Florida requires condo buildings of three or more habitable stories to have a structural milestone inspection at 30 years (sooner where the local building department sets 25) and every 10 years after, plus a structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) at least every 10 years. Associations can no longer waive reserves for the items the study covers. For an owner planning a renovation, those two documents predict your next special assessment, and the repairs they trigger can shape when and how your own work gets approved.
The rules have been rewritten several times since 2022. Below is where they stand as of 2026, and what we tell owners to read before they commit money to the inside of a unit.
Where the law stands in 2026
Two statutes do the work. Section 553.899 of the Florida Statutes sets the milestone inspection program for condominium and cooperative buildings. Section 718.112(2)(g) requires the structural integrity reserve study, and 718.112(2)(f) sets how reserves must be funded. Both came out of 2022 legislation (chapter 2022-269) and have been amended in 2023, 2024, 2025 and, for the reserve study section, again in 2026.
The biggest recent overhaul was HB 913 in 2025, effective July 1, 2025. It moved both programs to a “three habitable stories” test, pushed the first SIRS deadline to December 31, 2025, raised the reserve item threshold from $10,000 to $25,000, and gave associations some new funding tools. If you read a guide written before mid-2025, parts of it are out of date.
Milestone inspections: which buildings, and when
Under section 553.899, a building three or more habitable stories tall that is a condominium or cooperative must have a milestone inspection by December 31 of the year it turns 30, then every 10 years. The local enforcement agency can set an earlier 25-year date if local conditions justify it, and the statute names proximity to salt water as an example. Buildings that hit 30 before July 1, 2022 had to be inspected before the end of 2024; those that reached 30 between July 2022 and the end of 2024 had until December 31, 2025. Single-family through four-family dwellings with three or fewer habitable stories are exempt.
The process has two phases:
- Phase one. A licensed architect or engineer does a visual examination. The association has 180 days from the building department’s written notice to complete it, and must tell owners about that notice within 14 days.
- Phase two. Required only if phase one finds substantial structural deterioration, which the statute defines as distress or weakness that negatively affects the building’s general structural condition. Cosmetic cracks, peeling finishes and minor leakage do not count unless the engineer decides otherwise. Phase two adds testing, and a progress report is due within 180 days of the phase one report.
The association pays for the inspection of the portions it maintains. Within 45 days of receiving the report, it must distribute the summary to owners and post it on the property. Local governments must require repairs for substantial structural deterioration to start within 365 days of the phase two report. If they do not, the building department must decide whether the building is unsafe for occupancy.
The structural integrity reserve study (SIRS)
The milestone inspection asks whether the structure is sound today. The SIRS asks what the association will have to spend to keep it that way, and whether it is saving enough. It must cover:
- The roof
- The structure, including load-bearing walls and primary structural members
- Fireproofing and fire protection systems
- Plumbing and electrical systems
- Waterproofing and exterior painting
- Windows and exterior doors
- Any other item with a deferred maintenance or replacement cost over $25,000 (adjusted for inflation) whose failure would affect the items above
It has to be prepared by a licensed engineer or architect, or a reserve specialist certified by the Community Associations Institute or the Association of Professional Reserve Analysts. It must give each item’s remaining useful life and replacement cost, plus a baseline funding plan that keeps the reserve balance above zero every year. Existing owner-controlled associations had until December 31, 2025, and the statute says no study may be completed after December 31, 2026. Within 45 days of receiving it, the association must give owners a copy or tell them it is available on request.
How this turns into special assessments
This is the part that matters most to your budget. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owners in an association that must have a SIRS can no longer vote to fund less than the study requires for those items. Where a building waived reserves for years, that gap now has to be closed.
The statute lets associations fund those reserves through regular assessments, special assessments, lines of credit or loans. Special assessments, lines of credit and loans for this purpose need approval from a majority of the total voting interests. There is one temporary relief valve: for budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028, if a milestone inspection was completed in the previous two calendar years, a majority of total voting interests can pause or reduce reserve contributions for up to two consecutive budgets to pay for the inspection’s repairs. A new SIRS is required before contributions resume.
