Florida Milestone Inspections

The age threshold

The trigger is 30 years from the date of the certificate of occupancy — or 25 years if the building is within three miles of the coast. Once that age is reached, the inspection is due by December 31 of that calendar year, then every ten years thereafter.

What the report includes

The Milestone Inspection is a two-phase exam by a licensed Florida professional engineer or architect. Phase 1 is visual — the engineer walks the building looking for substantial structural deterioration. If they find none, Phase 1 ends with a sealed report and the next inspection is in ten years. If Phase 1 finds deterioration, a Phase 2 inspection follows: destructive or non-destructive testing to characterize the extent of the damage and recommend remediation.

How it connects to your SIRS

The Milestone Inspection and the SIRS are different documents commissioned at different cadences from different professionals, but their findings inform each other. A Phase 2 deterioration finding will typically reset the remaining-useful-life numbers in your next SIRS for the affected components, often dramatically. Boards plan for the two as parallel workstreams — one characterizing what's actually happening to the structure, the other funding what's coming.

What to expect on cost and timeline

Phase 1 inspections typically take 4–8 weeks from contract-signing to sealed report and cost mid-five figures for a mid-size mid-rise; a Phase 2 with destructive testing adds 8–16 weeks and can run into six figures. Engage the engineer well before the December 31 deadline of the threshold year — qualified PEs and architects are booked out, especially in coastal counties.