Sequencing Milestone Inspections And SIRS In Florida

Florida condominium boards are dealing with two big structural requirements at the same time: milestone inspections and Structural Integrity Reserve Studies (SIRS). Both are mandatory for many buildings and both have their own deadlines, notice rules and cost implications.

The confusion is understandable. Milestone inspections focus on whether the building is safe today. SIRS focuses on whether you will have enough money to keep it safe over the next few decades. The two are linked. The milestone inspection report should feed directly into your SIRS and, from there, into your reserve funding plan and annual budget.

This article shows how to line those pieces up in the right order so you are not guessing your way through compliance.

What Milestone Inspections Are In Florida

Milestone inspections are structural inspections required by section 553.899, Florida Statutes, for certain condominium and cooperative buildings that are three stories or higher.

In simple terms:

• A licensed Florida engineer or architect must inspect the building’s structural systems and produce a Milestone Inspection Report (MIR).
• The first inspection is generally due when a qualifying building reaches 30 years of age based on the certificate of occupancy, with follow up inspections every 10 years.
• Local enforcement agencies can require earlier inspections, for example at 25 years for buildings in harsher coastal environments.

The report must be provided to local officials and to the association, and owners must be notified within specific time frames.

Think of the milestone inspection as your structural health check. It tells you what is wrong today and what must be fixed soon.

What SIRS Are And How Often They Are Required

A Structural Integrity Reserve Study is defined in Chapter 718 as a study of the reserve funds required for future major repairs and replacement of critical structural components.

For residential condominium associations with buildings that are three stories or higher:

• A SIRS must be completed at least every 10 years after the condominium’s creation.
• The study must cover specific items related to structural integrity, such as the roof, structural systems, fireproofing, waterproofing, plumbing and other components listed in section 718.112(2)(g).
• Associations must use SIRS as the basis for reserve funding and may not waive or reduce reserves for the required structural items after the statutory cut off date.

DBPR has reinforced that SIRS are recurring obligations, not a one time exercise.

If the milestone inspection is the health check, SIRS is the long term treatment and funding plan.

Why Milestone Inspections And SIRS Must Be Coordinated

Several state resources and industry articles now explicitly tie the two together. DBPR explains that both milestone inspections and SIRS are required by Florida law and that boards must understand how they interact.

Law firms and engineering groups make the same point:

• Milestone inspections identify structural deterioration and required repairs.
• SIRS take those structural realities and turn them into a multi year reserve funding strategy.

Recent legislative updates, including HB 913 and earlier changes, even allow limited flexibility to sequence SIRS around milestone driven repairs. For example, associations that complete a milestone inspection can, in some circumstances, delay or adjust SIRS related reserve funding for a short period in order to prioritise critical repairs, provided that a new SIRS is completed before regular funding resumes.

The clear message: treat milestone and SIRS as parts of one system, not as separate obligations handled by different committees.

Step 1 – Confirm Which Buildings And Deadlines Apply

Before you schedule anything, you need to know exactly which buildings are covered and what deadlines already apply.

For each building in your association, confirm:

• Whether it is a condominium or cooperative subject to Chapters 718 or 719, not a single family HOA under Chapter 720.
• The number of habitable stories above ground, since milestone inspections and SIRS primarily apply to buildings that are three stories or higher.
• The year the certificate of occupancy was issued, which drives the milestone inspection age.
• Whether your local jurisdiction has adopted stricter age triggers, such as a 25 year requirement near the coast.

DBPR’s milestone and SIRS information pages, combined with local building department guidance, are your best starting points here.

Once you have that table of buildings, you can map out when each one must undergo a milestone inspection and when each SIRS cycle is due.

Step 2 – Schedule The Milestone Inspection First

In most cases the milestone inspection should come first because it answers the immediate safety question that SIRS relies on.

The statute requires milestone inspections to be performed by a Florida licensed engineer or architect and sets out owner notification duties and follow up expectations.

Boards should:

1. Shortlist qualified engineers or architects who specialise in milestone work.
2. Provide them with plans, prior reports and any existing reserve studies or SIRS.
3. Clarify which buildings and components are in scope.
4. Plan ahead for owner notices and potential access issues.

