What Is a Milestone Inspection?

Short answer

A milestone inspection is the structural inspection Florida requires for condominium and cooperative buildings three habitable stories or taller, due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30 (local authorities may require it at 25, for example near salt water), and every 10 years after that (Florida Statutes 553.899, as of October 2026). Lenders now ask for the report on nearly every Miami condo loan.

Definition

The milestone inspection, created by Senate Bill 4-D after the 2021 Surfside collapse, is a licensed architect's or engineer's review of a condo building's structural condition. It has two phases: a visual phase one, and a deeper phase two only if substantial structural deterioration is found.

Worked example

A building in North Miami Beach received its certificate of occupancy in 1996. It turns 30 in 2026, so its first milestone inspection is due by December 31, 2026; the next is due in 2036. A building in Bal Harbour completed in 1998, within three miles of the coast, could be required by its local jurisdiction to inspect at 25 years, meaning 2023, with the next in 2033. If phase one on either building finds substantial deterioration, phase two follows, and the association must fund the repairs, often through a special assessment. A 100-unit building facing $3,000,000 of concrete restoration would assess about $30,000 per unit if shared equally.

Who must inspect and when

Per Florida Statutes 553.899 (as of October 2026):

• Residential condominiums and cooperatives three habitable stories or more in height.
• First inspection by December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years from its certificate of occupancy.
• Local enforcement agencies may require it at 25 years based on local conditions such as proximity to salt water.
• Repeat every 10 years after the first inspection.
• Single-family, two-, three- and four-family dwellings of three or fewer stories are excluded.

Phase one and phase two

Phase one is a visual examination of habitable and non-habitable areas by a licensed architect or engineer, ending in a qualitative assessment. Phase two is required only if phase one identifies substantial structural deterioration; it may involve destructive or non-destructive testing and produces repair recommendations. Lenders read the phase one summary and ask whether phase two was triggered. See also SIRS, the reserve study that pairs with the inspection.

In South Florida

Miami-Dade and Broward have thousands of condo buildings built in the 1970s through 1990s, so a large share of the local inventory is at or past the 30-year mark. For a buyer this means three questions before writing an offer: has the inspection been done, did it require phase two, and how are repairs being funded. Lenders treat an overdue inspection, an open phase two or unfunded repairs as red flags that can make the building non-warrantable. Sellers must now disclose the report to buyers, so ask for it with the condo documents.