Condo concrete restoration in Miami-Dade County

Repair rules in Miami-Dade County

• Of the 24 buildings found unsafe or uninhabitable statewide in 2025, 23 were in Miami-Dade, and Aventura alone reported 19.
• Where the reports call for repairs, the county requires the work to go through proper permitting before it will recertify the building.
• 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.
• In the state's 2025 milestone data, Miami-Dade building officials reported 308 required Phase 2 inspections, the highest count among the counties that reported that year.
• The county identifies the coastal condo and co-op buildings that fall under the three-mile rule through a GIS mapping project, so the county's notice, not a tape measure, settles which schedule applies.
• 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.
• 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.

How we handle concrete restoration in Miami-Dade County

Repairs that come out of a Miami-Dade recertification have to be permitted before the building can be recertified, and the county's 2025 numbers, 308 required Phase 2 inspections and 23 of the state's 24 unsafe or uninhabitable findings, show why the repair scope should be priced as soon as the engineer's findings arrive. We line up the scope, the permit and the contractor so the recertification can close.[2][1]

Permits for condo concrete restoration 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 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][5][6]

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