Florida Senate Bill 4D, signed in May 2022 after the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, created a statewide safety program for aging condominium and cooperative buildings. If your building is three habitable stories or taller, the law requires a structural “milestone inspection” when the building turns 30, a Structural Integrity Reserve Study every 10 years, and full funding of reserves for the structural components the study identifies. Amendments in 2023 (SB 154) and 2024 (HB 1021) adjusted the deadlines and the list of covered components, and what follows reflects the law as it stands heading into 2026.
Which Buildings Are Covered
The law applies to any residential condominium or cooperative building that is three habitable stories or more in height, as measured under the Florida Building Code. It does not matter whether the whole building operates as a condo or co-op. If even part of the building is under either ownership structure, the inspection and reserve requirements apply.
Two pieces of information set your specific deadlines: the date on the building’s certificate of occupancy, which determines the building’s age, and whether your local building department has imposed a shorter timeline because of local environmental conditions. If the certificate of occupancy date cannot be located, the statute lets the association use any record from the local building official that shows the actual date of occupancy.
Milestone Inspection Deadlines
Every covered building must undergo its first milestone inspection by December 31 of the year it turns 30 years old, and every 10 years after that.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 553.899 – Mandatory Structural Inspections for Condominium and Cooperative Buildings For older buildings, the phase-in dates are:
- Buildings that turned 30 before July 1, 2022: initial inspection was due by December 31, 2024.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 553.899 – Mandatory Structural Inspections for Condominium and Cooperative Buildings
- Buildings that turned 30 between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024: initial inspection due by December 31, 2025.3Florida Senate. Florida Code 553.899 – Mandatory Structural Inspections for Condominium and Cooperative Buildings
- Buildings turning 30 after December 31, 2024: standard deadline of December 31 of the year the building reaches 30.
The original SB 4D required buildings within three miles of the coast to be inspected at 25 years instead of 30. That mandatory statewide 25-year rule is gone. Under the 2023 amendments, local enforcement agencies may impose a 25-year deadline when local environmental conditions, such as proximity to salt water, justify it.3Florida Senate. Florida Code 553.899 – Mandatory Structural Inspections for Condominium and Cooperative Buildings Coastal associations should ask their local building department whether a shorter clock applies.
How the Inspection Works
A milestone inspection must be performed by an architect licensed under Chapter 481 or an engineer licensed under Chapter 471 who is authorized to practice in Florida. A team of professionals working under the supervision of a licensed architect or engineer can also do the work. The process has two phases, and most buildings will only need the first.
Phase One
Phase One is a visual examination of habitable and non-habitable areas. The inspector evaluates load-bearing elements and primary structural systems and gives a qualitative assessment of the building’s condition.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 553.899 – Mandatory Structural Inspections for Condominium and Cooperative Buildings If no signs of substantial structural deterioration appear, the inspection ends there. The association has 180 days from receiving written notice from the local enforcement agency to complete Phase One.
Phase Two
Phase Two is triggered only when Phase One reveals substantial structural deterioration. It is a deeper investigation that may involve destructive or non-destructive testing to confirm whether the building is sound and to map the full scope of damage. The inspector must prioritize testing locations that are least disruptive and most easily repaired while still being representative of the structure’s condition. Within 180 days of submitting the Phase One report, the engineer or architect handling Phase Two must file a progress report with the local enforcement agency and a timeline for finishing the work.
After either phase, the inspector submits a sealed inspection report along with a separate summary of material findings and recommendations. The report goes to the association, to any other owner of a portion of the building not under condo or co-op ownership, and to the local building official.
The Structural Integrity Reserve Study
Separate from the milestone inspection, every covered building must have a Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) completed every 10 years. The original SIRS deadline of December 31, 2024 was pushed to December 31, 2025 by later legislation. Associations that have already completed their milestone inspection may delay their SIRS for up to two consecutive budget years following that inspection.
The SIRS looks at each major structural component, estimates its remaining useful life, and calculates the annual contributions needed to fully fund repair or replacement by the time each component wears out. The visual inspection portion must be performed by a qualified professional: a licensed engineer, a licensed architect, or someone certified as a reserve specialist or professional reserve analyst by the Community Associations Institute or the Association of Professional Reserve Analysts.
