Florida Condo Milestone Inspections & SIRS: Buyer's Guide

Quick answer: A milestone inspection is a structural inspection of an aging condo building. A structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) is a reserve study of the building's major structural components that estimates what repairs will cost and how the association plans to pay for them. Florida requires both for most condo buildings of three or more habitable stories. As a buyer, you are entitled to see the milestone inspection summary and the most recent SIRS (or a statement that none has been completed) before you are bound to a resale purchase, and these two documents are the best early warning of future special assessments.

General education only, not legal, engineering, lending or insurance advice. Confirm anything that affects your purchase with a Florida real estate attorney, a licensed inspector and your lender.

Milestone inspection vs. SIRS: the difference in one table

	Milestone inspection	SIRS (structural integrity reserve study)
Question it answers	Is the building structurally sound right now?	What will the major components cost to repair or replace, and is money being set aside?
Done by	A licensed engineer or architect	A licensed engineer or architect, or a certified reserve specialist or professional reserve analyst
Law	Florida Statutes §553.899	Florida Statutes §718.112(2)(g)
Repeats	Every 10 years after the first inspection	At least every 10 years
What you get	A summary every owner must receive, plus a full report	A study listing each component, its remaining useful life, its estimated cost and a funding schedule

How the milestone inspection works

Under §553.899, residential condominium and cooperative buildings that are three habitable stories or more must have a structural milestone inspection by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, counted from its certificate of occupancy, and then every 10 years. The local enforcement agency (usually the city or county building department) may require the first inspection at 25 years based on local conditions, including proximity to salt water, so your building's timeline can be earlier than the statewide baseline. The statute also lets local agencies set their own timelines and penalties, so the building department is the place to confirm a specific building's schedule.

Phase one is a visual examination of the building's habitable and nonhabitable areas with a qualitative assessment of structural conditions. It is due within 180 days after the owner receives the local agency's notice.
Phase two is required only if phase one finds substantial structural deterioration. It can include destructive or nondestructive testing, and the inspector submits a progress report with a completion timeline within 180 days after the phase one report.
The report goes to the association and the local building official. Within 45 days of receiving it, the association must give every unit owner the inspector's summary (whether or not problems were found), post the summary conspicuously on the property, and publish the full report and summary on its website if it has one.
Repairs. After a phase two report, local ordinances must require repairs to be scheduled or started within a set period, and the statute says repairs must begin within 365 days. If proof of scheduled repairs is not submitted, the local agency must determine whether the building is unsafe for occupancy.

How a SIRS works

Under §718.112(2)(g), an association must have a SIRS for each building that is three habitable stories or higher, updated at least every 10 years. The study is based on a visual inspection and must cover these items:

Roof
Structure, including load-bearing walls and primary structural members
Fireproofing and fire protection systems
Plumbing
Electrical systems
Waterproofing and exterior painting
Windows and exterior doors
Any other item with a deferred maintenance or replacement cost above $25,000 (or the inflation-adjusted amount) that affects the items above

For each item, the study states its estimated remaining useful life, its estimated replacement cost or deferred maintenance expense, and a funding schedule meant to have the money in place by the end of that useful life. Items with an undeterminable life or cost, or with more than 25 years of useful life remaining, may be listed separately without a reserve. A study must be updated when the association changes its funding method.

Three rules matter to buyers because they explain how a budget can look affordable today and still lead to a special assessment later:

Reserves for SIRS items cannot be waived or reduced in budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024.
Funding sources can include special assessments, loans and lines of credit. Each requires a majority vote of the total voting interests, and a loan or line of credit that is used must be available to the board without further owner approval.
Reserve contributions can be paused after a milestone inspection. For budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028, a majority of the total voting interests may pause or reduce reserve contributions for up to two consecutive budgets to fund milestone repairs, and a new study is required before contributions resume.

Is the SIRS deadline still ahead?

For owner-controlled associations that existed on or before July 1, 2022, the statute set a deadline of December 31, 2025 to complete the first study, after HB 913 (2025) extended the earlier date. That date has passed. If the seller or association cannot produce a completed SIRS for a building that should have one, ask why and when it will be completed; the statute also contains a narrow path for pairing a study with a milestone inspection that is due by December 31, 2026. Associations must give owners a copy of the study (or notice that it is available) and file a completion statement with the Division of Condominiums within 45 days of receiving it. A willful and knowing failure to complete the study is treated as a breach of fiduciary duty.

The 2026 legislative session did not change these rules. Several condo bills were filed and some died in committee, so the 2025 framework described here remains the current law as of this review.

