Florida Condo Milestone Inspections & Reserves

After the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida enacted sweeping condominium safety laws — SB 4-D (2022), SB 154 (2023), and further changes in 2024 and 2025 — that reshaped how condo and cooperative buildings are inspected and funded. If you own or are buying a condo, these rules directly affect your safety and your wallet.

Milestone structural inspections

A milestone inspection is a structural assessment of a building's load-bearing elements by a licensed engineer or architect.

• Applies to residential condominium and cooperative buildings that are three habitable stories or more in height.
• The first inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30. The local building official can require it at 25 years instead, based on environmental conditions such as proximity to salt water (§553.899(3)).
• Inspections then repeat on a set schedule (generally every 10 years).
• Phase 1 is a visual inspection. If substantial structural deterioration is found, a more detailed Phase 2 inspection follows.

The association must provide inspection summaries to owners and, in many cases, the local building official.

Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS)

A SIRS is a specialized reserve study that determines how much money the association must set aside for major structural components, including:

• Roof
• Structure, including load-bearing walls and primary structural systems
• Fireproofing and fire protection systems
• Plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing, and exterior painting
• Windows and exterior doors
• Any other item whose deferred maintenance or replacement cost exceeds $25,000 (or the Division's inflation-adjusted figure) and whose failure would negatively affect those items

Associations must complete a SIRS on a recurring basis (generally every 10 years) for covered buildings three stories or taller.

SIRS reserves can no longer be waived

This is the biggest financial change. Historically, condo boards could vote each year to waive or underfund reserves. For SIRS components, that option has ended. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owners in an owner-controlled association that must have a SIRS can't vote to waive or reduce reserves for those items (§718.112(2)(f)). Reserves for other items can still be waived or reduced by a majority of all voting interests. Board members can find the full rules in our guide to Florida reserve requirements.

The practical result: many condos have raised dues or levied special assessments to catch up on years of underfunded reserves. That's painful short-term, but it's designed to prevent deferred maintenance from becoming a safety crisis.

What buyers should ask

Before buying a Florida condo, request and review:

1. The most recent milestone inspection report (if the building is old enough to require one).
2. The SIRS and current reserve balances.
3. The budget and minutes for any approved or pending special assessments.
4. The estoppel certificate (see our estoppel guide) for amounts owed on the specific unit.

A well-funded, recently inspected building is worth more — and far less risky — than a cheaper unit in a building facing a large deferred-maintenance bill.

Learn more

• Florida Condo Laws: A Plain-Language Guide to Chapter 718
• Florida Statute 718.111(12): Condo Official Records and How to Request Them
• Florida Reserve Requirements for HOA and Condo Boards
• Florida Condo Insurance: What the Association Covers and What Your HO-6 Must Cover
• Chapter 718 vs. Chapter 720: Condo and HOA Board Duties Compared
• Florida Statute 553.899 — Mandatory structural inspections
• Florida Statute 718.112 — Bylaws; reserves (Condo)

Statutory content on this page was last verified against the 2026 Florida Statutes on 2026-09-28. Confirm current statute text at flsenate.gov before relying on it.