Two units went up for sale in Century Village this year, both two-bedroom, two-bath, both priced under $150,000, both inside the same gated perimeter off Okeechobee Boulevard. One listing led with a line agents don't usually need to write: "skip the milestone reports." The other quietly noted a new roof and confirmed there were no assessments pending. Same 55-plus community, same master HOA name on the sign out front, two completely different sets of rules attached to the deed.
The difference has nothing to do with the view, the renovation, or which decade the kitchen was updated. It comes down to how many floors are stacked on top of the unit.
What actually splits the community in half
Century Village at West Palm Beach was built out between the early 1970s and 1995 and holds roughly 6,500 condominium units spread across roughly 300 individual associations, all coordinated under one management structure. What most buyers don't realize when they start touring is that Florida's post-Surfside safety law only reaches buildings three stories or taller. Anything built as a one- or two-story structure sits outside the milestone inspection and Structural Integrity Reserve Study requirements entirely, at least under the law as it stands today.
That single threshold, written into Florida Statute 553.899 and 718.112, cuts straight through a community that looks uniform from the street. Sections built as low-rise two-story buildings never trigger a milestone inspection no matter how old they get. Sections like Dover, built with four floors and 64 units per building, do. Two neighbors who moved in the same year, paid similar prices, and share the same clubhouse can be living under entirely different legal obligations.
Board Synergy Club, which helps coordinate Century Village's individual condo associations, says buildings of one or two stories are not currently required to complete these inspections, while three-story-and-up buildings must.
The paperwork that comes with the taller buildings
For buildings three stories or higher, Palm Beach County's Building Division says the clock starts at 25 years of age within three miles of the coast, or 30 years inland. Separately, every building three stories or taller must complete a Structural Integrity Reserve Study covering eight components that GoverningDocs describes as untouchable under Florida law: roof, load-bearing walls and structural members, fire protection, plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing, windows and exterior doors, and any other item carrying a deferred maintenance cost over $10,000.
Associations used to be able to vote to waive funding for those reserves and keep monthly dues artificially low. That option closed under the new requirements. As of January 1, 2026, boards for qualifying buildings have to fund those reserves at the level the study calls for, full stop.
Why 2026 is the year the split started showing up in listings
The reserve-waiver ban that took effect January 1, 2026 is likely why "no assessments" started appearing as a selling point in some Century Village listings and "skip the milestone reports" in others. Boards in the taller buildings are folding full reserve contributions into their budgets for the first time, and that money has to come from somewhere. Monthly assessments in those associations are the most likely place it shows up.
Here's how the two tiers compare as of today:
| Two-story buildings | Three or four-story buildings | |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone inspection required | No | Yes, at 25 or 30 years depending on coastal distance |
| SIRS required | No | Yes |
| Listing language surfacing in 2026 | "No assessments," "skip the milestone reports" | "Reserves in progress," disclosed budget increases |
What to ask for before you compare two units side by side
For a Century Village purchase, request the association's declaration, bylaws, budget, most recent financial statement, and either a milestone inspection summary or a written statement that none was required for the specific building, rather than assuming the master community's reputation tells you anything about your address. Ask for the reserve study or the written confirmation that one wasn't needed, the last two years of board meeting minutes for any mention of a pending special assessment, and the current operating budget so you can see whether reserve contributions have already started climbing.
If you're comparing a unit in a two-story building against one in a four-story building at a similar price, the paperwork you get back will look nothing alike, and that's the point. The lower price on the taller building's unit might reflect a rising monthly assessment the seller already knows about.
The disclosure side, for anyone selling
Siegfried Rivera says Florida's standard condominium contract rider requires sellers to disclose special assessments that are levied, pending, or discussed in board minutes from the past 12 months. If you're listing a unit in one of the two-story sections, "no milestone report needed" is accurate, but it only works as a selling point if the buyer understands why. Buyers who don't know about the story-height exemption may assume every Century Village building carries this risk, and a plainly worded explanation in the listing does more for you than a generic disclaimer.
One thing worth watching
The exemption for one- and two-story buildings rests on the law as written today. Florida has already amended this framework twice since the original 2022 legislation, first through Senate Bill 154 and then House Bill 913, mostly to adjust deadlines and reporting requirements for the buildings the law already covered. A framework that has changed twice in four years is not a framework to treat as permanent. Anyone buying into a two-story section on the assumption that it will never face these costs is making a bet on today's statute, not a guarantee.
A few questions worth asking before you write an offer
Does a two-story building in Century Village ever need a milestone inspection? Not under the law as it stands in 2026, regardless of the building's age. The three-story threshold is what triggers the requirement, not years in service.
If my building is two stories but sits inside an association that also manages taller buildings, does the exemption still apply? Request the records for the specific building rather than assuming that taller buildings elsewhere in the same association tell you what applies.
Are two-story sections immune from rising costs altogether? No. Insurance premiums and general inflation affect every building in Palm Beach County regardless of height. Dues can still rise for other reasons.
Century Village is a good example of something true across Palm Beach County's older condo stock: the number on the sign out front tells you almost nothing about what you're actually buying into. If you're weighing a purchase or a sale inside Century Village, or comparing it against other West Palm Beach condo communities, On Call Realty can help you pull the building-specific paperwork before you write an offer, not after. Schedule a free consultation and we'll walk through what a specific building's documents actually say.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