What you are entitled to see before you buy a resale condo

Under §718.503(2)(a), a nondeveloper seller must provide the purchaser, at the seller's expense, with current copies of:

The declaration of condominium
The articles of incorporation
The bylaws and rules
The annual financial statement and annual budget
The milestone inspection summary, if applicable
The most recent SIRS, or a statement that none has been completed
The turnover inspection report, for inspections on or after July 1, 2023
The association's "Frequently Asked Questions and Answers" document

For resale contracts entered into after December 31, 2024, the contract must also state, conspicuously, whether the association has completed or is required to complete a milestone inspection, a turnover inspection report or a SIRS. The standard resale cancellation clause gives the buyer seven days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays) to cancel after receiving the documents when they were requested in writing. Read the exact wording in your contract with your attorney and do not let the clock run out before you have reviewed these documents.

Eight questions to ask before you commit

Is this building three habitable stories or more, and what is its certificate-of-occupancy date?
Has a milestone inspection been required or completed? Did it stop at phase one, or did it go to phase two?
If phase two was required, what repairs were identified, what is the repair timeline, and how will they be paid for?
Is there a completed SIRS, who prepared it, and when? Does the state's SIRS reporting database show it as filed?
Which components have the shortest remaining useful life and the largest estimated cost?
Does the budget fund those components on the study's schedule, or have contributions been paused, reduced or replaced by a loan or line of credit?
What do the last 12 months of board minutes say about repairs, bids, loans or assessments that have been discussed but not yet voted?
Have you asked an insurance agent for a quote on this specific unit and building, and asked your lender early whether the building meets its condo project requirements?

None of these answers is automatically good or bad. A building with a recent, thorough SIRS and a funded plan may be in a stronger position than a building with no documents. The goal is to see the real picture before you are committed. For the assessment side of the picture, including who pays an assessment when a unit sells, see our companion guide: Florida Condo Special Assessments: What Buyers Must Check Before Closing.

Where to verify

The association (or its management company): the milestone summary and SIRS, and its website, where summaries and full reports must be posted if the association has a website.
The Division of Condominiums SIRS reporting database on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation website, which shows submissions as filed.
The local building department for the city or county where the building sits: milestone inspection status, notices and local timelines.
A Florida real estate attorney to review the contract, the documents and the assessment history.

If you are selling a condo

Having the milestone summary, the SIRS and the budget ready before you list prevents delays and gives buyers confidence. Ask your association for the full resale document package as soon as you decide to sell. When you are ready to talk about pricing and timing, see how listing your home in Fort Lauderdale works with our team, or request a free home valuation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a milestone inspection and a SIRS?

A milestone inspection is a structural inspection of the building by a licensed engineer or architect. A SIRS is a reserve study that estimates the remaining life and replacement cost of major structural components and sets a funding schedule. One looks at condition now; the other plans for the cost of future repairs.

Which Florida condo buildings need a milestone inspection?

Residential condominium and cooperative buildings that are three habitable stories or more. The first inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, or 25 where the local enforcement agency requires it, and it repeats every 10 years.

What happens if a milestone inspection finds structural problems?

If phase one finds substantial structural deterioration, a phase two inspection is required. The association must give owners the inspector's summary within 45 days of receiving the report, and repairs must be scheduled or started within the period set by local ordinance, which the statute says must be within 365 days.

What does a SIRS cover?

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 (or the inflation-adjusted amount) that affects those items. It states each item's remaining useful life, estimated cost and funding schedule.

Can I get the milestone inspection summary and SIRS before I buy a resale condo?

Yes. Under Florida Statutes 718.503, a resale seller must provide the milestone inspection summary, if applicable, and the most recent SIRS or a statement that none has been completed, at the seller's expense. Request them in writing, and review them within the cancellation window in your contract.

Did the 2026 legislative session change the milestone inspection or SIRS rules?

Not substantively. The condo governance rules from the 2024 and 2025 laws, including HB 913 (2025), remain the current framework as of October 2026. Verify the current text of Florida Statutes 553.899 and 718.112 before relying on this summary.

Thinking about buying or selling a condo in South Florida?

The Home Owners Listing Team, brokered by Real Estate Sales Force Inc, has helped South Florida buyers and sellers since 2017. We will walk through the building documents with you, flag what to ask the association, and connect you with the right attorney, inspector and lender. Call (954) 342-6180 or contact the team. We are at 2440 E Commercial Blvd, Suite 2, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308. See also our Fort Lauderdale community guide.