Everything You Need To Know About 40-year Recertification

 If you are a resident of Miami-Dade or Broward County, you may have a lot of questions about 40-year recertification. Also, you might even be worried about the 40 year inspection rule as your building’s 40th anniversary nears. 

You may construct your building with the best construction materials available, but over time you’ll need to carry out thorough maintenance and repair.

A building that lacks such maintenance is sure to become unsafe for not just its residents but everyone in the vicinity. 

So the very idea of 40-year recertification is to ensure that our buildings remain safe as they get older. 

The 40-year recertification program may sound complicated and troublesome, but with the right strategy you can get through the process easily.

That’s why we have answered all the questions that you might have. 




#1. What is 40-year recertification?

As a building owner in Miami-Dade or Broward counties you need to hire a licensed engineer and get your property inspected as it turns 40, as per the local laws. And once the engineer carries a thorough structural building inspection and finds the building in good shape, you can apply for recertification. 

That’s exactly why this process is called 40-year recertification. 

#2. What is 50-year recertification?

After you get 40-year recertification for your building, the same process follows every ten years thereafter. So the next inspection after the 40-year period, i.e, one carried in the 50th year is called a 50-year recertification. 

#3. How does 40-year recertification work?

When your building gets 40 year old, the county sends you a ‘Notice of Required Inspection.’ And once you receive this notice, you’ve got to get a 40 year inspection done by a licensed engineer or architect within 90 days. 

If the engineer finds safety issues, maintenance requirements, etc, these are documented in the inspection report. 

As per the county laws, you get 180 days to fix these issues like concrete waterproofing, structural maintenance, etc., and after that the engineer will re-inspect your property. And once your building is found safe, you can get it recertified. 

#4. Does your building need 40-year recertification?

Every building in Miami-Dade and Broward counties are required to get 40-year recertification. 

However, there are some structures that are exempted from this law.

For instance, a single family home in Miami-Dade sized 2000 square feet or less, and with 10 or less occupants is exempted from 40-year recertification. Similarly, a single family home in Broward county sized 3500 square feet or less is exempted. 

#5. What are the proposed changes to 40-year recertification?

In the wake of Champlain Towers surfside building collapse, the Miami-Dade county has proposed changes to the 40-year recertification program. 

The proposed changes include:

  • A 30-year recertification program instead of the present 40-year scheme.

  • The county will serve inspection notice two years in advance. 

  • You’ll need infrared thermography inspection for your electrical systems. 

  • If your building is found unsafe, its electricity will be disconnected. 


Conclusion

It is necessary that you regularly maintain your building and keep it in good shape. That’s because as a building owner, it is your responsibility to ensure the occupants are safe. 

You see, the surfside towers building collapse has renewed the calls for strengthening building safety norms, and that’s for good. 

However, it is individual steps to maintain the buildings that will determine how safe our structures are.


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