Guide · Learning Center
Florida Milestone Inspection: The Complete Guide for South Florida Boards
Educational information only — not legal or engineering advice. Confirm requirements with a licensed Florida engineer and your association attorney.
In this guide
What a milestone inspection is
A milestone inspection is a structural safety inspection required by Fla. Stat. 553.899 for condominium and cooperative buildings three or more habitable stories tall. A Florida-licensed professional engineer or registered architect examines the building's structural systems — load-bearing walls, slabs, columns, beams, foundation-related elements — plus life-safety and waterproofing conditions that affect structural integrity. It exists because of the June 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, and the laws that followed: SB 4-D (2022), SB 154 (2023), HB 1021 (2024) and HB 913 (2025).
When your building's inspection is due
The first milestone inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years of age, measured from its certificate of occupancy, and every 10 years after. Local enforcement agencies may require the first inspection at 25 years for buildings within three miles of the coastline — that earlier date is set locally, so it may apply to your building even though it is not automatic statewide. Buildings that reached the threshold in earlier years had initial deadlines in 2024–2026; if your date has passed and you hold no sealed report, treat the inspection as overdue.
Phase 1 and Phase 2
Phase 1 is a visual examination. If the inspector finds no signs of substantial structural deterioration, the report is filed and the cycle resets for 10 years. If Phase 1 does find substantial deterioration, Phase 2 follows: hands-on testing and analysis that defines the extent of damage, the required repairs, and the timeline your local agency will enforce. Phase 2 findings are what turn into concrete restoration scopes, engineering documents, permits — and the special assessments and loans that pay for them.
What it typically costs
Pricing depends on building size, height, access and condition. Small mid-rise buildings may see Phase 1 fees in the low five figures; large oceanfront towers can run substantially higher, and Phase 2 testing is priced separately once the scope is known. Any firm quoting a firm price without seeing your building is guessing — get scoped proposals from licensed firms and compare what each includes.
What boards should do now
Confirm your certificate-of-occupancy year and your local agency's current requirements; if you have a report, keep the sealed copy with your official records. If you are due or overdue, engage a licensed engineer or architect now — engineering capacity in South Florida is booked months out around deadline waves — and start the financing conversation in parallel, because a Phase 2 finding with no funding plan is the position boards most regret.