Milestone and recertification inspections in Boca Raton

Is your Boca building covered?

• Condo or co-op ownership
• 3 stories or 50 feet or more, counting underground parking and other uninhabitable stories
• Within 3 miles of the coast at 25 years, otherwise 30; threshold buildings at 30

Planning from the published schedule

The city publishes its backlog and a Building Recertification Schedule for 2027 to 2031. Find your building, then book the inspection early in the due year so repairs and the owner summary fit inside the deadlines.[1]

Milestone inspection rules in Boca Raton

• 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.
• 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.
• The report combines a Structural Report and an Electrical Report on the city's own forms, with a narrative and color photos. The engineers tell the Building Official three business days before each inspection so city inspectors can attend, and any draft given to the owner goes to the city at the same time.
• The city publishes a revised backlog schedule and a Building Recertification Schedule for 2027 to 2031, which it says may be amended.
• The city notifies each owner at least 365 days before the building's recertification deadline with a Notice of Required Inspection by certified mail, and posts it at the building if the letter comes back unclaimed.
• If the report falls short, the owner has 30 days to correct and resubmit it, with up to three resubmittals before the matter goes to the Permitting and Construction Review Board. Extensions of up to 60 days are possible to submit the report or obtain permits.
• Applications are made online or by mail to the Building Recertification Department at 200 NW 2nd Avenue, with the submittal form, checklists, written reports, photos and payment; the coordinator is on 561-393-7894.
• Palm Beach County, home to Boca Raton, was one of the three counties with the most required Phase 2 inspections in 2024.

How we handle milestone inspections in Boca Raton

In Boca Raton the city program and the state milestone law cover similar buildings with slightly different tests. Boca counts underground parking toward its three-story or 50-foot threshold, so a building the state would not count can still be on the city's schedule. We check the published 2027 to 2031 schedule and scope one inspection for both where the city allows it.[1][5]

Permits for milestone inspections in Boca Raton

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

When is a milestone inspection due?

By 31 December of the year the building reaches 30 years from its certificate of occupancy, and every 10 years after that. If the certificate date is not available, the building official's records of occupancy set the date. Buildings that turned 30 before 1 July 2022 were due before 31 December 2024, and those that turned 30 between 1 July 2022 and 31 December 2024 were due before 31 December 2025.[5]

Is it 25 years within 3 miles of the coast?

Not automatically any more. The 2022 law set 25 years for buildings within 3 miles of the coastline. The 2023 law (SB 154) replaced that with a local choice, so the local enforcement agency now decides whether local circumstances, such as proximity to salt water, require 25 years. Many South Florida departments chose to keep the 3-mile line; Tampa and Pinellas use 30 years. Check your own department.[5][2][6][7][8][9]

How do Phase 1 and Phase 2 work?

• The building department sends written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested.
• The association tells unit owners within 14 days, with the due date.
• Phase 1, a visual examination and qualitative assessment, is completed within 180 days of the notice, when the architect or engineer submits the report to the building department.
• Phase 2, with destructive or nondestructive testing, is required only if Phase 1 finds substantial structural deterioration. A progress report with a timeline is due within 180 days of the Phase 1 report.
• The association sends the inspector's summary to every owner within 45 days of receiving a report.
• Repairs for substantial structural deterioration must start within 365 days of the Phase 2 report.

Who performs the inspection?

An architect licensed under chapter 481 or an engineer licensed under chapter 471 who is authorized to practise in Florida. A team may do the work with an architect or engineer as the registered design professional in responsible charge, and all work and reports are signed and sealed by the qualified team member. We arrange and coordinate the inspection; the professional performs it and seals the report.[5]

Frequently asked questions