Structural integrity reserve studies (SIRS) in Miami-Dade County

Local rules that shape a SIRS in Miami-Dade County

• 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.
• Of the 24 buildings found unsafe or uninhabitable statewide in 2025, 23 were in Miami-Dade, and Aventura alone reported 19.
• 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.
• The county has run a Condominium Special Assessment Loan Program with loans up to $50,000, at zero percent for 40 years for eligible households earning up to 140 percent of area median income, with priority for owners 62 or older. Its page gives a June application window without a year, so ask the county whether a round is open.
• 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.
• 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.
• OPPAGA found that some building departments in Miami-Dade accept one combined Phase 1 and Phase 2 milestone inspection instead of two separate visits.

How we handle structural integrity reserve studies in Miami-Dade County

The county recertification packet already documents the structure, the electrical system, parking lot lighting and, on glazed towers, the facade adhesive. We hand the latest recertification and milestone reports to the reserve professional so the SIRS starts from what the engineers found, which matters in a county that reported 308 required Phase 2 inspections in 2025.[1][2]

Permits for structural integrity reserve studies (sirs) 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 does a SIRS cover?

At a minimum the roof; the structure, including load-bearing walls and primary structural members and systems; fireproofing and fire protection systems; plumbing; electrical systems; waterproofing and exterior painting; windows and exterior doors; and any other item above the reserve threshold whose failure would harm those items. For each item the study gives the estimated remaining useful life and the replacement cost or deferred maintenance expense, and it includes at least a baseline funding plan that keeps the reserve cash balance above zero in every budget year.[6]

Who may perform or verify the study?

An engineer licensed under chapter 471, an architect licensed under chapter 481, or a person certified as a reserve specialist or professional reserve analyst by the Community Associations Institute or the Association of Professional Reserve Analysts. The rule covers the visual inspection portion too. We arrange the study with one of these professionals and coordinate the schedule; the professional signs the study.[6][7]

What are the deadlines?

• Owner-controlled associations existing on or before 1 July 2022 had to complete a SIRS by 31 December 2025.
• With a milestone inspection due on or before 31 December 2026, the SIRS may be done at the same time, but no SIRS may be completed after 31 December 2026.
• After that, at least every 10 years.
• Within 45 days of receiving the study, owners get a copy or notice and the association files a statement with the Division.

How does the SIRS change the budget?

Reserves for the SIRS items must be based on the most recent study, and for budgets adopted on or after 31 December 2024 an owner-controlled association that must have a SIRS cannot vote to waive or reduce those reserves, except a multicondominium with a Division-approved alternative funding method. SIRS items may be funded by regular assessments, special assessments, lines of credit or loans; the last three need a majority of the total voting interests.[6]

Frequently asked questions