Plain-English summary
A milestone inspection is a structural safety inspection of an aging condominium or cooperative building, performed by a licensed engineer or architect. Florida requires it for buildings that are three or more habitable stories tall. The first milestone inspection is due by December 31 of the building's 30th year after its certificate of occupancy, and then every 10 years after that. Some coastal jurisdictions may set an earlier 25-year trigger at the local agency's option.
The inspection happens in two phases. Phase 1 is a visual inspection; if the engineer finds signs of substantial structural deterioration, a more detailed Phase 2 follows. When the local building official notifies an association that its inspection is due, a 180-day clock starts. After receiving the inspector's report, the association has 45 days to give every owner the inspector's summary, post it on the property, and publish the full report on its website.
What § 553.899 says, section by section
| Subsection | Plain-English translation | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| (scope) | Applies to buildings three habitable stories or more as determined by the Florida Building Code, under the condominium or cooperative form of ownership; a single-, two-, three- or four-family dwelling with three or fewer habitable stories above ground is excluded. | § 553.899(3)(a), (4) |
| (trigger) | First milestone by Dec 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years of age, based on the CO date, then every 10 years. A 25-year trigger is a local-enforcement-agency option where local circumstances (e.g. proximity to salt water) warrant it — not an automatic rule. Good-cause extensions at (3)(c); a pre-July-2022 inspection may be accepted at (3)(d), which then re-anchors the next 10-year deadline on the date of that accepted inspection. | § 553.899(3)(a)–(d) |
| (notice) | The local agency notifies the association by certified mail; the association must then notify unit owners within 14 days of receipt and give them the date the inspection must be completed. | § 553.899(5) |
| (phases) | Phase 1 within 180 days after the owner(s) receive the (5) notice — "completed" means the engineer submitted the report to the local enforcement agency. Phase 2 if any substantial structural deterioration is identified; the phase-2 professional must submit a progress report within 180 days of the phase-1 report. Repairs must commence within 365 days after receipt of the phase-2 report — a county/municipal ordinance sets the timeframe and may be shorter; 365 days is the statutory ceiling. | § 553.899(6), (7)(b), (11) |
| (45-day duties) | Within 45 days of receiving a report the association must distribute the inspector-prepared summary to every owner (mail or personal delivery, plus electronic transmission to owners who consented), post it conspicuously on the property, and publish the full report + summary on the association website — ⚠ that third duty only "if the association is required to have a website". | § 553.899(9) |
| (bids) | An architect/engineer bidding the inspection must disclose in writing any intent to bid on resulting work; a design professional or ch. 489 contractor bidding that work may not have an undisclosed interest in, or be a relative within the third degree of, the inspecting firm. Undisclosed → the contract is voidable. | § 553.899(12) |
| (reporting) | Local enforcement agencies — not associations — report milestone data to the department annually by Dec 31. | § 553.899(13) |
| (records) | ⚠ § 553.899 contains NO retention provision. The 15-year retention is a Chapter 718 duty: inspection reports described in ss. 553.899 and 718.301(4)(p) are official records that must be kept 15 years after receipt of the report. | § 718.111(12)(a)15. |