The Milestone Inspection Report will typically classify findings by severity and recommend repair time frames. That information becomes the backbone of your repair plan for the next several years.

Step 3 – Feed Milestone Findings Into SIRS

Once you have a Milestone Inspection Report, you are in a position to commission or update your SIRS in an informed way.

Florida law requires that SIRS address specific structural components and that associations use the study as the basis for structural reserve funding.

Practically, that means:

• The SIRS preparer should review the full milestone report, including any Phase 2 findings and repair recommendations.
• Components covered in SIRS, such as roofs, structural systems, waterproofing and load bearing elements, should have their remaining useful life and replacement cost adjusted to reflect the engineer’s findings.
• The SIRS funding model should be built around both existing deterioration and the repair programme that flows from the milestone inspection.

Recent legislative updates recognise that some associations will have to commit large amounts to milestone driven repairs in a short period. Commentaries on HB 913 explain that associations which complete the required milestone inspection may, under specific conditions, temporarily pause or reduce SIRS related reserve funding for up to two budget years in order to prioritise those repairs, as long as a new SIRS is completed before normal funding resumes.

The point is not to avoid SIRS. It is to let boards sequence SIRS and major repair work in a way that is realistic and still compliant.

Step 4 – Convert SIRS Into A Funding Plan, Budget And Owner Communication

Once SIRS is complete, it cannot just sit in a binder.

Under section 718.112, SIRS is meant to drive the annual budget and reserve schedule. Associations are prohibited from waiving or underfunding reserves for SIRS listed components after the statutory cut off date.

Boards should work with their reserve professional or financial advisor to:

• Choose a funding path that meets SIRS requirements and is compatible with ongoing milestone repair obligations.
• Reflect that path in the annual budget that is noticed and adopted under the statute.
• Prepare clear owner communication that explains how the milestone findings and SIRS have affected assessments.

Industry guidance notes that owners must be informed when SIRS is completed and that DBPR may also need to be notified within certain time frames.

The sequence looks like this in practice:

1. Milestone inspection identifies what is structurally wrong and when it must be fixed.
2. SIRS translates that and other structural needs into a multi year reserve funding requirement.
3. The board adopts a budget and assessment schedule that matches SIRS, within the boundaries of the law.
4. Owners receive both the technical reports and a clear explanation of the financial implications.

A Sample 10 Year Timeline For A Florida Condo

Every building is different, but a typical sequencing pattern for a 30 year old oceanfront condominium might look like this:

• Year 1 - Milestone inspection is completed. Phase 1 and, if required, Phase 2 work identify significant balcony and structural repairs. Board begins emergency repairs where needed and engages legal and engineering counsel on scope.
  
  
• Year 2 - Association commissions a SIRS that explicitly incorporates the milestone findings. The report shows required reserves for structural components over the next 10 to 20 years. The board adopts a budget with increased assessments aimed at funding both immediate milestone repairs and SIRS reserves for other structural items.
  
  
• Years 3 to 5 - Major repairs recommended in the milestone report are carried out in phases. SIRS is updated as needed, especially if actual project costs differ from early estimates. The board refines funding paths each year.
  
  
• Years 6 to 10 - Attention shifts to structural items that were not part of the initial milestone work but are covered by SIRS, such as roofs, waterproofing and foundation items. The association prepares for the next milestone inspection cycle and begins planning for the next SIRS update.

Law firm and engineering guides published since the 2022 reforms consistently recommend this kind of integrated timeline rather than treating each requirement in isolation.

Funding Strategy – Balancing SIRS And Milestone Repairs

Florida’s newer statutes and commentary do recognise that boards cannot do everything at once, especially in older or coastal buildings that are already behind on maintenance.

Practical points to consider:

• Short term: safety driven repairs identified in the milestone report will often take precedence. Associations may need to rely on special assessments, loans or temporary reallocation within the constraints of SIRS rules.
• Medium term: SIRS should be updated to reflect completed repairs and to reset remaining life and cost assumptions. That reduces the risk of double counting and helps stabilise contributions.
• Long term: the goal is to reach a reserve funding path where structural components are fully funded over their life cycles, special assessments become rare and the association can demonstrate to insurers and lenders that it is financially and structurally stable.

This is exactly the kind of planning problem that benefits from scenario modeling software rather than manual spreadsheets.