Your Building’s Recertification Requires
an Infrared Inspection

Not every building, but most commercial and multi-story residential buildings do. In Miami-Dade and Broward, recertification requirements apply to all buildings except single-family homes, duplexes, and structures with an occupant load of 10 or fewer and under 2,000 SF. Statewide, under SB 4-D, the mandate applies to condominiums and cooperatives three stories or taller. Within those buildings, the infrared inspection is specifically triggered when the electrical service is 400 amperes or greater, which applies to virtually every qualifying commercial and residential structure.

It depends on when it was conducted and what it covered. A prior inspection may be accepted as the initial milestone inspection if it meets the required standards and was performed within a certain window — but you’ll need to verify this with your local building official. For ongoing recertification cycles, a new inspection is required every 10 years. If your prior inspection was conducted without a Level II thermographer or doesn’t meet the current BORA documentation requirements, a new one will be necessary.

Duration depends on the number of electrical panels, utility rooms, and components to be scanned. A typical mid-size commercial building or condominium complex can be completed in a half to full day. Larger multi-building campuses or high-rises with extensive electrical distribution may require multiple days. We provide a time estimate during the scoping conversation, and we coordinate with your building management to minimize disruption.

No — infrared thermography is conducted on energized equipment under normal operating conditions, meaning no shutdown, no disruption, and no tenant displacement is required. Access to electrical rooms and utility closets is needed, but building operations continue normally throughout the inspection. This is one of the key advantages of IR inspection for occupied buildings.

This is actually the goal of the inspection. If thermal anomalies are found, our report will classify each finding by severity — Critical, Serious, Intermediate or Minor — with a probable cause, recommended corrective action, and a suggested repair timeline. Your structural or electrical engineer can use these findings to plan and prioritize repairs. Guidant Power, as part of the broader family of electrical safety services, can also help connect you with remediation resources if needed.

Absolutely. In many recertification projects, the IR thermography inspection is one component of a broader report package assembled by a licensed structural engineer or electrical engineer of record. We work seamlessly alongside other design professionals and can deliver our report directly to your engineer in the format they need for the overall recertification submission.

Yes. While Miami-Dade and Broward have the most established recertification programs in Florida, we serve facilities across the entire state — including Palm Beach, Orange, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Duval, and other counties where local milestone inspection rules or statewide SB 4-D requirements apply. We’re also experienced in serving the growing number of municipalities outside South Florida that are adopting their own IR inspection ordinances for aging buildings.

Our recertification IR reports include: a thermal image and visible-light photo of every component inspected; component identification, location, and equipment type; maximum temperature and Delta-T measurements; severity classification (Critical, Serious, Intermediate or Minor); probable cause of any anomaly; recommended corrective action; and suggested repair timeline. The report is signed by our certified thermographer and formatted to meet the submission standards required by Miami-Dade, Broward, and other Florida county programs.