40/50 year recertification

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When people get a notice about their 40/50 year recertification, they need to take immediate action and get the necessary help to avoid paying large fines. Buildings undergo changes over time, and most of the time, these changes take a toll on the structure, putting it at risk. The 40/50 recertification inspection program serves to keep these structures from becoming too harmful for their occupants and others who reside nearby.

The 40-Year or Older Building Safety Program began in Miami in the mid-1970s, and it was later expanded to Broward County in 2005. These are now the only two counties that need these inspections, but that will most likely change as a statewide mandate has been discussed for some time. The 40-Year or Older Building Safety Program, established by the Florida Building Code of 2001, necessitates a property evaluation by a licensed engineer for commercial and select residential properties that are 40 years old or older. The primary goal is to ensure that all structures and electrical systems in buildings over 40 years old are still "safe."

BROWARD COUNTY (Fort Lauderdale & Surrounding Cities) 

For Broward County, all buildings larger than 3,500 sq.ft. 

Exemptions for Broward County:

·          One (single family) and Two (duplex) Family Dwellings

·          Schools under the jurisdiction of the B.C. school board

·          All buildings with an area of 3,500 sq. ft. or less

·          U.S. Government, State of Florida buildings

·          Buildings built on an Indian Reservation

MIAMI-DADE

For Miami-Dade County, all buildings that are larger than 2,500 sq. ft. and are non-single family homes need to comply.

  
Exemptions for Miami Dade:

        Single Family Homes

·          Duplexes

·          Buildings with an occupant load of ten (10) or less and 2,000 sq. ft. or less

As the property owner or manager, it is your responsibility to acquire a professional service company to perform the 40-Year Recertification, once you have received the “Notice of Required Inspection” by the city’s code compliance section.

Failure to submit the Recertification Report results in a Civil Violation Notice being issued without warning and the matter being referred to the Unsafe Structures Unit for condemnation proceedings. If you fail to get your Recertification Report, you will be subject to a large fine as well as all fees spent by the department once enforcement procedures begin. Finally, in the most extreme situations, if your building receives an unsafe structure Notice of Violation, it must be removed, and you may be forced to demolish it.

The purpose of these inspections is to keep structures safe. Within each inspection, the county demands a list of particular items to explore and check. Naturally, inspectors are on the lookout for major structural damage, faulty electrical systems, and other life-threatening issues that must be remedied in order to assure the building's safety.

1. Structural Inspection

The purpose at this stage is to determine the building's overall structural condition. The state of the structure in terms of any part, material, or assembly that compromises the safety of such structures. The report includes a statement indicating whether the structure is structurally sound, dangerous, safe with conditions, or has been deemed sound by limiting interpretations.

The structural recertification analyses:

• Foundations
• Roofing      systems
• Masonry      bearing walls
• Steel      framing systems
• Floor      and roof systems
• Concrete      framing systems
• Windows
• Wood      framing
• Loading

2. Electrical Inspection

The electrical recertification ensures that the building or structure, as well as habitable and non-habitable parts, are safe to use in their current state.

The electrical recertification inspects:

• Electric      services
• Branch      circuits
• Conduit      raceways
• Emergency      lighting
• Gutters
• Electrical      panels
• Grounding      of equipment
• Service      conductor and cables
• Types      of wiring methods
• Feeder      conductors
• Parking      illumination

The purpose of these inspections is to keep structures safe. Within each inspection, the county demands a list of particular items to explore and check. Naturally, inspectors are on the lookout for major structural damage, faulty electrical systems, and other life-threatening issues that must be remedied in order to assure the building's safety.

1. Structural Inspection

The purpose at this stage is to determine the building's overall structural condition. The state of the structure in terms of any part, material, or assembly that compromises the safety of such structures. The report includes a statement indicating whether the structure is structurally sound, dangerous, safe with conditions, or has been deemed sound by limiting interpretations.

The structural recertification analyses:

• Foundations
• Roofing      systems
• Masonry      bearing walls
• Steel      framing systems
• Floor      and roof systems
• Concrete      framing systems
• Windows
• Wood      framing
• Loading

2. Electrical Inspection

The electrical recertification ensures that the building or structure, as well as habitable and non-habitable parts, are safe to use in their current state.

The electrical recertification inspects:

• Electric      services
• Branch      circuits
• Conduit      raceways
• Emergency      lighting
• Gutters
• Electrical      panels
• Grounding      of equipment
• Service      conductor and cables
• Types      of wiring methods
• Feeder      conductors
• Parking      illumination

• You receive a notice. You have 90 days to have a Florida Registered Architect or Engineer inspect the property and provide a sealed Building Safety Inspection Certification to the city.

• The structural and electrical packages, as well as the permit application, must all be included in your submission. A licensed professional must fill out a form that specifies the repairs that are required OR a statement that no repairs are required. It must be presented IN PERSON with a $200 payment (no mailed reports will be accepted). If a structure is deemed safe, no further inspections are required for ten years. If structural and/or electrical problems are discovered, you have 180 days to obtain the relevant licenses and make the necessary repairs.

• Failure to submit the recertification form results in a Notice of Violation and Notice of Hearing, as well as penalties if efforts are not made to comply in a timely fashion.

• Extensions may be granted on a case-by-case basis.