Condo concrete restoration in Boca Raton

Repair rules in Boca Raton

• Once the city finds the report sufficient, the owner has 365 days to start the repairs under permit, unless the Building Official or engineer of record sets a shorter time, and the repair permit must stay active. After the work, the engineer re-inspects and files a sealed letter or amended report.
• The guidelines single out underground and lower-level garages, citing low ground elevation, a shallow and rising water table, porous ground and a corrosive coastal environment, and add an inspection of how the garage has been maintained.
• The guidelines list railings, guardrails and balcony and terrace enclosures among the facade items the engineer examines, and unpermitted balcony enclosures must be identified and legalized before the building can be recertified.
• Covered buildings recertify at 30 years, or at 25 years for condo and co-op properties within three miles of a coastline as defined in s. 376.031; threshold buildings recertify at 30 years.
• Palm Beach County, home to Boca Raton, was one of the three counties with the most required Phase 2 inspections in 2024.
• Citing NIST's preliminary findings on Champlain Towers South, the guidelines ask engineers to look closely at deck slabs, plaza decks, columns and transfer members for signs of distress such as efflorescence.
• The program covers condo and co-op buildings three stories or more, or 50 feet or more in height, and it counts uninhabitable stories such as underground parking toward that height.
• OPPAGA reported that some Palm Beach County jurisdictions accept a single combined Phase 1 and Phase 2 inspection.

How we handle concrete restoration in Boca Raton

Because Boca counts underground parking levels as stories, garage slabs and columns under a condo can bring the whole building into the program. When the recertification finds repairs, we line up a contractor who works to the engineer's scope and collect the photos and reports the city expects with the resubmittal.[2]

Permits for condo concrete restoration in Boca Raton

• City of Boca Raton Building Division: Building Recertification Inspection Program notices, schedule and filings

How does a restoration project run?

1. The engineer's report identifies the deterioration and recommended repairs.
2. A Florida-licensed engineer prepares repair drawings and specifications, often the engineer who did the inspection.
3. Qualified restoration contractors bid on the same scope, each disclosing any interest in the inspection firm as the statute requires.
4. The contractor obtains permits from the local building department.
5. Repairs proceed in phases, usually stack by stack, with shoring where the engineer requires it.
6. The engineer observes the work, and the building department inspects and closes the permits.

What deadlines apply to repairs?

The state sets the outer limit of 365 days from the Phase 2 report for repairs to commence, and each county or city must adopt its own repair ordinance. Fort Lauderdale's program allows 180 days from the safety report unless the Building Official sets otherwise, and the City of Miami gives 60 days after filing a recertification report to obtain repair permits without a violation.[4][6][7]

Who may bid on the repairs?

Any design professional or contractor licensed under chapter 489 who bids on repairs recommended by a milestone inspection may not have an interest in the inspection firm, or be a relative of someone who does, unless it is disclosed to the association in writing. Without the disclosure, the contract is voidable.[4]

Frequently asked questions