Get Wrong

Assuming one inspection covers the other. It can cover the site work, but not the paperwork. Ask your engineer which reports they are producing and where each one is being filed.
Waiting for the final notice. Miami-Dade sends courtesy notices two years and one year ahead of the cycle. The final Notice of Required Recertification gives you 90 days. Boards that wait for the final notice end up hiring in a hurry.
Hiring someone who is not qualified. The county asks for proof of structural specialization. The state requires a licensed engineer or architect. A general contractor or home inspector cannot do either.
Forgetting the electrical report. The county recertification is not complete without an electrical report from an electrical-discipline engineer, plus the parking lot illumination and guardrail certificates where they apply.

Common Questions

Received a Notice? We Can Handle Both.

M&P Consulting Engineers performs Miami-Dade building recertifications and Florida milestone inspections, often in a single planned site visit, and prepares every report each office requires. Call 786.273.1682 or start with our 40-year recertification page for Miami-Dade County.

Sources

Miami-Dade County , Building Recertification program page, Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources. Checked 1 September 2026.
Florida Statute 553.899, Mandatory structural inspections for condominium and cooperative buildings, 2026 Florida Statutes. Checked 1 September 2026.
Code of Miami-Dade County, Section 8-11(f)