Florida SIRS and Milestone Inspection Deadlines: What Boards Must Do

Published July 30, 2026 · 6-minute read · By the CondoScores team at RentSpire

If you sit on a Florida condo board, you've probably heard two acronyms that cause more anxiety than almost anything else in association management: milestone inspections and SIRS. Both came out of the same wave of legislation following the Surfside collapse, and both carry real deadlines with real consequences for owners, buyers, and lenders.

This guide breaks down what the law actually requires, when it's due, and what your board should be doing right now.

What Is a Milestone Inspection?

A milestone inspection is a structural inspection required under Florida law for certain condominium and cooperative buildings. Under Florida Statute 553.899, an owner of a building that is three habitable stories or more in height and subject to condominium or cooperative ownership must have a milestone inspection performed by a licensed architect or engineer (Florida Statute 553.899).

The 30-Year Rule

The statute is specific about timing. A building must have its milestone inspection performed by December 31 of the year in which the building reaches 30 years of age, based on the date its certificate of occupancy was issued, and then every 10 years after that (Florida Statute 553.899).

There are also transition rules for older buildings:

• If a building reached 30 years of age before July 1, 2022, its initial milestone inspection had to be completed before December 31, 2024 (Florida Statute 553.899).
• If a building reached 30 years of age on or after July 1, 2022, and before December 31, 2024, its initial milestone inspection had to be completed before December 31, 2025 (Florida Statute 553.899).

The 25-Year Coastal Rule

Buildings near the coast may face a shorter timeline. Under the statute, the local enforcement agency (typically the county or city building department) can determine that local circumstances — including environmental conditions such as proximity to salt water — require a milestone inspection by December 31 of the year the building reaches 25 years of age, and every 10 years after that (Florida Statute 553.899).

In other words: if your building sits close to salt water, don't assume you have until year 30. Check with your local building official.

What Is a Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS)?

While the milestone inspection looks at the building's structural condition, the Structural Integrity Reserve Study looks at whether the association is financially prepared to maintain it. Under Florida Statute 718.112, a residential condominium association must have a SIRS completed at least every 10 years after the condominium's creation, for each building on the property that is three habitable stories or higher (Florida Statute 718.112).

What a SIRS Must Cover

At a minimum, the study must examine these building components as they relate to structural integrity and safety:

• Roof
• Structure, including load-bearing walls and other primary structural members and systems
• Fireproofing and fire protection systems
• Plumbing
• Electrical systems
• Waterproofing and exterior painting
• Windows and exterior doors
• Any other item with a deferred maintenance expense or replacement cost exceeding $25,000 (or an inflation-adjusted amount) that could affect the items above (Florida Statute 718.112)

The study has to be based on a visual inspection, and the visual inspection portion must be performed or verified by a licensed engineer, licensed architect, or a person certified as a reserve specialist or professional reserve analyst (Florida Statute 718.112).

The December 31, 2025 Deadline

For associations that existed on or before July 1, 2022, and are controlled by unit owners rather than the developer, the SIRS had to be completed by December 31, 2025, for each building three stories or higher (Florida Statute 718.112).

Boards Can No Longer Waive Reserves for SIRS Items

This is the part that catches many boards off guard: for a budget adopted on or after December 31, 2024, members of a unit-owner-controlled association that must obtain a SIRS cannot vote to waive or reduce reserves for the structural items identified in the study (Florida Statute 718.112). The old practice of voting each year to skip reserve funding no longer applies to SIRS-covered components.

The reserve amount for those items must instead be based on the findings and recommendations of the association's most current SIRS (Florida Statute 718.112).

Distributing the Study to Owners

Once the SIRS is complete, the association has 45 days to either distribute a copy to every unit owner or notify owners that the study is available for inspection and copying upon written request (Florida Statute 718.112).

Why This Matters for Financing, Not Just Compliance

Milestone inspections and SIRS aren't just a Florida legal box to check — they directly affect whether your condo can get a conventional mortgage. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide requires a structural or mechanical inspection report (if completed within three years of the lender's review) to show no critical repairs are needed, no evacuation orders are in effect, and no regulatory actions are required, or the project becomes ineligible (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B4-2.1-03).

A failed or overdue milestone inspection, or a missing SIRS with unfunded structural reserves, is exactly the kind of red flag that can push a lender toward an "Unavailable" designation for your project. That means no buyer in your building can get a conventional loan until the issue is resolved — which tanks resale values for every owner, not just the one trying to sell.

What Florida Boards Should Do Right Now

1. Confirm your building's certificate of occupancy date. This determines your 30-year (or possible 25-year coastal) milestone inspection deadline.
2. Check with your local building official about whether your building qualifies for the accelerated 25-year coastal timeline.
3. Verify your SIRS is current and compliant. It must be completed at least every 10 years and cover all the required structural components.
4. Update your reserve budget to match your SIRS findings. Remember, for budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, you can't vote to underfund reserves for SIRS-covered items.
5. Distribute the completed SIRS to owners within 45 days, either directly or by notice of availability.
6. Keep documentation lender-ready. Milestone inspection reports and SIRS documents are exactly what a lender will request during a Fannie Mae Full Review.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size building needs a milestone inspection in Florida? Any building that is three habitable stories or more in height and is subject, in whole or in part, to condominium or cooperative ownership under Florida law (Florida Statute 553.899).

Do coastal buildings really have to inspect five years earlier? It's possible. The local enforcement agency can require an earlier milestone inspection, at 25 years of age instead of 30, if local circumstances such as proximity to salt water warrant it (Florida Statute 553.899). Check with your local building department to confirm which timeline applies to your building.

Can our board still vote to skip reserve funding to save money? Not for SIRS-covered structural items. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, unit-owner-controlled associations that must obtain a SIRS cannot vote to provide no reserves or reduced reserves for the components identified in the study (Florida Statute 718.112).

How often does a SIRS need to be updated? At least every 10 years after the condominium's creation, for each qualifying building three habitable stories or higher (Florida Statute 718.112).

Get a Free Warrantability Check Before Your Next Sale Falls Through

Milestone inspections and SIRS compliance are now directly tied to whether your building can get conventional financing. Don't wait for a lender or a frustrated buyer to discover a gap. CondoScores.com offers condo boards, owners, and buyers a free warrantability score that flags structural, reserve, and compliance risk before it becomes a closing problem. Check your building's score today at condoscores.com.