City of Miami Building Inspections: A Look at Inspection Standards
The City of Miami Building Inspections can be complicated due to the new changes to the condo laws in Florida. As part of Miami Dade’s new inspection requirements, the City of Miami follows the same guidelines. To uphold the new state-wide Florida inspection standards, the City of Miami has adjusted its Building Recertification Program to reflect these changes. The new changes to the Building Inspection laws were changed after the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside.
The previous 40-year recertification Miami had implemented prior to the introduction of Senate Bill 4-D was very comprehensive and only needed some adjustments to increase its effectiveness and ensure that accidents such as the one that occurred in Surfside are avoided moving forward.
In this article, we will go over all the new changes to the existing 40-year inspection program and the new City of Miami Building Safety Inspection program. Although there are many similarities between the two there are some note-worthy changes you should know about. As one of the City of Miami’s top Building Inspectors, we know a thing or two about these inspections. We have completed thousands of Building Inspections across Florida and have a 100% success rate. City of Miami Inspections are easy with G. Batista Engineering & Construction.
What are the new CIty of Miami Condo Inspection laws
Condominiums are one of the most popular buildings that require a Building Safety Inspection but they are not the only ones. These Building Inspections are required by any large Building. So what has changed from the City of Miami 40 year inspection program? Under the new guidelines, buildings that are 3 stories tall or more and are 3,500 square feet are required to complete the Building Safety Inspection program. One of the most significant changes to the condo inspection laws is the due date for your first inspection.
The previous 40-year inspection program required a recertification of your building when it reached 40 years of age. The new program now requires the inspection to be completed after 30 years or after 25 years, It all depends on your building’s location. If you own or manage a building that is less than 3 miles from the coast your Building will be required to complete its first inspection after 25 years. If your building is located more than 3 miles from the coast then you have an extra 5 years before you need the inspection. The 30-year inspection is due after 30 years if your building is further than 3 miles from the coast.
Besides the time frame of the initial inspection, there is an additional inspection required called the Structural Integrity Reserve Study, or SIRS study for short. The SIRS study is an additional inspection that examines the current condition of your Building and provides an estimated cost to maintain and repair your Building. This new additional inspection allows building owners, property managers, and associations to know how much money they need to have in reserves when the time comes to carry out these repairs.
Besides those two changes, everything else remains the same. Regardless of whether you complete a 40-year inspection, 30-year inspection, or 25-year inspection, all subsequent city of miami inspections are required every 10 years after your last inspection. Since Miami Dade already had a comprehensive inspection program in place it already meets and exceeds the requirements of the new inspection laws.
The two main components of the inspection are the structural inspection and the electrical inspection. Both are required and are part of the Building Safety Inspection program. Along with those two inspections if your building has a parking garage attached to the structure you will also need to complete a guard rail inspection and a parking lot illumination inspection.
For the structural portion of the inspection, the Engineer or Architect will verify the foundation, roofs, masonry bearing walls, flooring and roof systems, steel and concrete framing systems, and windows and doors are all structurally sound and do not pose a hazard to residents and the surrounding area. The same engineer or architect will also do the electrical inspection, they will verify your electrical panels are in working order and not hazardous.
What if I already completed the city of Miami's 40 year Building inspection?
If you own an older building in the City of Miami then there is a high probability that you have already completed the 40-year inspection program. So how do these new changes affect you? For the most part, everything remains the same. If you already completed a 40-year inspection on your building in the past then you can continue with your subsucent inspection schedule which is every 10 years. Besides that, you also need to take into account the Structural Integrity Reserve Study.
This is an additional requirement as part of the new City of Miami Building Safety Inspection program also known as the SIRS study which requires a licensed engineer to evaluate the current condition of your building and come up with an estimated cost to maintain and repair your structure. This allows Building Owners, associations, and property managers to prepare for the next inspection by having the required funds available.
How do I know if my building in city of Miami requires the inspection?
