40-year recertification in Miami-Dade County

What the county needs from you

• A structural report and an electrical report; threshold buildings need a qualified structural engineer and an electrical engineer
• A self-qualification letter and proof of structural specialisation for threshold buildings
• Structural glazing recertification every 5 years for threshold buildings, fee $380.90
• Filing within 90 days of the notice, after courtesy notices two years and one year ahead

Recertification in Miami-Dade County

• Courtesy notices go out two years and one year before the due year, and the recertification reports are due within 90 days of the Notice of Building Recertification.
• The county schedule turns on the year built. Coastal condo and co-op buildings three stories or more within three miles of the coastline and built in 1998 or later recertify at 25 years; other buildings built in 1993 or later at 30 years; every building then recertifies every 10 years.
• Fees from 1 October 2025: $403.13 for the initial structural and electrical review, $453.52 if the reports arrive after 90 days, $143.23 per discipline for a re-review and $169.04 per discipline for a quality control inspection.
• A missed deadline brings a citation without further notice, an initial penalty of $510, accumulating penalties up to $10,000 per violation and possible referral to the county's Lien Collection Unit.
• Threshold buildings, including those four stories or taller, are inspected separately by a qualified structural engineer and an electrical engineer, and the structural report carries a self-qualification letter and proof of the engineer's DBPR structural specialization.
• Parking lot illumination must meet County Code s. 8C-3, and guardrails must meet s. 8C-6 where a parking lot abuts a canal, lake or other body of water. If guardrails are missing, a permit to install them comes first, and both certificates go in the recertification packet.
• Threshold buildings with structural glazing also need a facade inspection of the glazing adhesive every five years, filed within 90 days of notice with every page signed and sealed. The processing fee is $380.90.
• The Building Official may extend the deadline by up to 60 days on a written request from the engineer or architect, with a signed and sealed statement that the building may stay occupied. The extension fee is $75.58.

How we handle building recertification in Miami-Dade County

Recertification here is older than the state law and wider. It applies to offices, warehouses and rental buildings as well as condos, it includes an electrical report, and it has its own fees and penalties. For a condo board it runs alongside the state milestone law, so we plan the two together and keep the 90-day county clock in front of the manager.[1][6]

Permits for building recertification (40-year) in Miami-Dade County

• Miami-Dade County Building, Recertification: Recertification notices, filings and fees for unincorporated Miami-Dade, and the county code every city follows
• City building departments (for example City of Miami, Miami Beach): Run recertification and milestone filings inside their own city limits

How is recertification different from a milestone inspection?

The milestone inspection is a state requirement in s. 553.899 for condo and co-op buildings. County recertification is local law that covers most building types, includes an electrical recertification, and has its own schedule, fees and penalties. A condo building in Miami-Dade or Broward may need to satisfy both, so ask the professional how one inspection can serve both programs.[6][1][7]

Miami-Dade recertification schedule

• Buildings built before 1983 keep their established recertification schedule.
• Coastal condo and co-op buildings 3 stories or more within 3 miles, built 1983 to 1997, and other buildings built 1983 to 1992, were due by 31 December 2024.
• Coastal condo and co-op buildings built 1998 or later recertify at 25 years.
• Other buildings built 1993 or later recertify at 30 years.
• Every 10 years after that.
• Courtesy notices are sent two years and one year ahead; reports are due within 90 days of the notice.

Broward Building Safety Inspection Program (Fort Lauderdale)

• First inspection at 25 years, then every 10 years
• Notices sent by certified mail from 1 June to 31 August each year
• Safety report due within 180 days of the notice
• Repairs within 180 days of the report unless the Building Official sets otherwise
• Review fee $375

Frequently asked questions