That pause is not a discount. It shifts money from savings to repairs that are already due. If your building uses it, expect reserve contributions to rise again once the repairs are done.
| Document | What it tells a renovating owner |
|---|---|
| Milestone phase one summary | Whether substantial structural deterioration was found, and whether phase two is coming |
| Phase two report and repair plan | Scope of concrete, balcony or facade repairs, and the 365-day start clock |
| SIRS and baseline funding plan | Which big components are near end of life, and the gap between required and current reserves |
| Current budget and board minutes | Whether a special assessment, loan or reserve pause is being discussed |
What milestone repairs mean for your renovation
Nothing in section 553.899 governs what you do inside your unit. Your renovation approval still comes from the association’s declaration, rules and architectural review process, plus a city building permit. But in practice the two collide, and this is where our experience in buildings across Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour, Surfside and Miami Beach comes in.
- Timing. A building in the middle of concrete restoration is competing for the same elevators, loading area and working hours you need. Boards may limit or sequence unit renovations while major repairs are running. Ask before you book trades.
- Windows and exterior doors. They are SIRS components, and in some buildings the association, not the owner, controls their replacement. If a building-wide window program is in the plan, replacing yours now may be wasted money, or may not be allowed.
- Balconies. Balcony slabs are a common repair item. New balcony tile you install this year may be removed by the repair contractor next year.
- Shared systems. Plumbing risers and electrical feeders are SIRS items. If they are scheduled for replacement, coordinate your bathroom and kitchen work with that schedule rather than tying new fixtures into lines that are about to change.
Our Bay Harbor apartment is a good example of what condo work involves even in a normal year: board approval, elevator reservations and a shared riser that had to be handled carefully because it served other units. Add a building-wide repair program on top of that and every one of those steps gets harder to schedule.
Buying a unit you plan to renovate
If you are buying to renovate, read the milestone report and the SIRS before you price the renovation, not after. A $150,000 interior plan in a building facing a large special assessment is a different investment than the same plan in a building that is fully funded. HB 913 also extended the buyer’s rescission period on resale condo purchases from 3 to 7 days, which gives you a little more time to review the association documents. Use it.
For the cost side, our guide to condo renovation costs in Miami explains what drives interior budgets, and condo renovation rules in Miami covers the approval process itself.
Questions to ask the association before you sign a contractor
- When was the last milestone inspection, and did it find substantial structural deterioration?
- Is a phase two inspection or repair program underway, and when will it start and finish?
- When was the SIRS completed, and how far are current reserves from its baseline funding plan?
- Has the board discussed a special assessment, a loan or a reserve pause?
- Are window, door, balcony or riser replacements planned that overlap with my scope?
- Are there renovation restrictions, blackout periods or elevator limits during the repairs?
The answers change the right sequence for your project. Sometimes the honest advice is to wait six months. If you will be out of the country while this plays out, our notes on renovating a condo while you are away may help, and our condo renovation page explains how we manage the building side.
Frequently asked questions
When is a Florida condo milestone inspection due?
Under section 553.899, a condo or co-op building of three or more habitable stories needs its first milestone inspection by December 31 of the year it turns 30, then every 10 years. The local building department can require it at 25 years based on local conditions such as proximity to salt water, and can grant extensions for good cause.
Can a condo association still waive reserves in Florida?
Not for the items in the structural integrity reserve study. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owners in associations that must have a SIRS cannot vote to fund those reserves below what the study requires. A temporary exception lets a majority of voting interests pause or reduce contributions for up to two budgets, through 2028, to pay for milestone repairs.
Does the SIRS mean a special assessment is coming?
Not automatically, but it often reveals one. If the study shows reserves well below its baseline funding plan, the shortfall has to be made up through regular assessments, a special assessment, a line of credit or a loan. Special assessments and borrowing for this purpose need a majority of the total voting interests. Read the funding plan and recent board minutes.
Can I renovate my unit while milestone repairs are going on?
Often yes, but the board decides, not the statute. Associations commonly limit elevator use, working hours or the number of concurrent renovations during building-wide repairs. Get your scope approved in writing and ask specifically whether windows, balconies or plumbing risers in your unit are part of the repair program before you order materials.
Which buildings are exempt from milestone inspections?
Single-family, two-family, three-family and four-family dwellings with three or fewer habitable stories above ground are exempt under section 553.899. The milestone and SIRS rules apply to condominium and cooperative buildings of three or more habitable stories, as determined by the Florida Building Code.
