Phase 1 milestone inspection in Miami-Dade County

Who this is for

Associations that have received, or expect, the building department's certified letter, and managers who need the 180-day clock and owner notices handled.

What Miami-Dade County sets for Phase 1

• 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 office handles unincorporated Miami-Dade. Cities such as Miami and Miami Beach run recertification through their own building departments under the same county code.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

How we handle Phase 1 inspections in Miami-Dade County

A Miami-Dade condo tower usually answers to two clocks. The county counts recertification from the year built and gives 90 days from its notice; the state milestone law counts from the certificate of occupancy and gives 180 days for Phase 1. We ask the engineer to scope one inspection that can serve both where the building official accepts it, and we keep each filing on its own deadline.[1][5]

Permits 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

What happens in a Phase 1 inspection?

• Review of available drawings, prior reports and repair records
• Walk-through of common areas, garages, roofs, balconies, walkways and a sample of units
• Visual assessment of load-bearing elements and primary structural members and systems
• A sealed report with a separate summary of material findings and recommendations

What must the Phase 1 report say?

• The seal and signature of the engineer or architect
• The manner and type of inspection
• Any substantial structural deterioration, its extent and recommended repairs
• Whether unsafe or dangerous conditions, as the Florida Building Code defines them, were observed
• Recommended remedial or preventive repairs for damaged items that are not substantial deterioration
• Items requiring further inspection

Timeline from notice to owner summary

• Day 0: certified letter from the building department
• By day 14: association notifies unit owners of the inspection and due date
• By day 180: Phase 1 report submitted to the building department
• Within 45 days of receiving the report: inspector summary to every owner, posted on the property and on the association website if one is required

Frequently asked questions