Milestone Inspections

Milestone Inspections for condominiums and cooperative buildings are now required by Florida Law Ch. 2023-203 which revises Florida Statute 553.899 (2022). The intent is to ensure a building is structurally sound and does not pose a threat to the public safety.

How does this affect you?

Milestone Inspections are mandatory for Florida condominium buildings three (3) or more stories in height. You can comply now or later, but the deadline is December, 31, 2024 if your building is old enough. The longer you wait, the worse it gets, because there are a limited number of engineers qualified to get the job done. Our recommendation… best not to play musical chairs and be left out … so let’s Gitter Done!

Selecting a Florida Special Inspector of Threshold Buildings to provide the Milestone Inspection on your condominium ensures your Professional Engineer has designed and inspected structural components on threshold buildings. A building is considered a threshold building if it is greater than three stories or 50 feet in height. A Milestone Inspection means a structural inspection of a building that is three (3) or more stories in height.

The purpose of Phase One of the Milestone Inspection is to evaluate structural elements of your building and to make sure there is no substantial structural deterioration. Structural elements include load-bearing walls and primary structural members. And this inspection must be done by a licensed engineer/architect. More investigation and additional intensive testing must be performed if problems are discovered.

The Phase Two Milestone Inspection may be required if suspicious issues are found during the Phase One Milestone Inspection. The goal of this step is to pinpoint the underlying issue facing your building and to provide comprehensive understanding of what needs to be done by your Condominium Association.

A condominium association is required to perform a Milestone Inspection for each building that is three or more stories in height. This inspection must occur by December 31 of the year in which the building turns 30 years old and must be conducted every 10 years thereafter.

Structural Integrity Reserve Studies (SIRS)

Florida requires all condominium associations with buildings 3+ stories to perform a Structural Integrity Reserve Study at least every 10 years to ensure there is money to pay for needed repairs.

The structural portion of the SIRS must be conducted by a licensed engineer/architect. Our team can help perform this study in partnership through our affiliation with Staebler Appraisals and Consulting in Lakewood Ranch, FL.

A Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) is nothing more than a standard reserve study that is now required every ten years and requires the participation of a licensed engineer, who will provide a “visual observation” of the building. If any structural issues are found, the engineer will issue a report and an estimate of the cost to rehab. This information will be integrated into the reserve study by the reserve study provider.

Florida Structural Forensics will provide the “Structural Integrity” portion of the SIRS in conjunction with our affiliated reserve study provider, Staebler Appraisal. Patricia Stabler is the owner of Staebler Appraisal has an extensive background in cost estimation and construction project management in civil engineering and has done reserve studies for numerous condominium and homeowner associations in Florida since 2006. Patricia is an accomplished speaker, author and teacher who is authorized to give expert testimony in litigation -- and can do it in four languages! Please take a moment and learn more about Patricia and her team at www.StaeblerAppraisal.com.

All 3+ story condominium buildings that will be 10+ years old in 2024 (coastal or non-coastal) will need to have a SIRS by the end of 2024. Note that you can save money by utilizing Florida Structural Forensics to conduct your Milestone Inspection prior to the SIRS. Our Milestone Structural Inspection will be used by the reserve study specialist like Staebler Appraisal to complete the SIRS in the most efficient and economical manner.

Structural Forensic Investigations

Simply put, if there’s a problem with a structure, we specialize in performing investigations to determine what happened and why. Those “problems” include a wide variety of issues in both commercial and residential structures like:

Wind Damage
Hail Damage
Storm and Flood Damage
Fire Damage
Tree Damage
Building Component Failures
Foundation Movement
Vehicle Impacts
Moisture Intrusions
Construction Defects

Threshold Inspections

Building failures during construction are real and are dangerous. In response to past tragic collapses or failures, the state of Florida responded and requires that certain buildings defined as “Threshold Buildings” to be inspected during construction. Our team is qualified to conduct these Threshold Inspections because of our licensed Special Inspector.

In addition, selecting a Florida Special Inspector of Threshold Buildings to provide the Milestone Inspection on your condominium ensures your Professional Engineer has designed and inspected structural components on threshold buildings. A building is considered a threshold building if it is greater than three stories or 50 feet in height. A Milestone Inspection means a structural inspection of a building that is three (3) or more stories in height.

Chapter 553.71 of the Florida Statutes defines aa threshold building as any structure 3+ stories or 50 feet in height, or has an “assembly” occupancy classification that exceeds 5,000 square feet, and an occupant content of greater than 500 persons. So, if you’re building a big, tall building or a building that holds a lot of people, it’s a Threshold Building and requires inspection by a state-certified Special Inspector (S.I.) during construction. The Special Inspector verifies that the construction is in compliance with the drawings provided by the design professionals and on record with the local building department.