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Pinellas County · Condominium due diligence
Buying a Pinellas condominium: read the building
Milestone inspections, reserve studies and five documents to request
Before an inspection period ends, a Pinellas condominium buyer should read five documents: the milestone inspection summary, the structural integrity reserve study, the current budget, recent board minutes and a written answer on pending assessments. Florida requires the first two for buildings of three habitable stories or more, with deadlines that depend on the building’s age.
In short: Florida condominiums of three habitable stories or more need milestone inspections and structural reserve studies. Ask for both, plus the budget, minutes and pending assessments, before your inspection period ends.
A reference guide, not legal or engineering advice. Statutes checked October 5, 2026.
What the law requires
What do Florida’s milestone inspection and SIRS rules require?
Two separate requirements apply to condominium buildings of three habitable stories or more. A buyer should read the result of both.
| Topic | What the statute says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Which buildings | Buildings of three habitable stories or more in height, as determined by the Florida Building Code, that are condominium or cooperative buildings | Notes 1, 2 |
| Milestone inspection timing | By December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years from its certificate of occupancy, and every 10 years after | Note 1 |
| Local 25-year option | A local enforcement agency may decide that local circumstances, including proximity to salt water, require the inspection at 25 years. The statewide three-mile rule from 2022 is no longer in the statute | Note 1 |
| Two phases | Phase one is a visual examination. Phase two, with testing, is required only if phase one finds substantial structural deterioration | Note 1 |
| Who gets the report | The engineer or architect sends a sealed report and summary to the association, to the building official, and to non-condominium owners in the building. The association must give owners the summary within 45 days | Note 1 |
| SIRS frequency and items | At least every 10 years. Eight items: roof; structure, including load-bearing walls and primary structural members and systems; fireproofing and fire protection; plumbing; electrical; waterproofing and exterior painting; windows and exterior doors; and any other item with a deferred maintenance or replacement cost over $25,000 (or the inflation-adjusted amount) whose failure would affect the first seven | Notes 2, 5 |
| SIRS deadline | December 31, 2025 for owner-controlled associations that existed on or before July 1, 2022. An association that must complete a milestone inspection on or before December 31, 2026 may complete the SIRS at the same time. No SIRS may be completed after December 31, 2026 | Note 2 |
| Link between the two | A qualifying milestone inspection from the past five years can stand in for the SIRS visual inspection. After a milestone inspection, the association may delay the SIRS for up to two consecutive budget years | Note 2 |
| Owner copy of the SIRS | Within 45 days of receiving it, the association must give each owner a copy or notice that a copy is available on written request | Note 2 |
| What a seller must give a buyer | The budget and annual financial statement, the inspector’s summary of the milestone inspection report if one exists, and the most recent SIRS or a statement that the association has not completed one | Note 3 |
We found no 2026 law that changed these provisions; the main 2026 bill on community associations did not pass (Note 6). Rules change, so confirm the current statute before you rely on any date here.
Milestone year
When does a building’s first milestone inspection fall?
Enter the year on the building’s certificate of occupancy. This tool applies only to buildings of three habitable stories or more, and it shows the statutory year, not a determination for any building.
The two statutory first deadlines were December 31, 2024 for buildings that reached 30 years before July 1, 2022, and December 31, 2025 for buildings that reached it from then through 2024 (Note 1). A local agency may extend a deadline for good cause, so ask the association for the actual report and its date.
| Certificate of occupancy | Year it reaches 30 years | Year it reaches 25 years, if a local agency uses 25 |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2020 | 2015 |
| 1991 | 2021 | 2016 |
| 1992 | 2022 | 2017 |
| 1993 | 2023 | 2018 |
| 1994 | 2024 | 2019 |
| 1995 | 2025 | 2020 |
| 1996 | 2026 | 2021 |
| 1997 | 2027 | 2022 |
| 1998 | 2028 | 2023 |
| 1999 | 2029 | 2024 |
| 2000 | 2030 | 2025 |
| 2001 | 2031 | 2026 |
| 2002 | 2032 | 2027 |
| 2003 | 2033 | 2028 |
| 2004 | 2034 | 2029 |
| 2005 | 2035 | 2030 |
What to request
Which five documents should you read, and in what order?
Each document answers a different question, and the later ones make more sense once you have the earlier ones. The first three come from the seller; the last two you ask the association for.
- Milestone inspection report or summary. An engineer’s or architect’s account of the structure, including whether substantial structural deterioration was found. A seller must provide the inspector’s summary if an inspection exists (Note 3).
- Structural integrity reserve study. It covers the eight structural items above and is separate from the milestone inspection. A seller must provide the latest study or state that none has been completed (Note 3).
- Current budget. Compare what the budget funds with what the SIRS calls for. A gap between the two can lead to special assessments or higher dues.
- Board minutes, about two years. Minutes are association records you can request (Note 4). Read them for contractor bids, engineering follow-up and financing talks. The two-year span is our suggestion, not a statutory period.
- Written answer on pending assessments. Ask it as two questions: what has been levied, and what is under discussion but not yet levied.
Associations that manage 25 or more units must post certain documents on a website or app, so some of these may be online before you ask (Note 4).
Pinellas County
What do Pinellas building departments say?
Pinellas County states that condominium buildings need inspections once they reach 30 years of age and every 10 years after that (Note 7). The County’s page covers unincorporated Pinellas and the municipalities where the County acts as the building official; ask the County whether it is the building official for a given address.
