If you own or manage a commercial or condo building in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County or elsewhere nearby, two separate safety programs may apply to your property at the same time, and missing either one carries real consequences. A milestone inspection is a Florida state law that applies to condo and co-op buildings three stories or taller. County building recertification, sometimes still called 40-year recertification, applies more broadly to most large buildings regardless of ownership type.

Here is how each works, who they apply to, and how to make sure your building stays ahead of both.

What Is a Milestone Inspection?

A milestone inspection is a state-required structural check that Florida passed into law after the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse. It applies specifically to condominium and cooperative buildings that are three stories or taller. The first inspection is due by the end of the year the building turns 30, or 25 years if the building sits within three miles of the coast, with a repeat inspection required every 10 years after that.

The process happens in phases. Phase One is a visual structural review performed by a licensed engineer or architect. If that review finds no signs of substantial structural deterioration, the building passes and no further inspection is required. If it does find deterioration, Phase Two follows with deeper testing and a repair plan. Condo associations also face a companion requirement, the Structural Integrity Reserve Study, which sets aside funding for future structural repairs.

What Is County Building Recertification?

Building recertification is a county-level program, not a state law, and it covers a much wider range of properties: offices, retail centers, warehouses, and most buildings over roughly 3,500 square feet, condo or not. Miami-Dade County and Broward County both run long-standing recertification programs, and Broward now requires the first inspection at 25 years, matching the tightened timeline that followed Surfside, with repeat inspections every 10 years after that.

Recertification reviews both structural and electrical safety, which is broader than the milestone law’s structure-only scope. A structural recertification addresses the structural piece specifically and must be performed by a Florida-licensed engineer or architect.

Milestone vs. Recertification: The Key Differences

The clearest distinction is scope: milestone inspections apply only to condo and co-op buildings three stories or taller, while county recertification applies to most commercial buildings of any type above the size threshold.

1. Legal basis: Milestone inspection is Florida state law. Recertification is a county program.
2. Buildings covered: Milestone covers condos and co-ops three stories or taller. Recertification covers most large buildings, condo or not.
3. What’s reviewed: Milestone reviews structure only. Recertification reviews structure and electrical systems.
4. First inspection age: Milestone is due at 30 years, or 25 near the coast. Recertification is generally due at 25 years in Broward County, with Miami-Dade County and Palm Beach County running their own age-based schedules.
5. Extra requirement: Milestone adds a Structural Integrity Reserve Study for condos. Recertification does not include this requirement on its own, though a related reserve study is still a smart planning tool for any commercial owner.

A three-story-plus condo building can easily fall under both programs at once. A single-story office building over the size threshold falls only under county recertification.

Why This Overlap Matters for Owners and Boards

Confusing these two programs, or assuming one satisfies the other, is one of the fastest ways to end up out of compliance. A milestone inspection report will not automatically satisfy a county recertification requirement, since they are separate legal obligations with their own forms and licensed-professional requirements. Missing either deadline can lead to code violations, daily fines, insurance complications, and, for condo boards, potential personal liability.

Because Broward’s recertification timeline now closely tracks the milestone schedule, buildings often need to plan for both around the same window, which makes early coordination worth the effort rather than treating them as two unrelated administrative tasks.

Common Mistakes Owners and Associations Make

The most common mistake is not tracking a building’s exact age against both the state milestone law and the applicable county program, and instead waiting for a notice to arrive before starting the process.

Other mistakes to watch for:

• Assuming a recent property condition assessment done for a transaction covers either legal requirement; it does not.
• Underestimating how long Phase Two milestone work or major recertification repairs can take, and starting too close to the deadline.
• Skipping a reserve study, which leaves a board or owner unprepared for the cost of repairs these inspections often uncover.

Get Ahead of Both Requirements

If your commercial or condo building in Fort Lauderdale is approaching 25 to 30 years old, both a milestone inspection and county recertification may be on the horizon, and they are worth planning for together rather than separately.

Our licensed inspectors serve building owners and associations across Fort Lauderdale and the rest of Broward County. Request a quote today by calling 954-861-0666, and get your building’s inspection timeline in order before a deadline forces the issue.

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Featured Image Concept (design reference, not blog copy)

An aerial or street-level photo of a South Florida high-rise condo or commercial building with a subtle overlay showing two clock icons counting toward different age thresholds, visually representing two separate compliance timelines converging on one building.