How do we replace the exterior stairs on our HOA condo buildings?

By OurHOA · General information · Revised September 27, 2026

How an HOA board replaces exterior condo stairs: engineer's assessment, wood vs steel vs concrete, permits, keeping upstairs exits open, bids and owner notices.

Part of the HOA board handbook: vendors, projects and upkeep.

The short answer

Hire a structural engineer before you call a stair contractor. The engineer tells you whether the stairs need repair or replacement, what the new ones should be made of, and whether the landings and footings can carry them. Then pull a permit, plan how upstairs owners get out of the building while their stair is gone, bid the engineer's drawings, and replace one stair at a time. On a walk-up building, the exterior stair is often the only way in or out of the upper units. That makes this a life-safety job first and a construction job second. A board that runs it like a paint project ends up with a stop-work order or an owner stuck on a landing. Rules vary by state, by city and by your governing documents, and this guide is general education, not legal advice.

Start with an engineer, not a bid

Stairs fail where water sits. On wood stairs that means the stringers where the treads fasten, the bottom of each stringer where it meets concrete, and the ledger where the landing attaches to the building. On steel stairs it means the pans that hold the concrete treads, the base plates and the welds at the landing. Rust stains, soft wood, cracked tread concrete and a stair that bounces underfoot are all reasons to call the engineer this month. Ask for a written report on every stair, with photos keyed to building and stair number, and a recommendation for each one: repair now, replace, or monitor. The report should cover the landings, the connection to the building and the footings too. A new stair bolted to a rotted landing ledger is still a failure waiting to happen. If the engineer calls a stair unsafe, close it that day and tell the affected owners in writing. Then call your insurance agent. Exterior stairs are usually common elements, so the association maintains them and carries the injury risk. Check the maintenance chart in your declaration anyway. A few older documents make owners responsible for the stair serving their unit.

Which state rules reach your stairs

Florida's milestone inspection law, Florida Statutes 553.899, covers condominium and cooperative buildings three habitable stories or taller once they turn 30, or 25 where the local building official requires it because of conditions such as closeness to salt water. It is a structural inspection of load-bearing elements and primary structural systems. The statute does not name stairs, so put them in the engineer's engagement letter and ask whether they were examined. If a phase two report finds substantial structural deterioration, repairs must start within 365 days of receiving the report. Florida's structural integrity reserve study under 718.112(2)(g) applies to the same three-story buildings. Its list includes the roof, the structure including load-bearing walls, waterproofing, windows and several building systems. Stairs are not on that list by name either. If your study left them out or buried them in another line, fix that at the next update so the replacement is funded. California is the one state with a law aimed at stairs. Civil Code 5551 requires a condominium association to have a licensed structural or civil engineer or an architect inspect exterior elevated elements at least once every nine years. Those include stairways more than six feet above ground that are supported in whole or in substantial part by wood. An inspector who finds an immediate threat must notify local code enforcement within 15 days, and the association must keep people off the element until the repair is approved. Our guide on whether your HOA needs a balcony or deck inspection covers that law in more detail. Texas and Colorado have no stair inspection statute. There, the building department, your documents and your insurer set the rules.

Wood, steel or concrete

Let the engineer choose, but know the trade-offs before the meeting. Treated wood costs the least and any carpenter can repair it, but it needs sealing and regular checks, and it rots again in the same places if the new stair copies the details that trapped water. Galvanized or coated steel with concrete-filled pans costs more and does not rot, but it rusts wherever the coating is damaged or water pools. Concrete stairs are the heaviest option, and the weight may mean new footings and a crane on site. Two questions matter more than the material. Can the landings and footings carry the new stair, or does the job grow into a landing replacement? And will the building official require the new stair to meet current rules for riser height, tread depth, guards and handrails? A replacement stair often cannot fit current geometry in the old footprint, and the engineer needs that answer before drawing it. Ask the building department early and get the answer in writing.

Keep a way out while the stairs are gone

Building codes require exits to stay usable during construction. Virginia's adopted building code, for example, says means of egress 'shall be maintained at all times during construction.' The model International Building Code that most states adopt has the same kind of rule in its chapter on safeguards during construction. Ask your building official how you will meet it before you sign a contract. The usual answers are a temporary stair or scaffold stair set up before the old one comes out, working one stair at a time where units have a second exit, or a short relocation for upstairs owners when neither works. A temporary stair costs real money, so make it a separate line in every bid. Contact every upstairs household well ahead of the start date and ask whether anyone uses a wheelchair or walker, has a condition that makes stairs hard, or needs regular deliveries such as oxygen. Plan around those units first.

Permits, scope and bids

Put 'contractor obtains all permits and schedules all inspections' in the scope, plus engineer site visits at footings, connections and final. For painted wood stairs on buildings built before 1978, removal falls under EPA's lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, so require an EPA-certified firm. Ask each bidder for a price per stair, a separate price for the temporary stair, unit prices for rotted landing framing or ledger found after demolition, the number of days each stair will be closed, and both the product and workmanship warranties. Then check your bid rules. Texas Property Code 209.0052(c) requires an association to use a bid process for service contracts over $50,000, but section 209.003(d) says chapter 209 does not apply to condominiums. A Texas condo follows its declaration and bylaws. Florida Statutes 718.3026 requires a condominium to get competitive bids when a contract exceeds 5 percent of the total annual budget including reserves. It does not require taking the lowest bid, and it allows emergency purchases. Colorado leaves this to your documents and any purchasing policy the board adopted. Our guide on writing an HOA request for proposal covers the site walk and bidder questions.

A sample timeline and wording to copy

A realistic order for a small board: month 1, the engineer's assessment; month 2, the material decision and a call to the building department; months 3 to 4, drawings, the permit application and bids; month 5, contract and a meeting with upstairs owners; then construction one stair at a time, each closed only as many days as the contractor committed to in the bid. Sample motion: 'Motion to approve the contract with [contractor] to replace exterior stairs [numbers] at Buildings [numbers] per the [engineer] drawings dated [date], for $[amount] plus a temporary stair at $[amount] and landing repairs at the contract unit prices up to $[amount], paid from the reserve fund, and to authorize [director] to sign.' Sample notice, sent at least three weeks before work starts: 'The exterior stair serving units 201 to 204 in Building C will be replaced starting Monday, May 4. A temporary stair will be in place before the old stair comes out, and you will use it until the new stair passes final inspection, about [number] working days later. Please remove mats, plants and anything stored on the stair or landing by May 1. If anyone in your household has trouble with stairs or needs regular medical deliveries, call [contact] this week so we can plan for you.'

Mistakes boards make

Collecting contractor bids before an engineer has defined the job, so every bidder prices a different stair. Replacing the stair and ignoring the rotted ledger the landing hangs from. Leaving the temporary stair out of the bids, then learning at the permit counter that it is required. Keeping an unsafe stair open for weeks while the board waits for its next meeting. Telling upstairs owners at the same time as everyone else, when one of them needed a month to arrange care. And skipping the reserve study update, so the next board has no record of when the stairs were built or what they cost. When the last stair passes inspection, file the engineer's report, drawings, permits and warranties in the association's permanent records. Our guide on closing out an HOA construction project covers final payment, lien waivers and the punch list.

Sources

These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.

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