If your Florida condo building is three habitable stories or taller, it must undergo a structural milestone inspection, and you have the right to see the results. The initial inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, then every 10 years after. This is a safety law, born from the Surfside collapse, and it is not optional for your board.
The milestone inspection is in Florida Statute 553.899.
What a milestone inspection is
It is a structural inspection of a building's load-bearing and primary structural elements by a licensed Florida architect or engineer. It applies to condominium and cooperative buildings that are three habitable stories or more in height. It comes in two phases:
- Phase One is a visual inspection. If the professional finds no signs of substantial structural deterioration, the process ends there with a report.
- Phase Two is a deeper investigation, triggered only if Phase One reveals substantial structural deterioration. It may involve testing and more detailed analysis.
The deadlines (confirm yours locally)
- Initial inspection: completed by December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years of age, measured from the certificate of occupancy.
- Recurring: every 10 years after the initial inspection.
- Coastal buildings and local variation: buildings close to the coastline can face an earlier trigger, and local building officials have authority over timing and enforcement. Because the Legislature has adjusted these rules more than once, call your city or county building department to confirm your building's exact due date. Do not rely on a generic year.
Your rights as an owner
- See the report. The inspection report is an official record under Florida Statute 718.111(12). You can request it in writing.
- Get the summary. The association must distribute a summary of the inspector's report to all unit owners, and post it if the building is required to keep an owner website.
- Expect action on Phase Two findings. If the report calls for repairs, the board must act, and the reserves to fund repairs generally cannot be waived (see the Structural Integrity Reserve Study rules).
How to tell if the board is out of compliance
- Your building is three or more habitable stories and has no completed milestone inspection, or missed its local deadline.
- The board will not give you the report or a summary.
- The report found deterioration and the board is ignoring it.
Step by step
- Confirm the deadline with your local building department.
- Request the report in writing as an official record (/documents/records-inspection-request).
- Put it on the agenda if the inspection is late or repairs are being ignored, and get the board's position into the minutes.
- Escalate two ways. File a DBPR complaint on form 33-032 (/documents/dbpr-complaint-guide) for the records and financial angles, and contact your local building official, who enforces 553.899.
- Act fast on real danger. If you believe the structure is unsafe, do not wait on paperwork. Contact the building official and consider a licensed Florida attorney immediately.
What you can do next
Confirm your building's milestone deadline with the local building department, request the inspection report as an official record (/documents/records-inspection-request), and if the board is stalling, escalate to both DBPR (/documents/dbpr-complaint-guide) and your local building official.