Palm Beach County Building Permits: County vs City, Fees and Forms

Palm Beach County building permits come from whichever government controls your address. Unincorporated properties apply to the county's Planning, Zoning and Building (PZB) Building Division through its ePZB portal. Properties inside a city or town apply to that municipality's building department, which has its own portal, forms and fees. Start by confirming the jurisdiction: check your project and address.

Key takeaways

• In unincorporated Palm Beach County, the PZB Building Division's Permit Center processes building permit applications, and you apply online through the ePZB portal.
• Cities such as Boca Raton, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens and Greenacres run their own building departments, each with its own portal and fee schedule.
• Most Palm Beach County offices we reviewed price building permits as a percentage of the job's value, and Florida law adds surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent of the permit fee.
• Florida law requires a copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection when the direct contract is greater than $5,000, except heating or air-conditioning repair or replacement under $15,000.
• Florida's $7,500 permit exemption excludes electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical and gas work, excludes property in a flood hazard area, and requires a written request.

Table of contents

• Who issues building permits in Palm Beach County?
• How do I apply for a permit in unincorporated Palm Beach County?
• Which permit portal does each Palm Beach County city use?
• How much does a building permit cost in Palm Beach County?
• Does the $7,500 permit exemption apply in Palm Beach County?
• What documents does a Palm Beach County permit application need?
• When do I need a Notice of Commencement in Palm Beach County?
• Can I pull my own permit as an owner-builder in Palm Beach County?
• How do roof permits work in Palm Beach County?
• What does a re-roof permit look like in Palm Beach Gardens?
• What happens if I build without a permit in Palm Beach County?
• What should I do before I apply?

Who issues building permits in Palm Beach County?

Your address decides it. The county's Permit Center handles building construction in the unincorporated area of Palm Beach County, while each incorporated city or town permits work inside its own limits.

So a home inside Boca Raton applies to Boca Raton, and a home in an unincorporated community applies to the county. A mailing address that names a city does not prove the property is inside city limits, so confirm first. The Palm Beach County hub lists the cities and towns we cover.

How do I apply for a permit in unincorporated Palm Beach County?

You apply online through the county's ePZB portal, which the Permit Center says is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In-person service is also listed.

Where the county offices are

• Main office (Vista Center): 2300 N. Jog Road, West Palm Beach, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• South County Administrative Complex: 345 S. Congress Avenue, Suite 102, Delray Beach, Tuesday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with limited services.

Tools worth using first

The county's Permit Center page links a submittal checklist finder, a Building Fee Estimator inside ePZB and inspection scheduling. Use the estimator; the posted fee schedule PDF dates from 2009.

Which permit portal does each Palm Beach County city use?

Each office runs its own online system, and most set fees as a percentage of the work's value. Fees were checked against official pages in November 2026 (Riviera Beach in September 2026) and change, so confirm with the office.

Boynton Beach offers instant permits to licensed contractors for A/C change-outs, water heater change-outs and re-roofs.

How much does a building permit cost in Palm Beach County?

There is no countywide price. Each office applies its own schedule, usually a percentage of value, then adds state surcharges and sometimes local add-ons.

State surcharges on every permit

Florida law adds 1 percent of permit fees under section 553.721 and 1.5 percent under section 468.631, each with a $2 minimum per permit.

Local add-ons and deposits

• Palm Beach Gardens: a plan review surcharge of 10% of the permit fee and a training surcharge of 1% ($2 minimum).
• Greenacres: a $75 non-refundable application fee, applied toward the total permit fee.
• Jupiter: 30% of the permit fee due when the application is submitted.

Re-inspection fees

Failed inspections cost extra. Boca Raton charges $79, Royal Palm Beach $100, and Palm Beach Gardens $75 for the first re-inspection and $300 for any after that.

Florida Statutes section 553.79 says inspection fees may not be based on the total cost of a project, so valuation-based schedules may change. For roof jobs, see our city-by-city roof permit cost guide for South Florida.

Does the $7,500 permit exemption apply in Palm Beach County?

Sometimes. Section 553.79 exempts a single-family homeowner, or the owner's contractor, from a permit for work valued under $7,500, with major carve-outs.

The exemption does not apply to property partly or entirely in a flood hazard area, or to any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work. You must submit a written request with the contract or other documents showing the nature and value of the work, and a project may not be split up to stay under the limit.

Lake Worth Beach charges $100 for an HB803 exemption certificate review, and Boca Raton posts a Residential Permit Exemption Acknowledgment Form. Our $7,500 exemption guide walks through what qualifies.

Our take: Treat the $7,500 exemption as narrow. Most real home projects touch structure, wiring, plumbing or mechanical systems, and a wrong guess that no permit is needed is the costly direction. File the written request and wait for the office to agree before you start.

What documents does a Palm Beach County permit application need?

