Boynton Beach's recertification program and the state milestone inspection: one process or two?

Published: October 8, 2026 · Last reviewed: October 8, 2026

Reviewed by Gabor I. Nagy, PE — Founder

Direct answer: One program, not two inspections. For condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller, the City of Boynton Beach's Building Recertification Program is how the state milestone inspection under Florida Statutes §553.899 is administered and satisfied in Boynton Beach. The city's version starts at 25 years and adds an electrical inspection and its own filing rules.

Boards in Boynton Beach hear two names for the same obligation. State law talks about a "milestone inspection." The city talks about "building recertification." When the two terms appear side by side with no explanation, it is reasonable for a board to wonder whether it has two inspections to schedule. This post explains how the two fit together and what the city adds.

Because the city's own building code says so. Section 110.11 of Boynton Beach's amendments to the Florida Building Code defines the "milestone inspection" as the structural inspection required under §553.899, "including an inspection of the electrical system," and requires covered condominium and cooperative buildings to have that milestone inspection performed under the city program. One program, one building department, one filing for each building.

That does not always mean one professional or one report. The city requires a structural report and an electrical report, filed together, and some buildings need a different engineer for each.

Florida Statutes §553.899, created by SB 4-D after the 2021 Surfside collapse, applies to buildings three habitable stories or more that are subject, in whole or in part, to condominium or cooperative ownership under chapters 718 or 719.

• When: by December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years of age, and every 10 years after that, with earlier transition deadlines for buildings that reached that age by the end of 2024 (§553.899(3)(a)). A local enforcement agency may move the first inspection to 25 years based on local circumstances, including environmental conditions such as proximity to salt water (§553.899(3)(b)).
• Notice: the local enforcement agency sends written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested. Within 14 days, the association tells unit owners that the inspection is required and the date it must be completed (§553.899(5)).
• Phase one: a licensed architect or engineer performs a visual examination of habitable and nonhabitable areas (§553.899(7)(a)). It must be completed within 180 days after the owners receive the notice, and "completed" means the inspector has submitted the report to the local enforcement agency (§553.899(6)).
• Phase two: required only if phase one identifies substantial structural deterioration. Within 180 days after submitting the phase one report, the architect or engineer performing phase two submits a progress report with a timeline for completing it (§553.899(7)(b)).
• Reports to owners: the inspector delivers a sealed report and a separate summary to the association and the building official (§553.899(8)). Within 45 days of receiving it, whatever the findings, the association distributes the summary to every unit owner, posts it in a conspicuous place on the property, and publishes the full report and summary on its website if it is required to have one (§553.899(9)).
• Repairs: local governments must adopt an ordinance requiring owners to schedule or commence repairs for substantial structural deterioration, with commencement no later than 365 days after the local enforcement agency receives the phase two report. Local deadlines can be sooner (§553.899(11)).

Two provisions matter most here. Subsection (3)(b) lets the local enforcement agency choose the 25-year trigger. Subsection (10) says plainly: "A local enforcement agency may prescribe timelines and penalties with respect to compliance with this section." The statute sets the floor; the local building department runs the program. For a walk-through of a phase one inspection, see What happens during a Florida milestone inspection?

The City of Boynton Beach is the local enforcement agency for its own city limits, and it has used both of those provisions.

• It adopted the 25-year trigger. The first inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building reaches 25 years of age, measured from the certificate of occupancy, and every 10 years after the 25th anniversary (city code §110.11.5 and §110.11.5.1).
• It built the program on the statute. The city's recertification Q&A says Ordinance 22-025 was adopted in response to the Surfside collapse and the milestone statute.
• It runs the clock and the filing. The city sends the certified-mail notice at least 365 days before the building's recertification year. Phase one is due within 180 calendar days after the owners receive it. Reports are filed electronically with the Building Division and reviewed there; deficiencies are flagged in writing within 30 days, and the owner has 30 days to resubmit, up to three times (city code §110.11.7, §110.11.8 and §110.11.10).

For a condominium or cooperative building, the city program incorporates the state milestone requirement and adds its own requirements on top. It is not a second, duplicate structural inspection. The association's own duties under the statute still apply: telling owners within 14 days, and distributing, posting and publishing the summary within 45 days. Broward and Miami-Dade boards will recognize the pattern; see Milestone Inspection vs. Building Recertification in Florida.

• More buildings. The program also covers threshold buildings, a Florida Building Code classification that covers any building more than three stories or 50 feet tall, plus certain large assembly buildings, regardless of ownership type (city code §110.11.4). The code exempts single-, two- and three-family homes and townhomes of three or fewer habitable stories; state, university and Palm Beach County School buildings; and federal, state, county and municipal government buildings (city code §110.11.5). For how the threshold label works statewide, see Threshold Buildings vs. Milestone Inspections.
• Electrical service. Phase one includes a visual examination of the electrical service system; the city's overview describes the scope as electrical service equipment, excluding unit panels. The state milestone inspection is structural only.
• A second way into phase two. Under the city code, phase two can be triggered by electrical service system problems as well as substantial structural deterioration (city code §110.11.8.2).
• Balconies and guardrails, by name. The city lists all improved balconies and guardrails in phase one, alongside the major structural components (city code §110.11.8.1). See Balconies and railings: what should your Florida condo board watch for?
• Engineer qualifications for threshold buildings. For a threshold building, the structural portion must be prepared by a Florida PE specializing in structural design and the electrical portion by a Florida PE specializing in electrical design, with a self-qualification letter from the structural engineer (city code §110.11.8.1).
• Repair deadlines after review. When the phase two report documents necessary repairs, the owner has 60 calendar days from the Building Official's acceptance of the reports to submit a repair plan and schedule, and 180 calendar days to permit and correct deficiencies that pose an immediate threat to life safety, extendable with an approved timeline (city code §110.11.11).
• City forms, filing rules and a fee. Reports must use the city's structural and electrical guideline forms (proprietary forms are not accepted), be uploaded as separate digitally signed files, and be filed separately for each building, with a site plan for multi-building properties. The city lists a $400 fee, and a report is not reviewed until the fee is paid.

