40 Year Recertifications

Every time I look towards our Miami skyline; I could not help but wonder how structural and architectural gurus achieve to create these high-rise buildings and creative structures that embellish our city. I can’t imagine how many people participate in this huge process; from the moment an architect projects his/her idea in a paper to the building specialist who guarantees the structures’ and the people’s safety. Like humans, structures also need a check-up occasionally. They are constantly exposed to external and vivid elements that could harm the primary design of the building. As a result, Florida requires an official inspection of the entire property every 40 years. In this article, we offer an extended understanding about the 40 Year Recertification inspection by emphasizing the relevance of this procedure. Buildings in Miami-Dade or Broward counties that are approaching 40 years of life must be recertified by a structural engineer to guarantee the safety of their structural and electric systems (after 40 years, buildings must be recertified every ten years afterward). Fifty states and the District of Columbia have adopted the I-Codes at the state or jurisdictional level. The I-Codes refer to the “International Code Council (ICC)” regulations which define all residential and commercial building codes in the United States. This required inspection has a denomination of “40 Year Recertification”. The purpose of the inspection is to verify that a structure follows the right building codes and therefore is safe for continued use.  

What Is a 40 Year Recertification?

  As I mentioned before, a 40 Year Recertification is a building inspection with the intent to ensure the safety of the structure. The 40 year Building Safety Inspection Program was created in 2005 and has become effective throughout Broward County since January 2006. Building proprietors and property chiefs ought to talk with underlying specialists to have an appropriate assessment finished as their structure approaches 40 years old. When the time comes for a 40 year property recertification; the landowner will get a notification from the state for an expected examination. Therefore, the landowner will have 90 days to track down an underlying structural engineer to finish a review of the structure and present a report to either the city or the county. The report will show which parts of the structure need revision. The landowner will then, have an additional 180 days to finish the required repairs. After that, the structural engineer will perform another inspection making sure the landowner followed the protocol. Finally, he will write a report to confirm they repaired the deficient items. It is important to consider both the structural and electrical inspection as part of the 40 Year Recertification process. The fundamental purpose of the structural inspection is determining the general structural condition of any part, material, or assembly of a building or structure. A deficient condition may affect the safety of the structure or even affect the original design that supports the dead, live, or transient loads. On the other hand, the objective of the electrical report is to confirm that the building or structure is safe for continued use. The electrical engineer for compliance focuses on the electrical aspect of the building.  

Florida Building Code

  Like any other state, Florida has its own Building Code. The Florida Building Code is a set of regulations and standards by the state of Florida to protect public health, safety, and general welfare as they relate to the construction and occupancy of buildings and structures. These regulations change over time due to new events and structural updates that affect the Building Code edition. The last edition was published last year 2020 and after the recent catastrophic collapse, we forecast that the Building Code will be subject to change. The Florida population should not fear building collapses because Florida has one of the most restrictive Building Codes. As a matter of fact, due to the high level of professionalism and qualified personnel, Florida Building Code officials are very strict with these regulations. In addition, especially Miami Dade’s Building Code officials are qualified professionals with the necessary resources to perform 40 Year Recertifications. Considering the proximity of the sea and the large scale of catastrophic natural disasters in Florida; building code officials have broad experience as a result of several inspections of this matter.    

Let’s start from the Beginning!

  To achieve a successful 40 Year Recertification; structural engineers look for the key points in a structure that need recertification. When studying the building floor plan; the structural engineer may identify the main elements in a structure that needs to be in good/acceptable condition. In the 40 year recertification process, a lot of professionals revise every report after another expert revises the project. Recertification standards involve many areas. These areas allow you to determine vulnerabilities, risks, and threats when performing the recertification. Authorized personnel carry out the jobs subjected to these previously mentioned areas.  

What Types of Structures Are Included?

  Structures on or close to the sea are particularly vulnerable. They are continually exposed to the impacts of saltwater oxidation and corrosion; just as minor concrete, and masonry cracks. Stucco left exposed to external conditions can cause rebar to grow up to multiple times its unique size, applying a pressure of 10,000 pounds for every square inch (PSI) to the surrounding concrete. This condition—regularly alluded to as concrete spalling—can require amazingly costly substantial rebuilding. You can save countless dollars in building repair costs by; following a regular maintenance schedule, applying early detection strategies, and practicing forceful avoidance procedures. In Miami-Dade, recertifications must be performed on buildings every 40 years. However, single-family homes, duplexes, and small buildings with fewer than ten occupants and fewer than 2,000 square feet do not follow this requirement. In addition, this inspection in Broward County applies to all buildings except; single-family housing, duplexes, those smaller than 3,500 feet, and buildings owned by the United States government or Florida state governments located in Indian reservations.  

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  Eastern Engineering Group has over 15 years of experience providing 40 Year Recertification in Miami Dade and Broward counties. Furthermore, multiple licenses accredit the Professional Engineers at Eastern Engineering Group in many states such as: Florida, Georgia, New York, Maryland, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, Louisiana, Ohio, Massachusetts, Virginia, Texas, and Mississippi. In case one of our licenses is inactive, we will reactivate at the client’s request. Here at Eastern Engineering Group, we pride ourselves on delivering the most professional services; following all required protocols when it comes to protecting our business. Our firm is covered with all the appropriate business insurances to have a backup and take care of the safety of our services, employees, and clients. our insurance coverage includes:

• Professional Liability
• Commercial General Liability
• Workers Compensation and Employer’s Liability
• Automobile Liability

Anyone responsibly offering professional services directly to their customers should have this insurance. With this, we always want to deliver the promise of trustworthiness and dependability to our clients.  

The Key…

The key to 40 year recertification lies in the professionalism that structural engineers offer when performing this type of inspection. This is one of Eastern Engineering Group‘s premises with its customers. Its structural engineers work meeting the quality standards that these structures deserve. After the building implementation, constant control and effective maintenance are part of the conservation and durability of the infrastructure. Following the required guidelines proceeding from the state is the only way to successfully accomplish a 40 Year Recertification. After the latest incident that took place in Miami Beach; we need to be conscious about how important it is to take the ethical and right decisions to put everyone’s lives in a safe place. On behalf of everyone at Eastern Engineering Group, we send our prayers to everyone affected by the recent unfortunate catastrophe. Our mission as structural engineers is to assure the safety of society.