Tampa, FL Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- 3+ story condo/co-op buildings
- Deadline
- By Dec. 31 in year building turns 30
- Repeat interval
- Every 10 years
- Coastal buildings
- May be moved up to age 25
- Citation
- City Code Sec. 5-110.9
Summary
Tampa enforces Florida's statewide milestone inspection law locally: condo and co-op buildings three stories or taller must get a structural inspection by December 31 of the year they turn 30, sooner near salt water, under City Code Sec. 5-110.9, repeating every ten years.
An owner or owners of a building that is three (3) stories or more in height as determined by the Florida Building Code and that is subject, in whole or in part, to the condominium or cooperative form of ownership as a residential condominium under F.S. Ch. 718, or a residential cooperative association under F.S. Ch. 719, must have a milestone inspection performed by December 31 of the year in which the building reaches thirty (30) years of age, based on the date the certificate of occupancy for the building was issued, and every ten (10) years thereafter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 148).
Full Breakdown
9, added to Tampa's building code under Ord. No. 2024-15, folds the state's post-Surfside milestone inspection statute into local enforcement. S. Ch. S. Ch. 719); single-family, two-family and three-family dwellings of three or fewer habitable stories are excluded. S. Ch. 481 or Ch. 471, completed by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, measured from its certificate-of-occupancy date, and every 10 years after that. Buildings that already hit 30 before July 1, 2022 had to complete their first inspection by December 31, 2024; those turning 30 between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024 had until December 31, 2025.
Tampa's local enforcement agency can shorten the clock to age 25 for buildings with 'environmental conditions such as proximity to salt water,' a provision aimed squarely at Tampa Bay-adjacent towers. The inspection looks for 'substantial structural deterioration', genuine structural distress or weakness, not cosmetic cracking or peeling finishes, and the condo or co-op association is responsible for arranging and paying for the inspection covering association-maintained portions of the building. The local enforcement agency may grant a filing extension for good cause and may accept a pre-July 2022 inspection report that substantially complies with these requirements in place of a new one.
Violations & Fines
Failure to complete a milestone inspection by the statutory deadline leaves a condominium or cooperative association out of compliance with Sec. 5-110.9 and the underlying state law it implements; unit owners must still receive notice of results, and the local enforcement agency can pursue the association to compel the inspection and any required repairs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which buildings must get a milestone inspection?
Can Tampa require inspections earlier than age 30?
Who pays for the inspection?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tampa
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Tampa to another location·View the Florida rental inspections overview
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