At minimum, the study must cover:4The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 718.112 – Bylaws
- Roof
- Structure, meaning load-bearing walls, primary structural members, and primary structural systems
- Fireproofing and fire protection systems
- Plumbing
- Electrical systems
- Waterproofing and exterior painting
- Windows and exterior doors
- Any other item with a deferred maintenance or replacement cost over $25,000 (or a higher inflation-adjusted amount set by the Division) whose failure would negatively affect any of the components above
Floors and foundations were on the original SB 4D list but were removed by the 2023 amendments, which also replaced the standalone “load-bearing walls” category with the broader “structure” category. If a qualified professional determines a component has a useful life exceeding 25 years, they may conclude that no immediate reserve funding is needed for it.
Reserves Can No Longer Be Waived
For decades, Florida condo associations routinely voted to waive or reduce reserve contributions and push expensive repairs into the future. SB 4D ended that for structural components. For any budget adopted on or after December 31, 2024, a unit-owner-controlled association required to have a SIRS cannot vote to waive or reduce reserves for the items identified in the study.5Florida Senate. Florida Code 718.112 – Bylaws The one narrow exception is for multicondominiums with an alternative funding method approved by the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes.
In practice, this means the association must calculate the annual contributions needed to accumulate the full replacement cost of each SIRS component by the end of its projected useful life and actually collect that money. Reserve funds must be held in a designated account and spent only on the component they were reserved for.
There is limited breathing room. For budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028, if a milestone inspection reveals needed repairs, the association can vote (with a majority of total voting interests) to pause or reduce SIRS reserve contributions for no more than two consecutive budget years while the milestone-related repairs are underway. An association that uses this option must complete a new SIRS before resuming regular contributions.
What Happens If a Board Ignores the Law
The law has real teeth, and boards that stall can create serious exposure for themselves and for residents.
On the inspection side, if an association fails to submit proof that repairs for substantial structural deterioration identified in a Phase Two report have been scheduled or started within 365 days, the local enforcement agency must review whether the building is unsafe for human occupancy.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 553.899 – Mandatory Structural Inspections for Condominium and Cooperative Buildings That review can lead to a determination that residents must vacate.
Board members have personal exposure too. If officers or directors willfully and knowingly fail to have a milestone inspection performed or fail to complete a required SIRS, that failure is a breach of their fiduciary duty to unit owners under Section 718.111.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 718.112 – Bylaws A fiduciary breach can open individual board members to lawsuits from owners seeking to recover losses caused by the inaction.
If You Are Buying or Selling a Unit
SB 4D added disclosure rules that affect every condo sale in a covered building. Before closing, the seller must give the prospective buyer a copy of the inspector-prepared summary of the most recent milestone inspection report, if one exists, and a copy of the association’s most recent SIRS or a statement that one has not yet been completed.6Florida Senate. SB 4-D – Building Safety Bill Text These disclosures apply to both developer and non-developer sales.
For buyers, these two documents are the heart of due diligence. The milestone inspection summary tells you whether the building has structural problems. The SIRS tells you how much the association should be setting aside and whether reserves are actually funded. If the association cannot produce either one, treat it as a reason to dig deeper before you sign.
What It Costs Owners
The reserve funding mandate is where most owners feel SB 4D directly. Buildings that deferred maintenance for years or decades now have to fully fund reserves on a compressed schedule. For some associations the result is a modest bump in monthly assessments. For older buildings with serious deferred maintenance, the numbers can be large: reports from around the state describe special assessments reaching tens of thousands of dollars per unit, and bills exceeding $100,000 where major structural repairs stack on top of the new reserve funding.
Associations that cannot cover repair costs out of reserves have several financing options, including term loans, lines of credit, and assessment-backed loans repaid through future dues. These spread the cost over time and avoid a single large special assessment, though they add interest. For individual owners who cannot absorb a sudden assessment, the pressure has in some cases forced sales, particularly in older, lower-value buildings where repair costs approach or exceed what a unit is worth.
If you are shopping for a Florida condo, ask for the SIRS and the most recent milestone inspection report before you make an offer. That is how you learn whether you are about to buy into a building with a significant assessment increase or special assessment on the horizon.