Building permits in the Town of Palm Beach.

Who issues building permits on Palm Beach?

The Town’s Planning, Zoning & Building Department handles construction permits. It also staffs ARCOM and the Landmarks Preservation Commission and keeps the Town’s building records.¹

The Town Code sets up the Town’s own building division, run by a building official the Town Manager appoints.²

What needs a permit

The Town’s owner-builder flyer lists the most common owner-builder permits:⁵

• Interior or exterior alterations
• Additions to 1- and 2-unit dwellings
• Window and door replacements
• Re-roofing
• Site walls, fences and gates
• Demolition
• Awnings and storm shutters
• Driveways

Some work needs more than the building permit:

• Changes visible from the street go to ARCOM, or to Landmarks for a landmarked property, before the permit.⁶
• Work in Flood Zone AE or VE needs a separate Floodplain Development Permit.⁶
• Work within Intracoastal right-of-way easements needs the Army Corps of Engineers. Work seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line needs an FDEP permit or exemption.⁷
• Adding habitable area brings Palm Beach County impact fees, and the plans carry the County’s stamp showing they’re paid.⁷

Inspections

Inspections are scheduled in the Citizen Access Portal, up to 11:59 p.m. the day before. To cancel before 9:00 a.m., call the assigned inspector; after 9:00 a.m., call the office at 561-838-5431.¹⁰

Permits issued after April 1, 2024 are in EPL; older ones are in the Town’s legacy EDEN system.¹⁰ Using unlicensed contractors or subcontractors “may prevent you from being eligible for inspections and/or C.O.”⁶

On a direct contract over $5,000, the permit office needs a copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection. HVAC repair or replacement under $15,000 is the exception.⁶

Who can pull a permit

Florida law (Chapter 489) requires construction to be done by licensed contractors. You can check any Florida license on the state’s license search. Contractors working in the Town also need a Town Business Tax Receipt.^5,12,13

The exception is the owner-builder: an owner building or improving a 1- or 2-family home for their own use, not for sale or lease. In the Town, the owner-builder:⁵

• Appears in person.
• Signs an Owner/Builder Affidavit, notarized by building department staff.
• Needs the Building Official’s approval, and may be required to take a competency test.^5,7

Permit fees since July 2026

From about July 1, 2026, Florida law (HB 803) bars the Town from basing building permit fees on project value. The value is still collected, for reporting only.¹⁴

• New buildings and additions: priced by square footage, using the ICC Building Valuation Data table.^6,15
• Renovating an existing building: $1.00 per sq ft of area.¹⁵
• Minimum construction permit fee: $100.00.¹⁵
• Compliance fees, as a share of the permit fee where they apply: submittal 8%, zoning 10%, landscape 8%, drainage 15%, engineering 20%, design review 15%, fire protection 10%, floodplain 8%.^14,15
• A 4% technology fee on every Planning, Zoning & Building transaction.¹⁵
• Work without a permit: 300% of the permit fee.¹⁵

Parking, screening and the 3-Strike Rule

Every vehicle parks on the site from permit issuance to certificate of occupancy, or the contractor carpools or gets up to three right-of-way parking permits. Before the building permit is issued, the owner signs a notarized acknowledgment of the 3-Strike Rule.^6,20

1. 1. 1Each documented parking, site-management, noise or construction-hours violation is a strike. Appeals are due in writing within seven days.^6,21
   2. 2After any adjudicated strike, code violation or stop work order, the owner and contractor sign a Construction Management Agreement with the Town.²¹
   3. 3Three strikes at one site bring a Stop Work Order. Only the Town Council can restart the job.^6,21

The site is secured and screened. Barriers visible from the street are 6 to 12 feet tall, one color (green or black), with no barbed or razor wire. Dumpsters, materials and portable toilets sit inside the barrier, and gates close at night and on weekends.²²

Work that materially deviates from the approved plans gets an immediate stop work order. Keeping the change means an ARCOM or Landmarks application within 30 days at double the normal fees, and no CO while the deviation stands.²³ Hours, holidays and the season bans are in the construction hours guide.

Rules change; check with the Town (Planning, Zoning & Building, (561) 838-5431) for your property.

Questions

Does Palm Beach County issue my permit?

No. The Town of Palm Beach has its own building division, in the Planning, Zoning & Building Department at Town Hall, 360 South County Road.

Where do I apply for a permit?

Through the Town's EPL Citizen Access Portal. Contractors must register in EPL first.

Do I need a permit to replace my windows on Palm Beach?

Yes. Window and door replacement needs a Town permit with product approvals and wind-pressure calculations based on 170 mph, Exposure D. It also needs design review, by staff, ARCOM or the Landmarks Preservation Commission depending on scope.

How long can a renovation take?

It depends on size: from 16 months under 4,000 sq ft to 42 months for 20,000 to 39,999 sq ft. Smaller permits get 12 months.

What if I build without a permit?

The fee is 300% of the normal permit fee, under the Town's master fee schedule.

Can workers park on the street?

Only with up to three right-of-way parking permits, and only if the site can't hold every vehicle. Violations are strikes, and three strikes stop the job.