Yes, you can sell a Miami condo at any stage of recertification, as long as the buyer gets the documents Florida law requires.
Miami-Dade has required recertification since 1975 under Section 8-11(f) of the County Code: at 30 years and every 10 years after, or 25 years for coastal condo buildings of three or more stories built in 1998 or later. Reports are due within 90 days of the County's notice, with a $413.61 review fee and a $465.31 late fee.
This is general information, not legal advice. State rules vary.
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Where is your building in the recertification process?
Free. No obligation. You choose the closing date.
If you want to sell a condo in Miami while your building is due for recertification, timing shapes almost everything. Miami-Dade has required building recertification since 1975, under Section 8-11(f) of the Code of Miami-Dade County, amended June 1, 2022. Most buildings recertify at 30 years and every 10 years after. Coastal condo and co-op buildings three stories or taller, within three miles of the coastline and built in 1998 or later, start at 25 years.
Once the County sends its Notice of Required Recertification, the reports are due within 90 days. The County's initial review fee is $413.61, and a late submission costs $465.31. Single-family houses and duplexes are exempt. The questions below cover the state rules layered on top, what a buyer and a lender will see, and how to weigh selling before or after the repairs.
How do Miami-Dade recertification and the state milestone inspection fit together?
Miami-Dade's recertification is a countywide structural and electrical check, while Florida's milestone inspection is a structural check for condo and co-op buildings three habitable stories or taller. A Miami condo building that qualifies for both follows both. The County says it integrated the 2022 state law with its amended ordinance.
Many owners still call the County program the "40-year recertification." Under the current rule, new properties enter the process at 30 years and repeat every 10 years. Buildings built in 1982 or earlier that already had an initial recertification keep their established schedule.
"Property owners must submit written recertification reports prepared by a Florida-registered professional engineer or architect, certifying each building or structure is structurally and electrically safe for the specified use for continued occupancy."
Miami-Dade County, Recertification page, Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources
The state layer comes from Fla. Stat. 553.899. It requires a milestone inspection by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, then every 10 years. The local enforcement agency may set 25 years where conditions such as proximity to salt water call for it. The table compares the two programs side by side.
| Question | Miami-Dade recertification (Code Sec. 8-11(f)) | Florida milestone inspection (Fla. Stat. 553.899) |
|---|---|---|
| Which buildings | Most buildings in the county; single-family houses, duplexes, and buildings with an occupant load of 10 or less and 2,000 sq ft or less are exempt | Condo and co-op buildings three habitable stories or taller |
| First inspection | 30 years after construction; 25 years for coastal condo and co-op buildings 3+ stories within 3 miles of the coastline built in 1998 or later | By December 31 of the year the building turns 30, or 25 where the local agency sets the earlier age (for example, near salt water) |
| Repeat cycle | Every 10 years after | Every 10 years after |
| Deadline once notified | Reports due within 90 days of the Notice of Required Recertification | Phase one due within 180 days of the agency's written notice |
| Who signs the report | A Florida-registered professional engineer or architect | A Florida-licensed architect or engineer |
| What it covers | Structural and electrical safety, plus parking lot lighting and waterway guardrail certificates where they apply | Structure; a phase two follows only if phase one finds substantial structural deterioration |
| Who pays | The property owner who receives the notice submits the reports and pays the County fees | The association, for the parts of the building it must maintain |
| Government fees | County review fee $413.61; late submission fee $465.31 (effective October 1, 2026) | No fee in the statute; local agencies may set timelines and penalties |
| What owners receive | Not set by the County page | Inspector's summary within 45 days of the association receiving the report |
Sources: Miami-Dade County Recertification page (fees effective October 1, 2026) and Fla. Stat. 553.899, 2026 Florida Statutes, which include the 2025 amendments (ch. 2025-175).
How can you find out where your building stands?
Your association and the building department with jurisdiction over your address both hold the answer. Under Fla. Stat. 553.899(5), an association must tell unit owners about a required milestone inspection within 14 days of the agency's notice, along with the completion date.
