Boca Raton
Vilano Engineering performs building recertification inspections for condominium, cooperative, and commercial buildings in Boca Raton — structural inspection, electrical inspection, and infrared thermography, sealed and submitted to the City as a single package.
Boca Raton runs its own recertification program. Palm Beach County has no county-wide program, so what applies to your building is set by the City, not the county, and it differs from what a building a few miles away in unincorporated Palm Beach County faces.
A recertification notice from the City of Boca Raton means your building has reached the age at which the program applies, and it names the date your report is due. What the City is asking for is a sealed engineering report covering both the structural and the electrical systems, with an infrared thermographic scan of the electrical distribution equipment where the building's service warrants it.
Send us the notice and we can tell you what your submittal needs to contain.
Send us your notice →The structural portion is a visual examination of the building's primary structural systems — foundation, load-bearing walls, floor and roof structure, balconies, railings, and exposed concrete — assessing condition and identifying deterioration requiring repair.
Where the examination identifies substantial structural deterioration, a further phase follows.
Boca Raton requires an electrical report alongside the structural one. It covers the electrical service and metering, feeders and distribution equipment, panelboards, disconnects and overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, emergency and egress lighting, fire alarm and life safety systems, and common area and parking illumination levels.
Boca Raton is one of the jurisdictions that requires an infrared thermographic inspection of the electrical distribution equipment, where the building's electrical service is 400 amperes or more in aggregate. The scan is performed on energized equipment under load by a certified thermographer, and the report forms part of the sealed submittal.
This is a point worth checking early. A building that needs thermography and doesn't have it in the package is not complete, and the scan requires coordination — a Florida-licensed electrical contractor removes the panel covers the day before and assists on site during the scan.
More on infrared thermography inspections →Palm Beach County does not operate a county-wide recertification program. Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, and Highland Beach each run their own. A building elsewhere in the county is subject to the statewide milestone inspection, which is structural only — while a Boca Raton building of the same age is subject to the City's program, which covers structural and electrical, and thermography where the service warrants it.
That is the difference owners and boards most often miss: a building in Boca Raton needs more in the package than a comparable building outside a municipal program.
For the City's program details and current schedules, see the City of Boca Raton Building Recertification page. For the statewide milestone requirement, see Florida Statute 553.899. For what happens between receiving a notice and closing the file, see what to do when you receive a recertification notice.
A sealed engineering report covering the building's structural and electrical systems, with an infrared thermographic scan of the electrical distribution equipment where the service is 400 amperes or more in aggregate. Confirm your specific requirements and deadline with the City's building department.
No. Vilano Engineering performs all three and submits them as a single sealed package.
No. The milestone inspection is a statewide structural requirement. Boca Raton's recertification is a separate municipal program covering structural and electrical systems. A building may be subject to both, and whether work done for one applies to the other depends on scope.
The City's program applies to buildings within Boca Raton's jurisdiction. A property with a Boca Raton mailing address that sits in unincorporated Palm Beach County is not covered by the City's program. The building official having jurisdiction is the reliable source.
The building's age runs from the certificate of occupancy, but the applicable schedule is set by the City. Confirm the date with Boca Raton's building department.
Vilano Engineering, LLC is a licensed engineering firm providing building recertification and safety inspections, infrared thermography, electrical design, expert witness services, developer turnover, and property condition assessments.
Nicholas Strachan, PE
Licensed Professional Engineer — Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, New York, North Carolina, Texas
Certified Level II Thermographer
Licensed Plans Examiner — Florida
25+ years in engineering design, inspection, and quality assurance