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Habitable stories: the threshold for Milestone Inspections and SIRS
Florida's post-Surfside law requires condo and co-op buildings three stories and higher to pass a structural Milestone Inspection at 30 years (25 near the coast) and to fund reserves based on a Structural Integrity Reserve Study. Our Engineer of Record, Emilio Castro, P.E., performs the inspection and we coordinate the rest.Condos and co-ops of 3+ stories need a Milestone Inspection at 30 years (25 near the coast) plus a SIRS. Our Engineer of Record, Emilio Castro, P.E., inspects; we coordinate the rest.
If your building is in Miami-Dade or Broward, it probably also falls under the county recertification or BSIP. These overlap by design: one properly sealed structural report, filed the right way, is meant to satisfy both. We make sure your board isn't billed twice for the same engineer walking the same building.
Florida Statute 553.899 was created by Senate Bill 4-D in 2022 after the Champlain Towers South collapse and refined by SB 154 (2023) and HB 913 (2025). This is what applies to your building today.
Boards get three letters that sound alike. They answer three different questions, and in South Florida they are timed to be done together.
Is the structure safe? A structural-only inspection under F.S. 553.899, required statewide for condo and co-op buildings 3+ stories. Phase 1 is visual; Phase 2 adds testing only if substantial deterioration is found. Reported to the building official and to unit owners.
Is the building safe to keep occupying? Structural and electrical, for most buildings regardless of use: Miami-Dade Building Recertification (§8-11(f)) at 30/25 years and Broward BSIP at 25 years. Both counties designed their programs to meet or exceed the Milestone requirement, so one sealed structural report is filed for both.
Is there money to fix it? A reserve study under F.S. 718.112(2)(g) that estimates remaining life and replacement cost of roof, structure, waterproofing, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, windows and doors, and sets the reserves the association must now fund. Required every 10 years for condos 3+ stories.
Send us the address. Within 48 hours we confirm the certificate-of-occupancy year, whether Milestone, county recertification and SIRS apply, which is already due, and what the building official expects. Free, and useful for the next board meeting.
DAY 0Our field team, led by the Engineer of Record, visually inspects the load-bearing structure, balconies, slabs, columns and roof, plus the electrical systems the county requires, with drone aerial documentation of façades and roofs. Unit access is coordinated with your manager.
WITHIN 2 WEEKSEmilio Castro, P.E. seals the report. We file it with the local building official on the county forms, deliver the unit-owner summary the statute requires, and provide the copy for your association website. Typically filed within 45 days of signing.
WITHIN 45 DAYSIf substantial structural deterioration is found, we scope the Phase 2 testing and the repairs to what the engineer actually found, coordinate permits and contractors, and feed the same findings into the SIRS so the reserve plan reflects the real building.
AS REQUIREDSince SB 4-D, associations can no longer vote to waive or underfund reserves for the structural items a SIRS covers. That makes the study a financial document as much as an engineering one.
Enter your property address and our team, working with our Engineer of Record, will confirm your certificate-of-occupancy year, whether Milestone, county recertification and SIRS apply, the deadline for each, and any open case. No cost, no obligation. Small buildings (under 2,500 sq ft) start at $3,950, all-inclusive.
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Technical content reviewed by Emilio D. Castro, P.E. (FL #41592), Engineer of Record