On the phase two deadline: the city code tracks the statute and requires a phase two progress report with a completion timeline within 180 days after phase one is submitted (city code §110.11.8.2.1). The city's program overview describes a fuller submission in the same window: the phase two report with a repair plan and schedule. Ask the Building Division which applies to your building before planning around either one.

Not automatically, and this is the misunderstanding worth correcting. The program repeats every 10 years from the building's 25th anniversary, regardless of when the last report was filed (city code §110.11.5.1). A report from the last cycle shows what the building looked like then; it does not satisfy the inspection that comes due now.

There is one exception to know about. State law and the city code allow the Building Official to accept an earlier structural integrity and condition report performed before July 1, 2022, if it substantially complies with the requirements. An accepted report is treated as a milestone inspection, and the next 10-year deadline then runs from that report's date (§553.899(3)(d); city code §110.11.5.2). Acceptance turns on those criteria, so confirm it with the Building Division before relying on an older report.

The Structural Integrity Reserve Study is a separate requirement, under §718.112(2)(g) for condominiums and §719.106(1)(k) for cooperatives. It runs on its own 10-year cycle (for a condominium, counted from its creation), and it covers more than an inspection: remaining useful life, replacement costs and a reserve funding schedule.

The two connect in two places. A milestone inspection, or a similar local inspection, performed within the past five years can be used in place of the visual inspection portion of the SIRS if it meets the SIRS requirements (§718.112(2)(g)8.). And an association that completes a milestone inspection may delay a required SIRS for up to the two consecutive budget years immediately after it (§718.112(2)(g)9.). The recertification does not replace the SIRS. See Milestone Inspections vs. SIRS in Florida.

1. Find the Certificate of Occupancy date. The first inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 25. For older buildings, the city code set initial deadlines of December 31, 2024 (buildings that turned 25 before July 1, 2022) and December 31, 2025 (buildings that turned 25 from July 1, 2022 through 2024), and the city staged that backlog by area (city code §110.11.5). Both dates have passed, so a board that has not filed should call the Building Division to confirm where its building stands.
2. Pull the last report and the city's acceptance. Note the report date and any acceptance letter, and confirm the next deadline with the Building Division, especially if an older report was accepted under the pre-July 2022 rule.
3. Track the anniversary, not just the mail. Under the normal process, the city's certified-mail notice starts the 180-day phase one clock and the association's 14-day owner notice. If a notice is returned unclaimed, the city posts it at the building, and failing to receive it does not relieve the owner of the obligation (city code §110.11.7.1).
4. Budget for both structure and electrical. Phase one in Boynton Beach covers the electrical service system as well as the structure, and the two reports are filed together.
5. Engage the engineer early. Phase one is a visual examination, but scheduling access to balconies, roofs and service rooms takes time, and the 180 days goes quickly.

In Boynton Beach, a condominium or cooperative board has one program to manage, not two inspections to buy. The city's recertification carries the state milestone inspection, starts five years earlier, adds the electrical service system, and sets its own filing and repair deadlines. The board's own notice duties to owners stay with the board.

Planning for your building's recertification? Fortis BuildSafe Solutions performs milestone inspections and building recertifications across Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Your assessment will be performed and sealed by a Fortis PE working to the Fortis Standard. Learn more about milestone inspections and building recertification, or contact Fortis.

This article is general information about Florida law and City of Boynton Beach requirements as of the date above. It is not legal advice. Confirm your building's specific obligations with the Boynton Beach Building Division and your association's counsel.

• Florida Statutes §553.899, Mandatory structural inspections for condominium and cooperative buildings (2026 Florida Statutes), subsections (3)(a)–(b), (3)(d), (5)–(11). The Florida Senate. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/553.899 (accessed 2026-10-08)
• Florida Statutes §718.112(2)(g), Structural integrity reserve study (2026 Florida Statutes). https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/718.112 (accessed 2026-10-08)
• Florida Statutes §719.106(1)(k), Structural integrity reserve study, cooperatives (2026 Florida Statutes). https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/719.106 (accessed 2026-10-08)
• City of Boynton Beach, Administrative Amendments to the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023), Ordinance 23-023, Chapter 1 §110.11 Building Recertification. https://www.boynton-beach.org/DocumentCenter/View/1277/Boynton-Beach-local-Amendment-2023-FBC-Building-chapter-1 (accessed 2026-10-08)
• City of Boynton Beach, Brief Overview of the Recertification Program. https://boynton-beach.org/491/Brief-Overview-of-the-Recertification-Pr (accessed 2026-10-08)
• City of Boynton Beach, Building Recertification Submittal Instructions. https://boynton-beach.org/490/Building-Recertification-Submittal-Instr (accessed 2026-10-08)
• City of Boynton Beach, Common Recertification Questions & Answers. https://boynton-beach.org/486/Common-Recertification-Questions-Answers (accessed 2026-10-08)
• City of Boynton Beach, Building Recertification. https://boynton-beach.org/469/Building-Recertification (accessed 2026-10-08)