Most offices start with the Universal County-Wide/Municipal Building Permit Application (January 2024 Edition), which the county, Boca Raton, Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens post, plus project-specific forms. Greenacres uses its own application.

Common attachments

• An owner-builder affidavit and disclosure statement, if you are acting as your own contractor.
• A recorded Notice of Commencement when the job is large enough (see below).
• Product approvals for windows, doors, roofing and similar exterior products.
• The project checklist or form for your trade, such as the county's AC Change Out Form or Water Heater Change Out Form.

Product approvals

The county notes that the Florida Product Approval System took effect October 1, 2003, under Rule 61G20-3, covering products such as exterior doors, windows and roofing. Its product approval page links a Florida Building Commission advisory accepting Miami-Dade NOAs as state approved. Greenacres rejects expired NOAs.

When do I need a Notice of Commencement in Palm Beach County?

Under Florida Statutes section 713.135, the permit office must require a copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection when the direct contract is greater than $5,000. That rule does not apply to repairing or replacing an existing heating or air-conditioning system for less than $15,000.

A Notice of Commencement is a document the owner records with the clerk before work begins, so subcontractors and suppliers know who to notify. The same statute says an office may not require recording as a condition of applying for or issuing the permit, so you can usually record it after the permit and before the first inspection.

Local checklists vary: Greenacres says $5,000 or more, and Royal Palm Beach's Application Guide asks for a recorded copy if over $2,500 in value. Follow your office's checklist, and see our Notice of Commencement guide for the recording steps.

Can I pull my own permit as an owner-builder in Palm Beach County?

Yes, if you meet Florida's owner-builder exemption in section 489.103(7). It lets an owner act as their own contractor on a one-family or two-family residence they will occupy, provided they directly supervise all work not done by licensed contractors.

The statute adds three conditions worth knowing:

1. You must personally appear and sign the building permit application.
2. You may not hand off supervision to anyone who is not licensed for that work.
3. Selling or leasing the home within one year after completion creates a presumption that you built it for sale or lease.

Most offices we reviewed post an owner-builder affidavit. Read the owner-builder guide before you sign, because the disclosure statement makes you responsible for workers you hire.

How do roof permits work in Palm Beach County?

A re-roof needs a permit, a roofing form, marked-up product approvals and several inspections. Some offices now issue simple residential re-roofs quickly.

Self-issued re-roofs in unincorporated areas

The county's Self-Issued Reroof Application covers permit type 4081, Reroof, for single-family, duplex and attached residential. Your answers to the online questions decide whether the permit issues almost instantly or goes to plan review. The fees must still be paid before work starts, and an unpaid permit expires in 10 days.

The county lists these re-roof inspections: Framing Anchor (if required), Roof Sheathing (if required), Roof Metal, Reroofing in Progress and Roofing Final.

Roofing forms and city checklists

The county posts Reroofing Form 100 for asphalt shingles or wood shakes, plus forms for tile, metal and flat roofs. Jupiter's roofing checklist requires current State of Florida or Miami-Dade NOA product approvals and makes sheathing, tin-tag or dry-in, in-progress and final inspections mandatory.

State roof-hardening rules

Florida Statutes section 553.844 directs that a roof replacement on a site-built single-family home include a secondary water barrier and strengthened roof-decking attachments. In the wind-borne debris region, a home insured or valued at $300,000 or more also needs roof-to-wall connection improvements.

What does a re-roof permit look like in Palm Beach Gardens?

Here is a worked example. A homeowner in Palm Beach Gardens hires a licensed roofer to replace an asphalt shingle roof on a single-family home.

1. The roofer applies through the city's Online Permitting System.
2. The application follows the city's Residential Re-Roof checklist: product approval NOAs, the roofing form for the system (Reroofing Form 100 for shingles) and a Notice of Commencement, which the checklist requires for projects valued over $5,000.
3. The city prices the permit on value. Its printed rate is 1.80 percent of the first $100,000 (minimum $75), and it then adds a 10% plan review surcharge, a 1% training surcharge and the two state surcharges.
4. A failed inspection adds a $75 re-inspection fee the first time.

This illustrates the printed schedule; it is not a quote, and the city confirms the actual fee.

What happens if I build without a permit in Palm Beach County?

You will usually pay more than the permit would have cost. Greenacres charges four times the permit fee plus $100 for a first offense, and Palm Beach Gardens adds a penalty of 100% of the usual permit fee.

Unpermitted work may also have to be opened up or redone, and it can surface when you sell, refinance or file an insurance claim.

What should I do before I apply?

Work through these steps, and let the permit office answer anything specific to your property.

1. Confirm whether the address is in a city or in unincorporated Palm Beach County.
2. Open that office's portal and find the checklist for your project type.
3. Decide who pulls the permit: a licensed contractor or you as an owner-builder.
4. Gather product approvals, the trade form and, for larger jobs, a recorded Notice of Commencement.
5. Use the office's fee estimator or schedule, and confirm the fee before you pay.