Questions
Plain answers on building in the Town of Palm Beach, from the Town's own pages. Rules change, so check your property with the Town before you plan.
01
The Town of Palm Beach. Its Planning, Zoning & Building Department at Town Hall, 360 South County Road, handles construction permits.
Read the guide: Building permits in the TownSource: Town of Palm Beach: Planning, Zoning & Building (opens in a new tab)
Online, through the Town's EPL Citizen Access Portal. Every contractor must register in EPL before applying.
Read the guide: Building permits in the TownSource: Town of Palm Beach: EPL instructions (opens in a new tab)
The Town caps major construction by size: from 16 months for 3,999 sq ft or less up to 42 months for a 20,000 to 39,999 sq ft remodel. Minor construction permits must be finished within 12 months.
Read the guide: Building permits in the TownSource: Town Code Sec. 18-237, 18-238 (opens in a new tab)
02
From November 1 to April 30, work runs weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with no site noise before 9:00 a.m. No work on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.
Read the guide: Construction hours and holidaysSource: Town chart: Construction & Landscaping Working Hours (Rev. 07/16/2026) (opens in a new tab)
Yes. All construction is prohibited from December 24 through January 1, and on the days before and after Thanksgiving.
Read the guide: Construction hours and holidaysSource: Town chart: Construction & Landscaping Working Hours (Rev. 07/16/2026) (opens in a new tab)
No. From November 1 to April 30 the Town prohibits demolition of structures and issues no demolition permits. Interior demolition finished, with debris removed, in three days or less is allowed.
Read the guide: Construction hours and holidaysSource: Town of Palm Beach: Demolition Deadlines 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Only if the site cannot hold every vehicle, and then with up to three right-of-way parking permits. Each violation is a strike, and three strikes stop the job.
Read the guide: Construction hours and holidaysSource: Town of Palm Beach: 3-Strike Program (opens in a new tab)
03
The Town's Architectural Commission. It reviews new construction, landscaping, and changes to existing buildings visible from the street.
Read the guide: How ARCOM approval worksSource: Town of Palm Beach: Development Review (opens in a new tab)
On the Town's published calendar, the pre-application request is due about 11 weeks before the hearing. An incomplete or late submittal pushes the hearing back.
Read the guide: How ARCOM approval worksSource: Town Development Review Calendar, Aug 2026 to Jan 2027 (opens in a new tab)
Often, yes. The Town's matrix sends listed items, such as in-kind replacements and small additions not visible from the street, to staff approval.
Read the guide: How ARCOM approval worksSource: Town ARCOM Project Designation Matrix (opens in a new tab)
24 months, unless a building permit has been obtained. ARCOM may grant one extension of up to a year.
Read the guide: How ARCOM approval worksSource: Town Code Sec. 18-203 (opens in a new tab)
04
Exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Ordinary repair that keeps the design, material and appearance does not.
Read the guide: Renovating a landmarked houseSource: Town Code Sec. 54-71 (opens in a new tab)
Yes. A landmarked property can apply for a ten-year exemption from Town taxes on the added value of qualifying restoration or rehabilitation.
Read the guide: Renovating a landmarked houseSource: Town Code Sec. 54-196, 54-197 (opens in a new tab)
05
In a flood zone (AE or VE), if improvements cost 50% or more of the building's market value (not the land), the house must meet the flood rules for new construction. That most notably means raising the lowest floor to the base flood elevation.
Read the guide: The 50% ruleSource: Town notice: work on existing buildings in a flood zone (opens in a new tab)Source: Town notice: bringing a substantially improved home into compliance (opens in a new tab)
Yes. In the Town it is cumulative over one year, counting every repair, addition and improvement from the first permit.
Read the guide: The 50% ruleSource: Town Code Sec. 50-137.5 (opens in a new tab)
06
Yes, Philip Modenos is a Florida Certified General Contractor, license CGC057454, licensed since 1994.
Yes, GCS Palm Beach carries $1M general liability insurance.
Yes, small jobs are welcome, from a haul-away after a party or a leak in a wall to a teardown and a new house.
Philip Modenos takes jobs through the Town of Palm Beach building department, the Architectural Commission (ARCOM) and the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Every job is open book, so you see every cost.
Anywhere on Palm Beach island, the Town of Palm Beach (33480).
Call or text Philip Modenos at 561-758-8976.
Philip Modenos does. 561-758-8976 rings his cell; if he is on a job, text.
Philip Modenos has been licensed since 1994 and has worked on Palm Beach island every day for about 25 years.