31 Oct Condo Safety Rules After Surfside: Milestone Inspections, Reserves and What Buyers Should Ask

Condo Safety Rules After Surfside: Milestone Inspections, Reserves and What Buyers Should Ask

Since the 2021 partial collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida requires condo and co-op buildings of three or more habitable stories to have milestone structural inspections at 30 years (or 25 where a local agency requires it) and every 10 years after, and to complete a structural integrity reserve study and fund the reserves it calls for, so a buyer’s first job is to read those reports and ask what they will cost. This guide explains the rules, South Florida’s local versions, what buyers receive and what to ask, as of October 31, 2026.

Facts come from Florida Statutes, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, NIST, Miami-Dade and Broward counties, Fannie Mae and established press, as dated below. This is general information, not legal advice; talk with a Florida real estate attorney before you sign.

At a Glance

Why Florida Changed the Rules

Champlain Towers South, a 12-floor condominium in Surfside, partially collapsed on June 24, 2021, and the collapse “took the lives of 98 people,” according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In June 2026, NIST released technical findings that the collapse most likely began weeks earlier with failures where garage columns met the pool deck, and it attributed the building’s low safety margins primarily to two factors: severe and widespread deviations in the original design from the codes of the day, along with some limits in those codes, and construction that deviated from the design drawings; its final report is still being written. Florida’s response, SB 4-D, became law on May 26, 2022 and created milestone inspections and the reserve study.

Milestone Inspections

Under section 553.899, Florida Statutes, buildings of three or more habitable stories that are wholly or partly condominium or cooperative must have a milestone inspection by December 31 of the year they reach 30 years from their certificate of occupancy, then every 10 years. A local enforcement agency may require the first inspection at 25 years because of local conditions such as proximity to salt water. Single-family through four-family dwellings of three or fewer habitable stories are exempt.

• Phase one is a visual examination by a Florida-licensed architect or engineer, completed within 180 days after the owners receive the local agency’s notice.
• Phase two is required only if phase one finds substantial structural deterioration, and may include testing.
• Owners must be told. Within 45 days of receiving the report, the association must send the inspector’s summary to each owner, post the summary on the property and publish the full report and summary on its website if it must have one.
• Repairs must begin within 365 days after a phase two report under local ordinances the law requires.

South Florida’s Local Versions

• Miami-Dade County recertifies buildings at 30 years and every 10 years after, and condo and co-op buildings of three or more stories built in or after 1998 within three miles of the coastline at 25 years, according to the county’s recertification program. Cities with their own building departments run their own versions.
• Broward County requires structural and electrical inspections for buildings 25 years or older and every 10 years after, and says the inspection “shall serve as compliance for both milestone inspection requirements,” according to the program brochure from the Broward Board of Rules and Appeals.
• Palm Beach County rules vary by jurisdiction: unincorporated Palm Beach County and some coastal cities use 25 years for buildings near the coast, while others, such as the Town of Palm Beach, use the state’s 30 years; see our Broward vs Palm Beach inspection guide.

The Structural Integrity Reserve Study

Under section 718.112, each residential condominium building of three or more habitable stories must have a structural integrity reserve study at least every 10 years. It must cover at least the roof, structure, fireproofing and fire protection, plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing and exterior painting, windows and exterior doors, and any other item over $25,000 (inflation-adjusted) that affects them. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation posts the adjusted figure as $25,675 for 2026.

• Deadline. Owner-controlled associations that existed on or before July 1, 2022 had to complete their study by December 31, 2025; state law sets December 31, 2026 as the latest date a study may be completed, according to DBPR.
• No waivers. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owner-controlled associations required to have a study may not provide no reserves or less than required for the study’s items.
• 2025 changes. HB 913 requires the study to recommend at least a baseline funding plan, keeping the reserve balance above zero, and lets associations fund reserves with special assessments, lines of credit or loans with a majority of all voting interests. For budgets adopted through 2028, an association may pause reserve contributions for up to two budgets after a milestone inspection to pay for the repairs it recommends, with approval of a majority of all voting interests.
• Public record. Associations must report completed studies to DBPR, which publishes a SIRS database anyone can search.

The 2026 legislative session made no substantive change to these rules: three condo bills died on March 13, 2026, according to Florida Senate records, and the 2026 statutes show only technical revisions.

What Buyers Receive

A resale buyer is entitled, at the seller’s expense, to the condominium documents, including the milestone inspection summary if one applies and the most recent structural integrity reserve study or a statement that none has been completed, and may cancel within seven days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) after signing the contract or receiving the documents, whichever is later, unless they received the documents more than seven days before signing, under section 718.503. Since January 1, 2026, associations with 25 or more units must post milestone reports, the latest reserve study and budgets on their websites, under section 718.111.

Assessments, Prices and Financing

Inspection and reserve requirements led to special assessments and higher monthly fees, and Miami Realtors data showed condo sales rising 2% in buildings under 25 years old and falling 6% in older buildings in 2025, WLRN reported in January 2026. Statewide, condo and townhouse sales rose 3.1% in the third quarter of 2026 with a flat $295,000 median, according to Florida Realtors. For financing, the Fannie Mae Selling Guide treats a project as ineligible if it “failed to pass state, county, or other jurisdictional mandatory inspections” or has unaddressed critical repairs.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy

1. When was the certificate of occupancy issued, and when is or was the milestone inspection or county recertification due?
2. May I see the full milestone report as well as the summary, and was phase two required?
3. Is there a completed structural integrity reserve study, who prepared it, and does it appear in DBPR’s database?
4. Is the budget funded at least to the study’s baseline plan, and is the association using a loan, line of credit or reserve pause?
5. Are any special assessments approved, pending or under discussion, and how much per unit?
6. What repairs were recommended, and have permits been pulled and work started?
7. Has the building received any unsafe-structure notice or local penalty?
8. Will my lender approve the project, and what does the estoppel certificate show?

The Bottom Line

Florida’s post-Surfside rules give buyers more information than ever: the milestone summary, the reserve study and the budget. Read them, ask what repairs and assessments are coming, and use your cancellation window if you have one.

More From Everything Luxury

• Broward vs Palm Beach condo inspection rules
• Buying waterfront in South Florida
• Moving to Florida from New York or Connecticut

Last updated October 31, 2026. Facts come from the sources listed above, checked on that date, and may change. Not legal, financial, tax or investment advice. Full disclaimer