The City of Miami Building Department will usually send you a certified letter in the mail when your Building Inspection is due. However, if you do not receive the letter you are still responsible for completing the inspection within the time frame given. This is why it is important that you update your mailing address with the correct one in order to ensure you receive the letter. We will go over the City of Miami requirements just so you know in case you don’t receive the letter. Any Building in the City of Miami that is 3,000 square feet or more which is 3 stories or higher is required to complete the inspection.
Not completing the inspection in time can result in fees that start from $500 a day. If you are unable to get the inspection completed in time due to budget or time constraints then you can ask for a one-time extension which will cost you an additional $500 if it is approved. Although we try to provide the most comprehensive guide to the City of Miami’s Buisoind inspection program it is always wise to verify with the City of Miami Building Department for the latest information.
We have listed the City of Miami Building department’s website and contact info below so you can reach out to them if your question was not answered in this article or if you want to make sure you have the latest information. City of Miami building department inspections can be complicated depending on how many buildings you own and manage but we will guide you through the process. City of Miami building inspections are our speciality so give us a call today and we can help guide you through the process. We have also listed the City of Miami recertification portal below so that you can get your inspections submitted once complete.
City of miami BUILDING DEPARTMENT
444 SW 2nd Ave 4th Floor, Miami, FL 33130
Hours
8:00am-12:00pm & 1:30pm-3:30pm M-F
What buildings in the City of Miami do not require a Building Safety Inspection?
There are some Buildings which are exempt from completing the City of Miami Building Safety Inspection:
- 1 to 2-story family dwellings
- State of Florida buildings
- US government buildings
- Schools under the jurisdiction of Miami-Dade County School Board
- Buildings built on indigenous tribe reservations
- Any buildings under 3500 square feet
Which building inspectors are qualified to complete the city of miami building department inspections?
Not just any home building inspector is qualified to complete the Building Safety Inspection program. As you can imagine this inspection is part of the City of Miami’s Public safety program so there are only two professionals that can carry out these inspections. A licensed engineer or architect is the only two professionals who are allowed to complete these inspections.
The inspection report must be signed and sealed by a licensed architect or engineer. These two professionals have a comprehensive understanding of a Building’s structural and electrical systems which is why they are the only two who can complete the inspection. Once they complete the inspection they will provide you with a signed and sealed report which you can then submit to the City of Miami Building Department.
What to do once you complete the City of Miami building inspection?
After an Engineer or architect has completed your inspection they will send you a signed and sealed report outlining the findings of the inspection. city of Miami inspection results are then submitted to the building department. If the Building inspector did not find any problems with your Building then you can submit the report to the Building Department and you are free and clear for another 10 years. However, If there were structural or electrical problems discovered during the inspection such as concrete spalling, cracks in structural columns, or other structural or electrical problems then you are still required to submit the report.
There is no need to worry if that is the case. Submitting the report will provide you with an extension so that you can pull the necessary permits in order to fix the issues found. This is usually 160 days but you should verify with the City of Miami Building Department to verify. One crucial key to avoiding any penalties or fines is that you submit the report within the allocated time frame. Even if the Building Inspector did not find any issues and you have a clean report but you don’t submit it in time you can still be penalized or required to restart the inspection process again.
Summary of the City of Miami Building Safety Inspection program
In Summary, the new changes to the Building Inspection program are fairly similar. You still need to inspect the Structural and Electrical elements as well as the Guard Rail inspection and parking lot illumination if applicable. The key changes from the 40-year inspection to the new Building Safety Inspection program are the timeframe when the initial inspection is required as well as the new SIRS study. This public safety program is beneficial to everyone in the community and will prevent catastrophes like the one that occurred in Surfside from happening again.
It also provides legal protection for Building Owners by having a signed and sealed document that states that your Building was safe at the time of the inspection. One other benefit is that you are constantly aware of your Buildings condition and can take actions to ensure it is up to date. The City of Miami inspection results will give you a good overview of your buildings current state.
Not maintaining a Building, especially near the cost can cause accelerated wear and potentially cause you to spend thousands of dollars getting it back into shape and excessive maintenance costs from not taking care of structural elements in a building. Proactive maintenance is always the best route to take allowing you to fix minor issues before they become more problematic.
