Florida Condo Milestone Inspections, SIRS and Reserves: What Beach Condo Buyers Need to Know

Updated October 2026.

Florida now requires condo buildings three habitable stories or taller to get periodic structural milestone inspections and a structural integrity reserve study (SIRS), and owners can no longer vote to waive reserves for the structural items the SIRS covers. For beach condo buyers, that means dues and special assessments often reflect real repair and reserve costs, and the building’s inspection reports can affect whether you can get a conventional loan. Before you commit, read the milestone inspection summary, the SIRS, the budget, recent board minutes, and the estoppel certificate.

We are John and Nicole Kavaliauskas, buyer’s agents with Team Beachside. Most of the Gulf-front inventory on the Pinellas beaches is condos, so we review these documents with buyers on almost every condo purchase. This guide explains the rules and what to look for.

What changed in Florida condo law after Surfside?

After the Champlain Towers South collapse in June 2021, the Legislature passed SB 4-D in a 2022 special session. It created mandatory milestone inspections, required structural integrity reserve studies, and ended the ability of unit owners to waive reserves for structural components. In 2023, SB 154 revised and clarified those requirements, including inspection timing and the local option for earlier inspections. In 2025, HB 913 made further changes to SIRS deadlines, funding options, and owner transparency. Most of HB 913 took effect July 1, 2025.

The rules now live mainly in two statutes: F.S. 553.899 (milestone inspections) and F.S. 718.112(2)(f) and (g) (reserves and SIRS). The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) keeps a plain language summary on its condominium inspections page.

What is a milestone inspection?

A milestone inspection is a structural inspection of a condo or co-op building by a Florida licensed architect or engineer. Under F.S. 553.899 it applies to buildings that are three habitable stories or more and subject to condo or co-op ownership.

When is a milestone inspection due?

• By December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years of age, then every 10 years after that.
• A local enforcement agency may require the first inspection at 25 years if local circumstances, including proximity to salt water, warrant it.
• Buildings that reached 30 years before July 1, 2022 were required to complete the inspection by December 31, 2024.

Pinellas County staff reviewed the 25 year option and, in a County presentation, recommended staying with the state’s 30 year threshold. Each beach city is its own enforcement agency, so confirm the schedule with the city where the building sits.

Phase one and phase two

Phase one is a visual examination of habitable and non-habitable areas. If the inspector finds no substantial structural deterioration, the inspection ends there. If deterioration is found, a phase two inspection follows, which can include destructive or nondestructive testing and repair recommendations. Under the statute, repairs identified in phase two must be commenced within 365 days after the association receives the phase two report, subject to local enforcement.

The association must give owners a summary of the report within 45 days of receiving it. Under the resale disclosure statute, the seller must give you that inspector-prepared summary.

What is a structural integrity reserve study (SIRS)?

A SIRS is a study of the building’s major structural and life safety components that estimates their remaining useful life and replacement cost, and sets a reserve funding schedule. Under F.S. 718.112(2)(g), a residential condo association must complete a SIRS at least every 10 years for each building three habitable stories or higher.

The study must cover, at minimum:

• 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
• Other items over a dollar threshold set in the statute whose deferred maintenance would affect the items above

It must be performed or verified by a Florida licensed engineer or architect, or by a certified reserve specialist or professional reserve analyst. The association must distribute the study, or notice that it is available, to owners within 45 days of receiving it.

When was the first SIRS due?

For associations that existed on or before July 1, 2022 and are controlled by unit owners, the statute as amended in 2025 sets the first SIRS deadline at December 31, 2025, with a later date available when it is done alongside a milestone inspection due by December 31, 2026. As of this update, most qualifying beach buildings should have a completed SIRS. If a building does not, ask why, and ask your lender how it will treat that.

Can a condo association still waive reserves?

Not for SIRS items. For a unit owner controlled association with a SIRS, owners may not vote to waive or reduce reserves for the items the SIRS covers. DBPR’s guidance states that associations with budgets adopted on or after January 1, 2025 may not waive SIRS reserves and must fund them according to the study. Reserves for other, non-SIRS items can still be waived or reduced by owner vote under the statute’s procedures.

2025 relief options under HB 913

• Pause after a milestone inspection. For budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028, if the association completed a milestone inspection within the previous two calendar years, the board may pause or reduce reserve contributions for up to two consecutive annual budgets so the money can go to the repairs the inspection identified.
• Line of credit or loan. A unit owner controlled association may use a line of credit or loan to fund capital expenses required by the SIRS, with owner approval. The credit must be large enough to cover previously waived or unfunded reserves. Ask whether one exists, because its repayment can affect future dues.
• Exemptions. HB 913 exempted certain smaller buildings, such as four family dwellings with three or fewer habitable stories, from the SIRS requirement.

Each of these has conditions in the statute. If the documents show a paused reserve or a line of credit, ask how and when the association expects to catch up.

