Florida’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants uses the DBPR HR-7020 balcony inspection certificate to confirm that every balcony, platform, stairway, and railing at a lodging property three stories or taller has been inspected and found safe.1Florida Statutes. Florida Code 509.2112 – Public Lodging Establishments Three Stories or More in Height; Inspection Rules The certificate is good for three years from the inspection date, and a new one has to reach the division before the old one expires.2Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR HR-7020 – Division of Hotels and Restaurants Certificate of Balcony Inspection Selecting a qualified inspector and documenting that person’s credentials on the form are the operator’s responsibility.
Who Has to File
The rule applies to every public lodging establishment in Florida that is three or more stories tall.1Florida Statutes. Florida Code 509.2112 – Public Lodging Establishments Three Stories or More in Height; Inspection Rules That category covers hotels, motels, vacation rentals, and rooming houses holding a state lodging license, whether they rent to short-term or long-term guests. Condominium common elements are excluded from the licensure requirement and therefore fall outside the balcony-inspection mandate.3Florida Statutes. Florida Code 509.013 – Definitions
If you are applying for a new lodging license on a qualifying building, the HR-7020 goes in with the application.4Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Division of Hotels and Restaurants Application for Public Lodging Establishment License Existing licensees file on a rolling three-year cycle tied to the last completed inspection.
What the Inspection Has to Cover
Under the administrative code, a “balcony” is any landing or porch accessible to the public that is unenclosed or enclosed only by a railing, guardrail, balustrade, parapet, screening, or other non-permanent building material.5Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Rule 61C-3.001(5)(a) – Public Lodging and Food Service Establishment Administrative Rules The inspection has to look at:
- Balconies and platforms, including screened-in porches and lanais
- Exterior stairways accessible to guests or the public
- Railings and railway systems along balconies, stairways, and walkways
- Guardrails and balustrades along open edges
- Parapets at the edge of a roof or elevated surface
- Screening enclosures made of non-permanent material
The inspector has to confirm each of these is safe, secure, and free of defects.1Florida Statutes. Florida Code 509.2112 – Public Lodging Establishments Three Stories or More in Height; Inspection Rules Common findings in Florida’s climate include corrosion on metal railings, concrete spalling from moisture, and wood rot in structural members. The form has a field for the total number of defects found and the date repairs were completed, so any defect has to be fixed before you sign and submit the certificate.2Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR HR-7020 – Division of Hotels and Restaurants Certificate of Balcony Inspection
Choosing a Qualified Inspector
The statute does not restrict inspections to architects or engineers. It calls for a “person competent to conduct such inspections,” and the administrative code defines that as someone who, through education and experience, is competent to inspect multi-story buildings.5Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Rule 61C-3.001(5)(a) – Public Lodging and Food Service Establishment Administrative Rules Licensed engineers, architects, and experienced building inspectors can qualify.
Verifying that competency is your job, not the state’s. The rule puts the burden on the operator, and the form requires you to state the facts and credentials that establish the inspector’s competency.6Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Rule 61C-3.001(5)(b) – Public Lodging and Food Service Establishment Administrative Rules If the division later questions those credentials, you answer for them. To confirm whether a professional holds an active Florida license, use DBPR’s online license verification portal, which allows searches by name or license number.7Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. How to Verify a License
Filling Out the Form
Download Form HR-7020 from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants website.2Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR HR-7020 – Division of Hotels and Restaurants Certificate of Balcony Inspection It has three sections.
Section 1: Establishment Information
This section identifies the property and its owner. You fill in the owner’s full legal name (or registered corporate entity), the DBPR lodging license number, the owner’s mailing address, the establishment’s DBA name, the establishment’s physical address and county, and a contact phone number. Check the license number and establishment address against your current DBPR license. A mismatch is one of the simpler reasons a submission gets flagged.
Section 2: Inspection Details
This is where the inspection results go. Section 2 contains a preprinted certification statement that the balconies, platforms, stairways, and railings were inspected on a stated date by a competent person and found safe.2Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR HR-7020 – Division of Hotels and Restaurants Certificate of Balcony Inspection Enter the inspection date carefully; that date starts the three-year clock for your next filing. Then complete:
- Total number of areas inspected (every balcony, platform, stairway, and railing system evaluated)
- Total number of defects found
- Date repairs were completed (leave blank if no defects were found)
- Inspector’s name and a written explanation of the education and experience that qualifies them to inspect multi-story buildings
The competency statement is not filler. Write specific credentials: professional licenses held, years of structural inspection experience, relevant certifications, or engineering degrees. Vague language like “experienced inspector” does not demonstrate competency the way the rule requires.
Section 3: Operator Signature
The operator prints their name, signs, and dates the form. That signature is your certification that you verified the inspector’s credentials and that the information on the form is accurate. The form does not require the inspector’s signature, only the operator’s.
Where to Send It and When
Mail the completed HR-7020 to the Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Department of Business and Professional Regulation, 2601 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0783.4Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Division of Hotels and Restaurants Application for Public Lodging Establishment License The administrative code also requires filing a copy with the applicable local government agency, so check with your county or municipality for their process.8Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Rule 61C-3.001(5)(d) – Public Lodging and Food Service Establishment Administrative Rules
A new certificate must reach the division before the previous one expires. The three-year window runs from the inspection date recorded in Section 2, not from the date you mailed the form, so build in time for the inspection, any repairs, and postal delivery. Operating past expiration puts you outside the rule and exposes you to enforcement.
Keeping a Copy On Site
Keep a copy of the filed certificate on the premises at all times. The administrative code requires that this copy carry the date-received stamp from your DBPR district office, and it has to be available whenever a state inspector asks.9Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Rule 61C-3.001(5)(e) – Public Lodging and Food Service Establishment Administrative Rules A binder at the front desk or in the management office is the simplest way to have it ready.
When the Property Changes Hands
A new operator has two options. One is to arrange a fresh inspection and file a new HR-7020. The other is to file a copy of the prior owner’s still-valid certificate along with a new HR-7020 carrying the current operator’s information and signature.10Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Rule 61C-3.001(5)(f) – Public Lodging and Food Service Establishment Administrative Rules The second option does not reset the three-year clock; it still runs from the original inspection date. If the prior certificate is close to expiring, a new inspection is the better path so you are not filing again within months of taking over.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Operating without a valid balcony inspection certificate violates Chapter 509. The division can impose fines up to $1,000 per offense, and for critical violations it may treat each day of non-compliance as a separate offense. Beyond fines, the division has authority to suspend or revoke a lodging license. A suspension can last up to 12 months, and the division will post a “closed for operation” sign on the property during that time. Opening while suspended or unlicensed is a second-degree misdemeanor.11Florida Senate. Florida Code 509.261 – Revocation or Suspension of Licenses; Fines For a multi-story hotel in peak season, even a short suspension costs far more than scheduling the inspection on time.