Florida Condo Milestone Inspections and SIRS, Explained
Jesse McGreevy November 4, 2026
Jesse McGreevy November 4, 2026
Lee County condos and townhouses sold at a $255,000 median in September 2026, needed a median 86 days to reach a contract, and showed 3,005 active listings, or 6.6 months of supply (Florida Realtors, September 2026, released October 2026). In Collier County outside Marco Island, NABOR counted 2,168 condos for sale against a $400,000 condo median (NABOR, October 23, 2026). A milestone inspection tests whether an older Florida condo building is structurally sound, and a structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) prices and schedules the savings for its largest components.
Our guide to buying a condo in Florida covers the whole purchase. This post stays on the two reports: the statute wording, the state forms, how to test a reserve schedule, and where to check filings yourself.
A Florida milestone inspection under s. 553.899, F.S., is a structural safety check of a residential condominium by a licensed architect or engineer. A SIRS under s. 718.112(2)(g), F.S., is a costed reserve study of eight component groups. The first asks whether the building is safe; the second asks whether owners are saving enough.
Data updated: November 2026 (sources named, retrieved 4 November 2026).
The milestone statute says the inspection attests to "life safety and adequacy of the structural components," not Building Code compliance, and only a Florida-licensed architect or engineer may sign it. A SIRS rests on a visual inspection and may also be prepared by a reserve specialist certified by CAI or APRA.
Three clauses in s. 718.112(2)(g) connect the reports. Clause 7 lets an association due for a milestone inspection on or before December 31, 2026 do the SIRS at the same time. Clause 8 lets a milestone inspection from the past 5 years replace only the SIRS visual portion. Clause 9 allows a delay of up to 2 budget years. A milestone report is structural only, so ask whether it really covered plumbing, electrical and fire protection.
Florida condo buildings of three or more habitable stories need a milestone inspection by December 31 of the year they turn 30, counted from the certificate of occupancy, or 25 where the local building official chooses, then every 10 years. Each also needs a SIRS every 10 years, and the December 31, 2026 outer date is eight weeks away.
Data updated: November 2026 (sources named, retrieved 4 November 2026).
The wording is not uniform: clause 1 says "three habitable stories or higher," while clauses 6 and 7 still say "three stories or higher." SB 1498, a 2026 bill to align them, died in committee.
Collier County applies 25 years within three miles of salt water and 30 beyond. Its buildings-by-year PDF holds 926 building rows: nine list a next milestone due in 2026, fourteen in 2027, 347 in 2033 and 168 in 2034. A date shown as 01/01 marks the due year, not a missed deadline.
The list shows both clocks. Concord at the Vineyards buildings, with 1996 certificates of occupancy, are due in 2026 on the 30-year clock, while the Dunes of Naples, with 2001 certificates, run on the 25-year coastal clock. If you tour with one of the best real estate agents in Naples, ask them to check this list first.
The City of Naples uses the same three-mile test, and its 2026 list names four three-story buildings with a 2001 year: Bayport Village A, La Majorca A, The Tuscan A and Victor Del Rey A. Marco Island applies 25 or 30 years by distance, and Cape Coral 30 citywide.
Lee County (unincorporated), Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Estero have not published a milestone rule or list on their sites as of November 2026; ask the building department. Two readings remain open for a Florida condominium attorney: whether a building due in 2027 can use the simultaneous option, and whether the clause 9 delay can pass the outer date.
A Phase 1 milestone report is the state Form EB18-2024, 26 pages and 19 numbered sections before attachments. A Phase 2 report uses a second form of about 7 pages that grades the urgency of each repair. A SIRS lists each component's remaining life and replacement cost, then a funding schedule including a baseline plan.
Data updated: November 2026 (sources named, retrieved 4 November 2026).
Page 1 of the Phase 1 form carries a checkbox ladder, from "Passed Phase 1 Inspections" through "Maintenance Needed" and "Phase 2 inspection is required" up to "Immediate Dangerous Condition Observed." Section 16 asks whether any portion must be vacated; Section 18 asks about unpermitted structural work.
Section 19 defines the rating words:
So "Fair" already signals possible deterioration. A Phase 2 report ends with corrective action required, maintenance needed but passing, or no deterioration, and required work must be followed by an amended milestone report, so ask for it.
The draft SIRS form in the Florida Building Commission's December 2025 packet asks for visual inspection dates, funding method and projected contributions. DBPR's online reporting form then asks whether the schedule "will result in either special assessment, loan, or line of credit or if reserves are sufficient," the shortest route to what a study means for your bill.
Read a Florida SIRS in four passes: the inspection date and preparer, the items due within 10 years against the SIRS reserve balance, the funding method and percent funded, and the budgeted contribution against the study's recommendation. A positive 10-year gap is money that must come from an assessment, a line of credit or a loan.
Data updated: November 2026 (sources named, retrieved 4 November 2026).
Percent funded is the reserve balance over the fully funded balance, each component's share being current cost times effective age over useful life, as CAI-standards reserve firms define it. A low ratio means savings lag behind wear. A baseline plan only keeps cash above zero, so the first overrun becomes an assessment.