The City of St. Petersburg also states a 30-year requirement for buildings of three or more stories (Note 8). A July 2024 news report described a 25-year program for some coastal St. Petersburg buildings (Note 9); the City’s current page does not mention one.
The statute leaves the 25-year decision to each local enforcement agency (Note 1), so do not rely on a general statement that a Pinellas building is on a 25-year or a 30-year schedule. Ask the building department that has jurisdiction over the address for the building’s milestone status.
See ABODE’s guides to Belleair Bluffs, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Beach and Largo for how each place is governed.
Reading the answers
What does a missing report or a reserve gap mean?
As of October 2026 the general SIRS deadline has passed, but an association on the coordinated path may still be inside its window until December 31, 2026 (Note 2). A missing study is therefore a question, not a verdict. Ask which deadline the association is on, who has been engaged to prepare the study, and when it will be done. The statute treats a willful and knowing failure to complete a SIRS as a breach of fiduciary duty (Note 2).
Reserve rules also changed. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, associations that must have a SIRS generally cannot waive or reduce reserves for the SIRS items (Note 2). A 2025 law added narrow flexibility: with a majority vote of all voting interests, a board may pause or reduce contributions for up to two consecutive annual budgets to fund repairs recommended by a milestone inspection completed in the previous two calendar years, in budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028. An association may also borrow to fund milestone-inspection repairs (Notes 2, 5). The interaction between these provisions depends on the facts, so ask the association whether the SIRS items are fully funded in the current budget and, if not, under which provision.
Working with ABODE
How can an ABODE advisor help with a condominium purchase?
Tell us which building you are considering and when your inspection period ends. An advisor can explain which of these documents to request, help you read them with your attorney and inspector, and flag questions to put to the association in writing. This page is a reference, not legal or engineering advice.
Keep reading
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Questions
Condominium due diligence: frequently asked questions
Does a Florida condominium need a milestone inspection?
Yes, if the building has three habitable stories or more as determined by the Florida Building Code. It needs a milestone inspection by December 31 of the year it reaches 30 years from its certificate of occupancy, and every 10 years after. A local enforcement agency may require 25 years instead if local circumstances, such as proximity to salt water, call for it. Confirm the rule with the building department that covers the building.
Is the milestone inspection 25 years for buildings near the coast?
Not by statewide rule. The 2022 law set 25 years for buildings within three miles of the coast, but a 2023 amendment removed that rule. The statute now lets a local enforcement agency require 25 years where local circumstances warrant it. Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg both describe a 30-year requirement on their current pages, so ask the building department for the specific building.
What is a structural integrity reserve study?
A structural integrity reserve study, or SIRS, is a study of the building’s structural items that a condominium association with buildings of three habitable stories or more must have at least every 10 years. It covers the roof, structure, fireproofing and fire protection, plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing and exterior painting, windows and exterior doors, and any other item over a dollar threshold whose failure would affect those. It is separate from the milestone inspection.
What if the association has no SIRS?
The general deadline was December 31, 2025. An association that has to complete a milestone inspection on or before December 31, 2026 may complete the SIRS at the same time, but no SIRS may be completed after December 31, 2026. A seller must tell a buyer whether a SIRS has been completed. Ask which deadline the association is on and when the study is scheduled.
Which documents should a condominium buyer ask for?
Five, in this order: the milestone inspection report or its summary, the structural integrity reserve study, the current budget, about two years of board minutes, and a written answer on pending assessments, asked as what has been levied and what is under discussion. State law requires a unit owner to give a buyer the milestone summary, the SIRS or a statement that none exists, and the budget; the rest you request from the association.
Can an association pause reserve contributions?
Only in narrow cases. Since 2025 a board may, with a majority vote of all voting interests, pause or reduce reserve contributions for up to two consecutive annual budgets to pay for repairs recommended by a milestone inspection completed in the previous two calendar years, for budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028. Ask whether the budget you are reading uses that provision.
Private consultation
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Sources and notes
- Florida Statutes § 553.899, Mandatory structural inspections for condominium and cooperative buildings (2026). Source for the 30-year milestone inspection, the local agency’s 25-year option, phase one and phase two, and the owner summary. Checked October 5, 2026.
- Florida Statutes § 718.112, Bylaws (2026), subsections (2)(f) and (2)(g). Source for the structural integrity reserve study (SIRS): covered items, the $25,000 threshold, deadlines and reserve funding. Checked October 5, 2026.
- Florida Statutes § 718.503, Developer disclosure and seller disclosure to prospective purchasers (2026). Documents a condominium unit owner must give a prospective buyer, including the milestone inspection summary and SIRS.
- Florida Statutes § 718.111, The association (2026), subsection (12). Official records of the association and the website or app posting requirement for larger associations.
- Florida Senate, CS/CS/HB 913 (2025), Building Safety. Chapter 2025-175, approved June 23, 2025; most provisions effective July 1, 2025.
- Florida Senate, CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 657 (2026), Community Associations. Passed the House and died in the Senate on March 13, 2026. We found no 2026 act that changed the milestone inspection or SIRS provisions described here.
- Pinellas County, Condo milestone inspections. Pinellas County’s statement of the 30-year, 10-year-recurrence requirement for buildings in its building jurisdiction.
- City of St. Petersburg, Milestone inspections. The City’s statement of the 30-year requirement for buildings of three or more stories.
- St. Pete Catalyst, Hundreds of St. Pete condos face inspection deadline (July 2024). News report quoting the City’s building official on a 25-year program for some coastal buildings. Secondary source; it predates the City’s current page.