Florida · Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County, decoded
Thirty-nine municipalities, one county code, and a barrier island where the review board changes before the zip code does. Where your parcel sits decides who says yes, and how long yes takes. We read the map first, then move your project from raw site to issued permit.
Supporting line: Entitlements, zoning, and permit expediting across unincorporated Palm Beach County and its cities, towns, and villages.
State Program
Live Local Act
Local Authority
Palm Beach County Planning
Local Note
25-year coastal milestone inspection trigger
Have a site in Palm Beach?
Tell us what you’re trying to build, and we’ll screen it for Live Local Act eligibility in Palm Beach.
How Palm Beach Regulates Development
The framework, in plain terms
Palm Beach County is not one jurisdiction. Development in unincorporated county areas is governed by the Palm Beach County Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) and reviewed by the Planning, Zoning & Building Department (PZB) at 2300 North Jog Road, West Palm Beach. Inside any of the county’s incorporated cities, towns, and villages, from West Palm Beach to the Town of Palm Beach to Palm Beach Gardens, the local code and local review boards govern instead.
Getting this right is the first thing we do on any Palm Beach site, because the wrong assumption about who reviews your project costs weeks before a single plan is drawn.
Palm Beach Service Offerings
What we handle here
Palm Beach County is a steady, well-established South Florida market with a full range of project types, from unincorporated county infill to municipal redevelopment to Live Local Act multifamily. Our scope covers the entitlement and permitting path end to end.
Local Relevance
What actually shapes a project here
The issues, timelines, and project types that come up most often when we work in Palm Beach County.
Local Terminology
The vocabulary, decoded
The terms you will hear from county or municipal staff, in plain English.
FAQ
Questions we hear most in Palm Beach
Q. Is my site governed by Palm Beach County or by a city?
It depends on whether the parcel is in unincorporated county or inside one of the county’s thirty-nine municipalities. Unincorporated sites follow the county ULDC and are reviewed by the Planning, Zoning & Building Department; municipal sites follow that city’s code and boards. Confirming this is the first thing we do, because the answer determines the entire review path.
It depends on whether the parcel is in unincorporated county or inside one of the county’s thirty-nine municipalities. Unincorporated sites follow the county ULDC and are reviewed by the Planning, Zoning & Building Department; municipal sites follow that city’s code and boards. Confirming this is the first thing we do, because the answer determines the entire review path.
Q. What is the DRO process and when does my project need a public hearing?
The Development Review Officer process is the county’s administrative approval track for site plans and amendments that meet code without discretionary relief. Whether a project needs a public hearing before the Zoning Commission or Board of County Commissioners depends on the use, the applicable overlay, and the development thresholds in the ULDC. We determine which track applies at the pre-application stage.
The Development Review Officer process is the county’s administrative approval track for site plans and amendments that meet code without discretionary relief. Whether a project needs a public hearing before the Zoning Commission or Board of County Commissioners depends on the use, the applicable overlay, and the development thresholds in the ULDC. We determine which track applies at the pre-application stage.
Q. How long does a Zoning Confirmation Letter take?
Informal ZCLs are generally issued within about 30 days. Formal or interpretive letters, which address more complex code questions, can take up to 60 days. We request these early so a zoning question never becomes a closing-date problem.
Informal ZCLs are generally issued within about 30 days. Formal or interpretive letters, which address more complex code questions, can take up to 60 days. We request these early so a zoning question never becomes a closing-date problem.
Q. Does the Live Local Act apply to my project in Palm Beach County?
It can, for qualifying multifamily or mixed-use projects that meet the affordability thresholds. The 2025 amendments (SB 1730) reinforced the preemption of local density, height, and floor area ratio limits and confirmed administrative approval without a public hearing when criteria are met. Eligibility is site-specific and technical. Tell us what you’re trying to build and we’ll screen it.
It can, for qualifying multifamily or mixed-use projects that meet the affordability thresholds. The 2025 amendments (SB 1730) reinforced the preemption of local density, height, and floor area ratio limits and confirmed administrative approval without a public hearing when criteria are met. Eligibility is site-specific and technical. Tell us what you’re trying to build and we’ll screen it.
Q. My building is an older coastal condo. Do I face a 25-year or 30-year milestone inspection?
The statewide default under Florida Statute 553.899 is 30 years from the certificate of occupancy, then every 10 years. Following HB 1021, local governments in coastal areas may impose an earlier 25-year trigger at their discretion; it is no longer an automatic statewide requirement. The correct answer for your building depends on your specific jurisdiction and location, and the inspection itself is engineering work outside our scope. We help you confirm which schedule applies so it can be factored into redevelopment timing
The statewide default under Florida Statute 553.899 is 30 years from the certificate of occupancy, then every 10 years. Following HB 1021, local governments in coastal areas may impose an earlier 25-year trigger at their discretion; it is no longer an automatic statewide requirement. The correct answer for your building depends on your specific jurisdiction and location, and the inspection itself is engineering work outside our scope. We help you confirm which schedule applies so it can be factored into redevelopment timing
Q. Can you handle both entitlements and permitting, or just one?
Both. We manage the full path, from jurisdictional determination and entitlement strategy through ePZB submittal, plan review coordination, and corrections management to permit issuance.
Both. We manage the full path, from jurisdictional determination and entitlement strategy through ePZB submittal, plan review coordination, and corrections management to permit issuance.