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Recertification & Milestone Inspections
For condo associations, property managers and commercial owners: we coordinate the licensed engineer or architect, file the report, permit the required repairs and keep every deadline in view.
Many owners still call it the 40-year recertification in Florida, or the 50-year recertification for the next cycle. The name has outlasted the rule. After the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, the Legislature passed SB 4-D in 2022, creating statewide milestone inspections for condominium and cooperative buildings, and the law has since been amended. Miami-Dade and Broward also updated their long-standing local programs, which now start earlier than 40 years.
The result is overlapping requirements that depend on the county, the building’s age, its height, its ownership type and, in some places, how close it is to the coast. Missing a notice or a filing deadline can lead to citations and fines. Our job is to keep the process organized from the first notice to the final report.
Section 553.899, Florida Statutes, applies to condominium and cooperative buildings with three or more habitable stories. The first inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, then every 10 years.
The statute lets the local enforcement agency require the first milestone inspection at 25 years based on local circumstances, such as environmental conditions like proximity to salt water.
Miami-Dade’s building recertification now begins at 30 years and repeats every 10 years, with earlier timelines for certain coastal condo and co-op buildings. A Florida-registered engineer or architect certifies structural and electrical safety.
Broward’s program under Board of Rules and Appeals Policy 05-05 replaced the former 40-year program and applies to buildings 25 years and older, with inspections every 10 years after.
Each program has exemptions. Miami-Dade, for example, exempts single-family homes, duplexes and small buildings with an occupant load of 10 or less and 2,000 square feet or less. Broward exempts one- and two-family dwellings, fee simple townhouses and buildings under 3,500 square feet, among others. We confirm which rules apply to your building before any work is scheduled.
A milestone inspection under state law has up to two phases, both performed by a Florida-licensed architect or engineer.
Milestone inspections are separate from the structural integrity reserve study (SIRS), which condo associations with buildings three or more stories tall must also complete every 10 years. The SIRS addresses reserve funding for major structural components; the milestone inspection addresses the building’s current structural condition. Your association’s attorney and reserve professional should advise on SIRS and funding questions.
Fast Pass Permits is not an engineering firm and does not perform inspections. Our licensed engineer and architect partners perform the inspections and sign the reports. We handle everything around that work:
Larger buildings often need several agencies involved in repairs. See our commercial permit expediting and special and multi-agency permits pages for more.
Recertification is still required, but Miami-Dade now starts it at 30 years and repeats it every 10 years, with earlier dates for certain coastal condominium and cooperative buildings. Exemptions include single-family homes, duplexes and small buildings with an occupant load of 10 or less and 2,000 square feet or less.
Condominium and cooperative buildings with three or more habitable stories. Dwellings of one to four units with three or fewer habitable stories are excluded. The first inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, or 25 where the local agency requires it.
A Florida-licensed engineer or architect. Larger threshold buildings and electrical reports may require professionals with specific qualifications. Fast Pass Permits coordinates these inspections through licensed partners and does not perform them itself.
Required repairs must be permitted and completed before the building can be recertified. Under the state law, substantial structural deterioration found in phase one triggers a phase two inspection, with deadlines to report progress and begin repairs.
Consequences depend on the jurisdiction. Miami-Dade, for example, may issue citations with fines and can place liens for non-compliance. Some departments allow a short extension if the engineer or architect requests it in writing, so contact us as soon as the notice arrives.
Send us the notice and building details. We will confirm the requirements and send a flat-rate quote to manage the process.