The gap formula: items due in 10 years, minus the SIRS reserve balance, minus 10 years of the contribution actually budgeted. Illustrative, not a real association: 40 units, $2,400,000 due within 10 years, $350,000 reserved and $90,000 a year. $2,400,000 minus $350,000 minus $900,000 is $1,150,000, about $28,750 per unit if shared equally.
A real study shows the reading, though from outside our market: the 174-page 2025 SIRS for Pelican Cove, a 731-unit Sarasota association, shows its SIRS pool at $156,328 against a fully funded $568,100, or 27.5 percent, under a baseline plan its own definitions call "the riskiest goal." Fannie Mae will not accept baseline plans for applications dated on or after August 3, 2026, as our post on warrantable condos in Florida explains.
A Florida condo buyer can check a building's status in DBPR's public SIRS reporting database, Collier County's Milestone Map, PDF list and permit portal, the City of Naples yearly lists, Marco Island's permit search and Cape Coral's building division. For Lee County, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Estero, ask the association for the building department's letters.
Data updated: November 2026 (sources named, retrieved 4 November 2026).
DBPR's SIRS reporting page links two lists, before July 2025 and July 2025 onward, so search both by name and address. Entries appear "exactly as submitted," and DBPR reviews filings procedurally, so a listing proves a study was reported, not that it is sound or that the budget follows it.
In unincorporated Collier, take the reference number from the PDF list, then use the county milestone page to reach the map and portal. Documents and Images holds the notice letter, Phase 1 summary and any completion letter. "MI Phase Permit" means repairs for substantial deterioration are being permitted.
For a Naples address inside city limits, find the building on the City of Naples yearly lists and search its application number in the City portal. On Marco Island, search permits by type "Milestone Phase 1." Associations of 25 or more units must post these reports online within 30 days.
After a Florida Phase 2 report finds substantial structural deterioration, repairs must begin within 365 days, and Collier County wants a permit application within 150 days. After an underfunded SIRS, the board raises contributions or funds the gap by special assessment, line of credit or loan, each needing a majority of all voting interests.
Data updated: November 2026 (sources named, retrieved 4 November 2026).
If repairs are not shown as started, the building official must decide whether the building is safe to occupy. On the money side, s. 718.112(2)(g)4.c. requires an updated SIRS before any budget that departs from the study's plan.
For budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028, a majority of the total voting interests may pause or cut reserve contributions for up to two annual budgets to pay milestone repairs, but a new SIRS must come before contributions resume. A pause in the budget you receive deserves a question, because the catch-up lands on later owners.
Lenders react too. Fannie Mae treats a project with unaddressed critical repairs, or an assessment tied to one, as ineligible. How assessments are voted, insured and split at closing is in our post on HO-6 insurance and special assessments.
For price, these laws seem to show up in negotiation more than in price per square foot. In a Southwest Florida MLS pull of mid-rise and high-rise closed sales from November 5, 2025 to November 4, 2026, buildings 30 or more years old closed more than 5 percent under last list price more often than newer ones.
Data updated: November 2026 (sources named, retrieved 4 November 2026).
That share was 57.2 against 52.3 percent in Collier and 56.8 against 46.7 percent in Lee, yet older Collier buildings sold higher per square foot, $638 against $557. This is our inference from one year of sales, a correlation, not proof.
Before our clients make an offer, we read the Phase 1 checkbox and rating, look for an amended report, check both DBPR lists, run the 10-year gap and compare the adopted budget with the study. Reserves flow into dues, so we also read what the fee covers, as in our post on Naples condo fees.
Yes, if it is a residential condominium or cooperative of three or more habitable stories as the Florida Building Code measures them. The clock runs from the certificate of occupancy: 30 years statewide, or 25 where the local official adopts the coastal option, as Collier County, Naples and Marco Island have.
No. A milestone inspection performed within the past 5 years may stand in only for the visual inspection portion of a SIRS, and only if it meets the SIRS requirements. The study must still state each component's remaining useful life and replacement cost and set out a reserve funding schedule.
No. DBPR shows SIRS reporting forms exactly as associations submitted them and checks only that a qualified professional did the study. A listing confirms that a report was filed, not that its cost estimates are realistic or that the board budgets what it recommends. Compare the study with the adopted budget.
On the state milestone form, "Fair" means the inspector observed an indication of substantial structural deterioration but no dangerous condition. It sits one step below "Poor," which means actual deterioration was observed. A Fair rating on a major component is a reason to ask whether a Phase 2 inspection followed.
The association pays the costs tied to the portions of the building it must maintain, under s. 553.899(4), F.S., so owners fund it through the budget or an assessment. Filing fees sit on top: the City of Naples charges a $300 initial milestone fee, and the professional and association decide who pays it.
Every rule, form and figure above is cited in the full source list on our Florida condo buyer guide.
Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar, Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008 and Gulfshore Life Five Star award winners for 21 consecutive years, lead Domain Realty Group, the #1 real estate team in Southwest Florida since 2012. Brokered by Domain Realty. Call Jesse McGreevy at (239) 898-6072.
Updated November 2026. General information, not legal, tax, insurance or lending advice.
Our team’s unprecedented professionalism, skill, and attention to detail has allowed us to set sales records for the past 20+ years. We will ensure your buying or selling experience exceeds your expectations.