How do these laws affect HOA dues and special assessments?

Many older associations historically kept reserves low or waived them. Once full SIRS funding became mandatory, some had to raise regular dues sharply, levy special assessments for repairs found in milestone inspections, or both. For a buyer, this shows up in three ways:

• Higher monthly dues that include required reserve contributions. Higher dues are not automatically bad. A well funded reserve can mean fewer surprises.
• Special assessments that are adopted, pending, or likely. Who pays an assessment adopted before closing is a contract question. Read the contract terms with your agent and attorney.
• Price adjustments. Units in buildings facing large repairs often trade at a discount. That can be an opportunity if the repair scope and funding are clear.

Can I get a mortgage on a Florida beach condo?

Conventional loans sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac require the condo project to meet agency eligibility standards. Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide treats projects in need of critical repairs as ineligible. Its definition includes repairs that significantly affect safety, soundness, structural integrity, or habitability, a failed mandatory structural inspection, and unfunded repairs above a per unit threshold expected within 12 months. It lists sea walls, waterproofing, balconies, and parking structures among examples. If a special assessment relates to a critical repair that has not been remediated, the project is ineligible until the work is completed and documented.

In practice, a building with an open phase two repair program can be hard to finance with a conventional loan until repairs are done. Cash buyers, portfolio lenders, and some non-agency loan programs may still be options at different terms. Ask your lender to review the condo questionnaire, milestone report, and SIRS early, ideally before your inspection period ends.

What documents should a condo buyer request?

Under F.S. 718.503(2), a resale seller must provide the declaration, articles, bylaws and rules, the annual financial statement and budget, the Frequently Asked Questions and Answers document, the governance form, the inspector-prepared milestone inspection summary, and the most recent SIRS (or a statement that none has been completed). If the buyer did not receive these before signing, the contract is voidable by the buyer for 7 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after receiving them.

Document	Source	What to look for
Milestone inspection summary and full report	Seller (summary required); association for full report	Phase two required? Repair scope, deadlines, status
Structural integrity reserve study	Seller (required)	Component list, remaining life, funding schedule vs. actual funding
Current budget and reserve schedule	Seller (required)	Reserve contributions, insurance line, year over year changes
Annual financial statement	Seller (required)	Reserve balances, delinquencies, loans
Board and owner meeting minutes (12 to 24 months)	Association or its website	Planned assessments, repair bids, litigation, insurance issues
Special assessment notices	Seller, association	Amount, due dates, purpose, who pays at closing
Line of credit or loan disclosures	Seller, association	Balance, repayment, effect on dues
Estoppel certificate	Association, through the title company	Dues status, scheduled assessments, transfer approval
Master insurance declarations	Association	Wind and flood coverage, deductibles
Condo questionnaire for lender	Association, through lender	Project eligibility issues
Rules on rentals, pets, and renovations	Seller (required)	Minimum lease terms, approval process

The estoppel certificate, governed by F.S. 718.116(8), must be issued within 10 business days of a request and lists regular assessments, special assessments, and other amounts owed. It is usually ordered by the title company, but you can ask for it to be ordered early.

What is different about Gulf-front condo buildings?

Much of the condo stock along Gulf Boulevard on St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, and Madeira Beach was built decades ago, so many buildings are now at or past their first milestone inspection. Salt air, wind driven rain, and storm surge are hard on concrete and steel. The most common issues in coastal buildings tend to involve concrete spalling where reinforcing steel corrodes, balcony slabs and railings, waterproofing, and windows and sliders. These are exactly the items milestone inspections and SIRS look at.

The 2024 hurricanes added another layer. Some buildings had ground floor flooding, damaged elevators or electrical rooms, or seawall and pool deck damage. Ask how storm repairs were funded (insurance, reserves, or assessment), whether any claims are still open, and whether the master policy’s deductibles changed. Our flood zones and flood insurance guide covers the flood side, and our seawall and dock guide covers waterfront structures, which in a condo are usually association items.

If you prefer to avoid an older building’s repair cycle, a newer or pre-construction building is another path. See our overview of new construction condos on the Gulf beaches and our guide to buying a pre-construction condo in Florida. For town by town context, see St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island and Madeira Beach.

Talk to us before you write an offer

We help buyers request and read the milestone report, SIRS, budget, and minutes before the clock runs out, so you know what the building will cost to own. Call Team Beachside at (727) 955-1222 or contact us here. If you own a beach condo and want to know where it stands in this market, request a home valuation.

This guide is general information for condo buyers on the Pinellas County Gulf beaches and is not legal, financial, lending, insurance, or engineering advice. Florida condominium law has changed several times since 2022 and may change again. Verify current requirements with the statutes, DBPR, your lender, and a Florida real estate attorney, and rely on licensed engineers for building condition. John and Nicole Kavaliauskas are licensed Florida Realtors with LoKation Real Estate.