40-Year or Older Building Safety Inspection Program

The Broward County 40-Year or Older Building Safety Inspection Program was created in 2005 and became effective throughout Broward County in January 2006. Modeled after Miami-Dade County’s program which has been in effect since the 1970’s, Broward’s program calls for structural and electrical safety inspections for buildings 40 years old or older and every ten years thereafter. Exempt from this program are:

  • One- and two-family dwellings, with a gross floor area less than 3,500 square feet
  • U.S. government buildings
  • State of Florida owned buildings
  • Schools under the jurisdiction of the Broward County School Board
  • Buildings built on Indian reservations
  • All buildings under 3,500 square feet

Both Broward and Dade County have had instances of structural building failures. This program helps minimize the possibilities of future building failure and better prepares us for hurricane winds. Because of Hurricane Wilma, the worst storm to impact Broward County in 50 years, some cities could not implement the program in 2006. 

The City of Hollywood works with Broward County to ensure buildings in our City, 40 years and older, are in compliance with the Broward County 40-Year or Older Building Safety Inspection Program.  When a building reaches 40-years or older (calculated by the actual year built), a notice is sent by the City to inform the building owner of record to have a structural inspection performed by a 3rd party certified architect or engineer and an electrical system inspection performed by a 3rd party license electrical contractor. The engineer's report will identify any deficiencies, which will necessitate repair permits. It is the sole responsibility of the property owner to hire a 3rd party  Florida registered Professional Engineer Architect and Electrical Engineer to perform the required inspections. The property owner has 90 days from receipt of this letter to complete the inspection and have their engineer submit the report to the City.  

After review of the reports, if the building is determined to be safe the property owner may request a certificate of the Building Safety Inspection program completion. Subsequent building inspections shall be required at ten (10) year intervals, per section 110.15 effective January 1,2006, regardless of when the inspection report for same is finalized or filed. In the event the engineer's report proves there are structural or electrical deficiencies that pose an immediate threat to life, health, safety or where failure of a critical component is imminent, the property owner shall have 180 days from the date of the report to obtain the required permit(s) and complete the necessary repairs.

Once repairs have been made, the building's engineer will certify the building as safe for continued occupancy for the next ten years. The final report, along with the review fee shall be submitted to the City by the property owner. There is a $300.00 administrative fee, at the time of the Building Safety Inspection Program report packet submittal, for the City of Hollywood Building Division to review the property owner's 3rd party reports. 

To search for a License Professional, please click on the following link: DBPR License search and enter the License Category, License Type, and County from the drop-down list provided. The License Professional that you choose must have a current and active license status.

Submittal Options: To submit your 40-Year or Older Broward County Building Safety Inspection report packet, it may be sent by mail to: City of Hollywood, Building Division 2600 Hollywood Blvd., P.O. Box 229045, Hollywood, FL. 33020-9045 or the completed digitally signed and verified report may be sent via email to: buildingrecertification@hollywoodfl.org along with the attached Electronic Signature Affidavit.

Payment Options: The required $300 administrative fee must be included with the Building Safety Inspection Program Inspection Broward County report submittal. We are accepting check payments made to the City of Hollywood or online payment options via PayPal: PAY ONLINE

For more information regarding the 40-Year or Older Building Safety Inspection Program or other inquires, please contact the Building Division, Marlen Batista at 954.921.3025 or 954.921.3335 or email:  buildingrecertification@hollywoodfl.org 

Additional Resources

*If you believe your building should be on the Broward County list for inspection, please contact the Broward County Building Code Services Division.

**The information provided in this partial list is for informational purposes only. Each user is responsible for determining its suitability for his or her intended use or purpose. The City of Hollywood shall have no liability for the accuracy of the data or lack thereof, or for any decisions made or not made by users, or for any action taken or not taken by users in reliance upon any of the data. 

Additional Steps Underway

In light of the tragedy in Surfside, the City of Hollywood is taking a number of steps to improve our 40-Year or Older Building Safety Program including:

  • Issuing and re-issuing certified letters to every property identified by Broward County since the program’s inception.
  • Creating a Recertification Taskforce that will utilize an all-hands on deck approach to ensure property compliance.
  • Identifying a Building Division staff member who will be dedicated to monitoring the newly established 40-Year Recertification email where property owners can submit their recertification packets: BuildingReCertification@hollywoodfl.org  
  • Establishing a dedicated phone number for those who have additional questions regarding the program in Hollywood - that number is 954.921.3025.
  • Activating the Notice of Violation and Special Magistrate enforcement mechanism. Non-compliant buildings could be posted with a “Notice of Violation”. If a property owner fails to respond to the posted Notice of Violation they could be referred to the Special Magistrate which could result in a fine up to $1,000 per day for a first violation and each day of non-compliance with the code and up to $5,000 per day for a repeat violator. If the building is determined to be unsafe, the matter could be forwarded to the Broward County Unsafe Structures Board.   
  • Taking a triaged approach in determining prioritization consistent with the process other coastal cities in South Florida are beginning to implement. For example, properties on the barrier island, specifically those classified as High Rises, and based on a specific construction methodology will be prioritized. 
  • Providing a list of compliant and non-compliant properties to Broward County in an effort to promote better inter-agency cooperation.