Milestone inspections in Cape Coral

Milestone inspection rules in Cape Coral

• Buildings with a certificate of occupancy issued on or before 1 July 1992 had to complete the initial inspection before 31 December 2024.
• The association arranges and pays for the inspections and may hand tasks to a management company, but it remains responsible for compliance.
• The building official sends notice by certified mail, generally about 180 days before the due date, if results have not already been submitted.
• Once the notice arrives, the association has 180 days to complete Phase 1.
• The Building Division is at 1015 Cultural Park Boulevard and takes questions at (239) 574-0401, Monday to Friday.
• Repairs for substantial structural deterioration must begin within 365 days of receiving the Phase 2 report; if they do not, the building official decides whether the building is unsafe for occupancy.
• The city warns that noncompliance can bring penalties up to and including liens, and that officers or directors who fail to complete the inspections may breach their fiduciary duty to owners.

How we handle milestone inspections in Cape Coral

Cape Coral simplifies one question other cities leave open. Because the city says no building is within three miles of the coastline, the first inspection is at 30 years everywhere. The notice usually arrives about 180 days before the due date, so we book the engineer as soon as it comes and keep the association, not just the manager, informed, since the city holds the association responsible.[1]

Permits for milestone inspections in Cape Coral

• City of Cape Coral Building Division: Milestone inspection notices and filings in Cape Coral

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.[2]

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.[2][4][5][6][7][8]

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.[2]

Frequently asked questions