What do condo milestone inspections mean for buyers?

Applies to buildings

3+ habitable stories

First inspection by age

30 years

Buyer’s review window

7 days

Why Florida passed these rules

After the 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, the Legislature passed a condo safety law in a 2022 special session (SB 4-D) and has amended it since, including in 2025 (HB 913). It has two parts: structural inspections of older buildings, and reserve studies that make associations save for major structural repairs. Both now shape what you pay and how long a condo purchase takes.

Milestone inspections

The law covers buildings three habitable stories or more that are wholly or partly condominiums or cooperatives (Fla. Stat. § 553.899). The first inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years from its certificate of occupancy, then every 10 years. The local building department may require it at 25 years where local conditions, such as proximity to salt water, call for it. Unincorporated Palm Beach County applies the 25-year timeline to buildings within 3 miles of the coast; each city runs its own program, so check with the building department where the condo is located.

1. Phase oneVisual inspectionA licensed architect or engineer examines the building and assesses its structural condition.
2. Phase two, if neededTestingRequired if phase one finds substantial structural deterioration. It may include destructive or nondestructive testing and a repair plan.
3. After phase twoRepairsRepairs must begin within 365 days of the phase two report. If they don’t, the building department must review whether the building is safe to occupy.

Within 45 days of receiving the report, the association must send owners the inspector’s summary, post it on the property and, if the association must have a website, publish the full report there. Associations with 25 or more units have had to post official records online since January 1, 2026.

Structural integrity reserve studies (SIRS)

Condo associations with buildings three habitable stories or higher must have a structural integrity reserve study at least every 10 years (Fla. Stat. § 718.112(2)(g)). It estimates the remaining life and replacement cost of the roof, structure and load-bearing walls, fireproofing and fire protection, plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing and exterior painting, windows and exterior doors, and other items over $25,000 whose failure would affect those. A licensed engineer or architect, or a certified reserve specialist or professional reserve analyst, prepares it. Associations that existed by July 1, 2022 had to complete their first study by December 31, 2025, or by December 31, 2026 if done together with a milestone inspection due that year.

For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owners can no longer vote to waive or reduce reserves for these items. Associations can fund them through regular assessments, special assessments, loans or lines of credit. After a milestone inspection, owners may vote to pause or reduce reserve contributions for up to two budget years to pay for the repairs it found. Associations also report their SIRS to the state; the Department of Business and Professional Regulation publishes the completed reports it has received in an online database.

Your rights as a resale buyer

When you buy a resale condo, the seller must give you, at the seller’s expense, the association’s governing documents, rules, most recent financial statement and budget, the inspector’s summary of the milestone inspection report if there is one, and the most recent structural integrity reserve study or a statement that the association hasn’t completed one (Fla. Stat. § 718.503(2)). The contract must say, in conspicuous type, that you can cancel it by written notice within 7 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after you sign and receive these documents. You can also extend closing by up to 7 business days to review them. The right ends at closing, and a waiver of it has no effect. If the association has not completed a required inspection or study, the contract must say so.

What it means for your costs

Buildings that went years with low or waived reserves now have to fund them, and some also face repairs found in their inspections. That can show up as higher monthly assessments, special assessments or association loans repaid through dues. Financing can be affected too: Fannie Mae treats a project that failed a required structural inspection, or needs unfunded critical repairs over $10,000 per unit within 12 months, as ineligible until the repairs are done. That can rule out many conventional loans in the building until the work is finished.

A buyer’s checklist

• Get the milestone summary and the SIRS early, ideally before you sign, and read the repair list and the reserve funding plan.
• Ask about special assessments: any that are adopted, proposed or under discussion, and whether you or the seller pays them. Your contract should say.
• Read the last year of board meeting minutes for repair bids, loans and assessment votes.
• Compare the reserve balance with the study’s funding plan to see whether dues are likely to rise.
• Check with the local building department on the building’s milestone status and any open violations.
• Talk to your lender early about whether the building meets its condo project requirements.
• Ask about the association’s application and approval process and how long it takes, since it can affect your closing date.

Frequently asked questions