Which building department you call depends on where the building sits. The County's page says each municipality's building official has jurisdiction over permits, inspections, and recertifications in that city. Inside City of Miami limits, the City states that it re-certifies structures "to ensure they are safe for use and occupancy, as per the Miami-Dade County Code."
- City of Miami address: the City's Get a Building Recertification page lists its recertification contacts.
- Unincorporated Miami-Dade (folio begins with 30): the County's Recertification Portal shows recertification cases.
- Another city (Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Hialeah, and others): that city's building official handles it.
A Miami mailing address can sit outside City of Miami limits. The County notes that a folio beginning with 30 marks a parcel in unincorporated Miami-Dade, where County recertification records apply.
The County also sends advance courtesy notices two years before a required cycle and again one year before the final 90-day notice. If your association has received one, a recertification is already on the calendar.
What can a recertification or milestone report lead to?
A report can lead to permitted repairs, a deeper structural inspection, and new reserve funding. The reports list conditions and repairs; any cost to owners comes later, through the association.
Repairs and permits
The County states that when repairs are needed, proper permitting procedures must be followed before the building can be recertified. The County says the inspection uses the code in effect when the building was built, plus the code for any later improvements.
A phase two inspection
Under the state law, a phase two inspection follows only if phase one finds substantial structural deterioration. Local governments must adopt an ordinance requiring repairs for that deterioration to begin within 365 days after the phase two report.
The reserve study
Fla. Stat. 718.112(2)(g) requires a structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) at least every 10 years for buildings three habitable stories or higher. It covers items such as the roof, structure, plumbing, electrical systems, and waterproofing. Associations that existed by July 1, 2022 had a December 31, 2025 deadline. One doing its milestone inspection by December 31, 2026 may do both together, but no study may be completed after that date.
After a milestone inspection, an association may delay its SIRS for up to two budget years to focus on the repairs. If a building misses County recertification, the County describes a citation, an initial $510 penalty, and further penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.
What does a Miami condo buyer receive under Florida law?
A buyer under contract is entitled, at the seller's expense, to the condo documents plus the milestone summary and the latest reserve study. That list comes from Fla. Stat. 718.503(2)(a) and (b).
- The declaration, articles of incorporation, bylaws, and rules
- The annual financial statement and annual budget
- The inspector-prepared milestone summary, if applicable
- The most recent SIRS, or a statement that none has been completed
- A turnover inspection report, for one performed on or after July 1, 2023
- The "Frequently Asked Questions and Answers" document and a governance form
The contract language changes with the building's status. For contracts signed after December 31, 2024, a building that must have a milestone inspection or SIRS but has not finished it needs a conspicuous statement saying so. A building that has finished them needs a clause letting the buyer cancel within 7 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after signing and receiving the documents.
The statute does not list special assessments among the required documents. A buyer may still ask about a pending one, and a Florida real estate attorney can review how your contract handles it.
What will a buyer's lender ask about the building?
A lender selling the loan to Fannie Mae must check whether the building needs critical repairs, and a project that does is ineligible until they are fixed. The rules sit in Fannie Mae Selling Guide B4-2.1-03 (published November 4, 2026).
The guide lists several conditions as critical repairs:
- Advanced physical deterioration, or mold and damaging water intrusion
- A project that failed a mandatory state, county, or local structural inspection or certification
- Unfunded repairs over $10,000 per unit that should be done within 12 months, not counting repairs by a unit owner or repairs funded by a special assessment
If a structural or mechanical inspection was completed within 3 years of the lender's review, the lender must obtain and read it. For each special assessment, the lender also asks about its purpose, its approval date, the original and remaining amounts, and the expected payoff date. A Miami recertification or milestone report is likely the kind of structural inspection the guide describes, so a lender may ask for it.
Should you sell a Miami condo before or after recertification repairs?
