Florida Milestone Inspection: Deadlines, Cost, Rules

A Florida milestone inspection is a mandatory structural inspection of condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller, required by Fla. Stat. § 553.899. The rule was created by SB 4-D in 2022 after the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, and it has been amended several times since. This guide explains who needs one, when it is due, what it costs, and how it fits together with the Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) that boards often confuse with it.

This is educational information, not legal advice. Confirm the details that apply to your building with your local building official and a licensed Florida engineer or architect.

What a milestone inspection is

A milestone inspection is a structural inspection of the actual building, not a reserve study. Under Fla. Stat. § 553.899, a licensed Florida engineer or licensed Florida architect physically examines the load-bearing walls, primary structural members, and other components of the building envelope. The goal is to find substantial structural deterioration before it becomes dangerous.

The requirement applies to condominium and cooperative buildings that are three stories or taller in height. Single-family HOAs governed by Chapter 720 are not covered. Neither are one- and two-story condo buildings, though the underlying reserve rules can still reach them.

Who needs a milestone inspection in Florida

Any Florida condominium or cooperative building three stories or taller is covered by § 553.899. Height is measured by the local building official using the applicable building code, so a mixed-use tower over a two-story townhome row is treated differently from a single three-story slab. If your building was permitted under the Florida Building Code with three or more habitable stories, assume the rule applies until your local official confirms otherwise.

The board is responsible for ordering the inspection and paying for it out of association funds. Individual owners do not commission their own milestone inspection.

Florida milestone inspection deadline and cadence

The general rule is a 30-year trigger with a 10-year recurring cadence. A covered building must complete its initial milestone inspection when it reaches 30 years of age, measured from the date the certificate of occupancy was issued. After the initial inspection, the building must be reinspected every 10 years for the life of the structure.

Earlier versions of the statute imposed an accelerated 25-year trigger for buildings within three miles of a coastline. The legislature has amended § 553.899 several times, and the coastal carve-out has moved during that process. Because interpretation is delegated to local building officials, do not rely on the calendar year alone — get the exact trigger date for your building in writing from the Building Code Enforcement office of the city or county with jurisdiction.

If a building is already past its trigger age when the rule catches it, the inspection is due immediately on the schedule set by the local official.

Phase 1 vs Phase 2

The milestone inspection is a two-phase process, and Phase 2 is only reached if Phase 1 finds a problem.

Phase 1 is visual and non-destructive. A licensed engineer or architect walks the building, examines the accessible structural components, and documents visible signs of deterioration. Nothing is opened up. If the professional concludes there is no substantial structural deterioration, the inspection ends at Phase 1 and the association files the report.

Phase 2 is destructive and analytical. If Phase 1 finds substantial structural deterioration, § 553.899 requires a Phase 2 inspection. Phase 2 involves opening finishes, taking core samples, testing materials, and doing the engineering analysis needed to identify the root cause and scope of repair. Phase 2 reports typically include a repair plan.

Phase 1 is comparatively affordable. Phase 2 is where costs, timelines, and special assessments explode.

Milestone inspection vs SIRS

These are two separate legal obligations that boards often mix up. Keep them straight and you will run a much cleaner budgeting cycle.

• The milestone inspection is the physical structural inspection of the building, signed by an engineer or architect under § 553.899. It looks at the building.
• The Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) is a reserve-funding study for the same structural components, required under Chapter 718. It looks at the money.

A reserve specialist can perform a SIRS. A reserve specialist cannot sign a milestone inspection. An engineer or architect can do both, but the reports are separate deliverables with different legal purposes. For a deeper look at the funding side, see our companion guide on the Structural Integrity Reserve Study.

Who signs the report

Only a licensed Florida professional engineer or licensed Florida registered architect can sign a milestone inspection report. The signing professional is personally responsible for the findings. Property managers, reserve specialists, construction contractors, and out-of-state professionals cannot sign it, even if they are technically competent to inspect a building.

The signed report is delivered to three audiences: the association board, the local building official with jurisdiction, and the unit owners. A summary version must be made available to owners even when the full report is technical and lengthy.

What owners receive

Unit owners are entitled to a summary of the milestone inspection report. Under Chapter 718 records rules, owners can also request the full report as an official association record and inspect or copy it. Boards that stall on producing the report expose themselves to fiduciary-duty claims.

If the report identifies substantial structural deterioration, the association must undertake timely remedial repair on the schedule set by the local building official. The exact deadline depends on the specific finding and the official’s determination — some repairs require immediate life-safety action, others are put on a multi-year plan.

Florida milestone inspection cost

There is no statutory fee schedule. Actual quotes depend on building size, height, complexity, and how much access the engineer needs. As a working range for boards:

• Phase 1 typically runs from about $2,500 to $10,000 or more for smaller condo buildings, and higher for larger and more complex properties.
• Phase 2 varies dramatically with scope. Modest destructive testing on a small building might run tens of thousands of dollars. Full engineering analysis and a repair plan on a large tower can run into six figures before any actual construction begins.
• The remedial construction identified by Phase 2 is a separate cost, and is the number that drives the six-figure special assessments Florida owners have been reading about.

Treat these as market ranges, not statutory limits. Get multiple quotes from licensed Florida professionals before the board commits.

Special assessments and reserves

When Phase 2 identifies major repair work and reserves are underfunded, associations typically levy a special assessment to close the gap. The milestone inspection does not create the assessment power on its own — that comes from Chapter 718 and the recorded declaration — but the report is usually the triggering event.

If your association is discussing an assessment, understand how it was noticed, how it was approved, and how it relates to the SIRS reserve plan. For the mechanics, see our guides on Florida HOA special assessments and the more general HOA special assessment overview.

What owners can do

Owners have real leverage in this process if they use it.

1. Request the report. Ask for the milestone inspection report and the Phase 1 findings in writing. Chapter 718 records rules give you the right to inspect.
2. Attend the board meeting. Boards must discuss the findings and any remedial plan in an open meeting. Show up. Take notes.
3. Check the engineer’s license. Confirm the signing professional is currently licensed in Florida with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
4. Compare to the SIRS. The remedial repairs identified in Phase 2 should be reflected in the reserve plan. A mismatch is a red flag for owners and lenders alike.
5. Escalate if you have to. If the board refuses to order a required inspection or hides the report, complaints go to the Florida DBPR Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes.

How this fits with the rest of Florida condo reform

The milestone inspection is one piece of a broader overhaul. It sits alongside the SIRS mandate, the end of reserve waivers for structural components, and the HB 1021 transparency rules that require larger associations to post records online. HB 913 then added a two-year reserve-funding pause and a higher SIRS cost threshold — see Florida condo reserve fund relief. For the full picture of what changed and when, see our Florida condo laws 2026 explainer and the general Florida HOA laws overview. You can also browse the full HOA laws by state hub for comparable rules in other jurisdictions.

Florida moved first because the cost of not moving was Surfside. If you own a covered unit, treat the milestone inspection as the calendar event that drives the rest of your building’s structural budget for the next decade.