Milestone Inspections in West Palm Beach, FL

Condominium and cooperative buildings in West Palm Beach that stand three habitable stories or taller owe a milestone inspection under Fla. Stat. 553.899. M&P Consulting Engineers performs Phase 1 and Phase 2 milestone inspections across the city, from the Flagler Drive waterfront towers to the association buildings at Century Village. Call 866-531-7621 to schedule.

Which West Palm Beach Buildings Are Covered

Fla. Stat. 553.899 reaches condominium and cooperative buildings three habitable stories or more in height. Single-family homes and smaller residential buildings are outside it.

The statute sets the first inspection at 30 years from the certificate of occupancy, then every 10 years. A local building department may move that first inspection to 25 years where salt water proximity warrants it, so the clock is confirmed against your address before anything is scheduled.

Condominium facade and balcony line of the kind inspected during a West Palm Beach milestone inspection by M&P Consulting Engineers

Expert Witness

Milestone Inspections

Litigation support, forensic reports and courtroom testimony for insurers, attorneys and property owners.

Premises Liability

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10-, 30- and 40-year recertifications, threshold inspections and structural condition assessments.

Services

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Slip, trip and fall evaluations and site-condition analysis for insurers and litigation counsel.

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Black stick figure leaping over a gap or hole
Construction worker in blue uniform and yellow hard hat holding a clipboard at a building site

Your Report Goes to the City, Not the County

Palm Beach County's milestone program covers unincorporated areas only. A building inside West Palm Beach city limits files with the City of West Palm Beach building department, which acts as the local enforcement agency under the statute. That matters for timing. The 180 day Phase 1 clock runs from the written notice the building department sends, not from the building's birthday.

What Phase 1 Covers

Phase 1 is a visual examination of the building's habitable and nonhabitable areas and its major structural components, looking for substantial structural deterioration.

If none is found, that is the whole inspection. The report is signed and sealed by a Florida licensed engineer and filed with the city.

Balcony railing and slab edge, a standard Phase 1 check point on a West Palm Beach milestone inspection by M&P Consulting Engineers
Cracked and spalled stucco at a column corner, the deterioration a West Palm Beach milestone inspection is meant to catch, documented by M&P Consulting Engineers

Intracoastal Exposure Along Flagler Drive

West Palm Beach concentrates its tall condominium stock downtown along Flagler Drive, facing the Intracoastal with the barrier island just beyond it. Salt air reaches those balconies and slab edges every day.

Further west the picture changes. The low-rise associations around El Cid and Flamingo Park and the large 55 and over inventory at Century Village are older, lower and built in eras with thinner concrete cover over the rebar.

Serving West Palm Beach and the Surrounding Coast

We inspect buildings throughout West Palm Beach, including the downtown waterfront, Northwood, El Cid, Flamingo Park and the Village of Palm Beach Lakes, and across neighbouring Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, Lake Worth Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Associations further south are covered from the same office, including Boca Raton.

2023 — 2026

2019 — 2023

Common Questions About Milestone Inspections in West Palm Beach

  • Is my West Palm Beach building on a 25 year or a 30 year clock?

    The statute's default is 30 years from the certificate of occupancy. Fla. Stat. 553.899 lets the local building department require 25 years instead where proximity to salt water justifies it.

    Call 866-531-7621 with your address and certificate of occupancy date and we will confirm the trigger with the city before quoting.

  • Who do I file the milestone report with?

    The City of West Palm Beach building department. Palm Beach County's milestone program applies to unincorporated areas of the county, so a building inside city limits does not file with the county.

  • What counts as substantial structural deterioration?

    Deterioration in a major structural component that affects the component's ability to carry load, as distinct from surface cracking, staining or ordinary wear.

    The call belongs to the licensed engineer performing the inspection, and the reasoning goes in the report.

  • What happens if Phase 1 finds deterioration?

    Phase 2 follows, with closer inspection that may involve destructive or nondestructive testing, and a report documenting the repairs the building needs.

    Under the statute, repairs must be commenced within 365 days of receiving the Phase 2 report.

  • Who is allowed to perform the inspection?

    An architect licensed under Chapter 481 or an engineer licensed under Chapter 471, authorised to practise in Florida.

    Jonnatan R. Mendez, PE, SI, leads our inspections and holds the state's Special Inspector credential.

Premises Liability

Slip, trip and fall evaluations and walking-surface analysis.

Related Engineering Services

Milestone Inspections

Recertification inspections where moisture damage is often first found.

Structural Design & Analysis

Structural repair, restoration, rehabilitation, and retrofit design for existing buildings and identified structural deficiencies.

Forensic Engineering

Independent investigation and engineering analysis of structural distress, deterioration, construction defects, and other conditions requiring evaluation of cause, extent, and contributing factors.

Schedule Your West Palm Beach Milestone Inspection

Call 866-531-7621 or request a quote below and we will confirm which deadline applies to your building before you commit to anything.