HomeMilestone inspection and SIRS

The difference between a milestone inspection and a SIRS

A milestone inspection asks whether a building is structurally sound; a SIRS asks whether the association is saving enough to keep it that way. A licensed architect or engineer performs the inspection, first due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30; its report goes to the local building official. The SIRS is a reserve study completed at least every 10 years, and DBPR keeps a public list of associations that submitted one.

DBPR's SIRS database lists a study for 3,934 of the 12,880 Florida condo communities with 25 or more units (31%). DBPR's inspections page describes no equivalent list for milestone inspections: their reports go to the local enforcement agency.

Updated October 7, 2026 · statute text and DBPR pages read October 7, 2026 · DBPR SIRS database pulled Oct 5, 2026

Side by side

Milestone inspectionSIRS
What it isA structural inspection by a licensed architect or engineer, to attest to the life safety and adequacy of the building's structural components (s. 553.899(2)(a), F.S.).A reserve study of the building's structure and main systems, based on a visual inspection, with a reserve funding plan (s. 718.112(2)(g)1., 2. and 4., F.S.).
The question it answersIs the structure sound, and what repair does it need?Is the association saving enough to maintain or replace each item over its remaining life?
Who performs itA licensed architect or engineer; a team may help, with one of them in responsible charge (s. 553.899(2)(a)).An engineer, an architect, or a person certified as a reserve specialist or professional reserve analyst (s. 718.112(2)(g)3.a.).
Which buildingsResidential condominium or cooperative buildings of three or more habitable stories (s. 553.899(3)(a)).Each building of three habitable stories or higher on residential condominium property (s. 718.112(2)(g)1.).
First dueBy December 31 of the year the building turns 30, counted from its certificate of occupancy. Before December 31, 2024 if it turned 30 before July 1, 2022; before December 31, 2025 if it turns 30 from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024. A local agency may set 25 years (s. 553.899(3)(a) and (b)).By December 31, 2025 for associations that existed on or before July 1, 2022 and are controlled by unit owners. An association whose milestone inspection is due on or before December 31, 2026 may do both together, and no study may be completed after December 31, 2026 (s. 718.112(2)(g)7.).
RepeatsEvery 10 years after the first (s. 553.899(3)(a)).At least every 10 years after the condominium's creation (s. 718.112(2)(g)1.).
Who starts itThe local enforcement agency sends written notice by certified mail; the association tells owners within 14 days (s. 553.899(5)).The association, against the dates the statute sets (s. 718.112(2)(g)7.).
PhasesPhase 1 is a visual examination. Phase 2, with testing, happens only if Phase 1 finds substantial structural deterioration (s. 553.899(7)).One study; the visual inspection is part of it (s. 718.112(2)(g)2.).
Where the result goesA sealed report and a summary go to the association, any owner of a part of the building outside the condominium, and the local government's building official (s. 553.899(8)).A copy, or a notice that it is available, goes to each owner, and a statement that it was completed goes to DBPR, both within 45 days (s. 718.112(2)(g)11. and 12.).
What owners receiveThe inspector's summary within 45 days, posted on the property, with the full report on the association's website if it must have one (s. 553.899(9)).A copy of the study, or a notice that it is available on written request, within 45 days (s. 718.112(2)(g)11.).
Can you look it up?Ask the local building official. DBPR's inspections page describes no statewide list of finished inspections (read October 7, 2026).Yes. DBPR's SIRS Reporting Database lists associations that submitted a complete form, in two lists.

Source: s. 553.899, F.S. and s. 718.112(2)(g), F.S., text read October 7, 2026; DBPR pages read the same day (see Sources).

How the two connect

The law links them in three places. A milestone inspection done within the past 5 years, or an inspection under a similar local requirement, can stand in for the visual inspection part of a SIRS when it meets the requirements of the SIRS paragraph (s. 718.112(2)(g)8.). An association that completes a milestone inspection may delay its SIRS for up to 2 consecutive budget years, so it can spend on the repairs the inspection recommends first (s. 718.112(2)(g)9.). And an association whose milestone inspection is due on or before December 31, 2026 may complete the SIRS at the same time (s. 718.112(2)(g)7.).

They differ in purpose. The milestone inspection is not a check against the building code: the statute says its purpose is not to determine whether an existing building complies with the Florida Building Code or the firesafety code (s. 553.899(2)(a)). The SIRS is a money plan: it lists each item, its remaining useful life and replacement cost, and a funding schedule that keeps the reserve cash balance above zero (s. 718.112(2)(g)4.).

What you can look up for one building, and what neither tells you

Only the SIRS has a public statewide list. DBPR's SIRS Reporting Database shows associations that submitted a complete form, and it shows entries exactly as submitted, so a missing building is not proof that no study exists. The milestone inspection report goes to the local building official, so the record sits with your city or county. Each building page on this site shows both: whether DBPR lists a SIRS, and the year the first milestone inspection was probably due, worded as a condition because the state registry carries neither certificate of occupancy dates nor story counts.

Neither record describes a building's condition today. A SIRS on file says the association completed and reported a study. A milestone inspection summary says what the inspector found on the date of the inspection. Neither tells you whether a repair has been done, and a missing entry in DBPR's list does not show that a study was never done.

Next steps: how to check a building, the deadline calculator, the milestone inspection law and the SIRS guide. Costs are on the cost page.

Questions

Is a SIRS the same as a milestone inspection?

No. They are separate requirements with separate deadlines, performers and reports. A milestone inspection is a structural inspection under s. 553.899, F.S.; a SIRS is a reserve study under s. 718.112(2)(g), F.S. The law lets one stand in for part of the other: a milestone inspection done within the past 5 years can replace the visual inspection part of a SIRS (s. 718.112(2)(g)8.).

Does a condo building need both?

A residential condominium building of three or more habitable stories needs both: a milestone inspection under s. 553.899(3)(a), F.S., and a SIRS under s. 718.112(2)(g)1., F.S. A building under three stories is outside both rules (s. 553.899(3)(a) and (4); s. 718.112(2)(g)1. and 5.).

Which comes first, the milestone inspection or the SIRS?

Neither has to come first. A building's milestone date depends on its age. The SIRS was due December 31, 2025 for associations that existed on or before July 1, 2022 and are controlled by unit owners. An association whose milestone inspection is due on or before December 31, 2026 may do the SIRS together with it, and no later than December 31, 2026 (s. 718.112(2)(g)7., F.S.). After a milestone inspection an association may delay the SIRS for up to 2 consecutive budget years (s. 718.112(2)(g)9.).

Who can read the SIRS and the milestone inspection summary?

Each unit owner. The association must send the SIRS, or a notice that it is available on written request, within 45 days of receiving it (s. 718.112(2)(g)11., F.S.), and the inspector's summary of a milestone report within 45 days (s. 553.899(9), F.S.).

Written by Condo Due Date from the sources listed below; how pages are written. Not legal or engineering advice; the local building official sets milestone notices and deadlines.

Sources