There is no single right time, because each stage hands the buyer different documents and the lender different questions. The table lines up what changes at each stage, using only the statute and the Fannie Mae guide.
| When the contract is signed | What the buyer receives | What a Fannie Mae lender reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection required but not done yet | A contract statement that the association must have the inspection or study and has not completed it (718.503(2)(e)) | Planned or current special assessments, including their purpose and amount |
| Report in, repairs not finished | The inspector's milestone summary and the latest reserve study, with a 7-business-day cancellation clause (718.503(2)(e)) | The report itself if it is under 3 years old; unaddressed critical repairs make the project ineligible |
| Repairs finished and documented | The same summary and study, plus the same cancellation clause | An engineer's report or similar document showing the repairs resolved the concerns |
Selling early can mean a buyer sees a "not yet completed" statement and few answers. Waiting for the report gives buyers firm findings, which can help or hurt. Waiting for finished repairs can clear a lender's review, though the owner carries the unit, and any assessment, until then.
Time on market is part of the calculation. Across all Miami sales, the median days on market was 113 in the three months ending September 2026, up from 106 a year earlier (Redfin, September 2026). Our statewide Florida condo guide covers assessments and financing in more depth.
How can Propcash help with a condo in a recertification building?
Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer that can buy a Miami condo at any stage of recertification. A cash purchase does not depend on a lender's project review, so an open report or unfinished repairs may not hold up the sale.
You sell as-is, pay no commissions or fees, and pick your closing date, which can be as few as 7 days after the contract is signed. Our offers are based on local market data, and we show you how we got to our number. You can put that offer next to listing the unit or holding through the repairs. If a cash sale isn't your best move, we'll tell you. You can request a cash offer for your condo or read more about our Miami cash home buying process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Miami-Dade 40-year recertification the same thing as the state milestone inspection?
No, they are two programs that now run side by side. Miami-Dade's recertification under Section 8-11(f) of the County Code dates to 1975, covers most buildings, and checks structural and electrical safety. Florida's milestone inspection under Fla. Stat. 553.899 applies only to condo and co-op buildings three habitable stories or taller and looks at structure. Many older Miami condo buildings answer to both.
Does a Miami condo seller have to hand over the milestone inspection summary?
Yes, when the building has one. Fla. Stat. 718.503(2)(a) entitles a buyer under contract to the inspector-prepared summary of the milestone inspection report, if applicable, at the seller's expense. The same list includes the association's most recent structural integrity reserve study or a statement that none has been completed.
How long does a Miami condo buyer have to cancel after getting the inspection documents?
When the association has completed a milestone inspection or a structural integrity reserve study, Fla. Stat. 718.503(2)(e) requires a resale contract clause letting the buyer cancel. The window is 7 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after the buyer signs and receives the documents. The buyer's right to cancel ends at closing.
Can a unit still be sold if the building is late on its recertification?
Yes, a late building does not stop a unit owner from signing a sale contract. The County's recertification page says a building that misses its deadline can receive a citation, penalties that can reach $10,000 per violation, and a possible lien referral. A buyer's lender may also look closely at a failed or missing inspection, so some owners in that spot compare a cash sale with a financed one.
Do single-family houses in Miami need building recertification?
No. Miami-Dade's recertification page lists single-family houses, duplexes, and buildings with an occupant load of 10 or less and 2,000 square feet or less as types that do not go through the process. The state milestone law also excludes one- to four-family dwellings with three or fewer habitable stories above ground.
Who answers recertification questions for a condo inside the City of Miami?
The City of Miami Building Department does. The County's recertification page says each municipality's building official has jurisdiction over recertifications in that city, and the City's own page says the City re-certifies structures under the Miami-Dade County Code. The City's Get a Building Recertification page lists its recertification contact details.
Data Sources: Miami-Dade County Recertification page, City of Miami Get a Building Recertification page, Fla. Stat. 553.899, 718.112, and 718.503 (2026 Florida Statutes), Fannie Mae Selling Guide B4-2.1-03, Redfin. Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer, not a law firm. Talk with a Florida attorney about decisions in your own sale.
Reviewed by the Propcash Editorial Team under our editorial standards. Published by Propcash, a direct cash buyer of houses. This guide is general information. Laws, fees, and market figures change, so check the current rules for your state.
