Bolthole Index

Palm Beach County, Florida

Building permits, zoning and septic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida requires building permits for most construction, remodeling and repair work, handled by the city Building Department.12 Palm Beach Gardens controls city zoning, while the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County handles septic permitting.34 Living or sleeping in an RV parked or stored under the city’s RV rules is prohibited.5

At a glance

Building permits
City Building Department; required for most construction, remodeling and repair12
Zoning
City Planning & Zoning Department3
Septic permits
Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County4
RV living
Prohibited in RVs parked or stored under city rules5
Accessory dwellings
Conditional on the district’s permitted-use designation and city review6
Dwelling floor space
150 sq ft for the first occupant; 100 additional sq ft per additional occupant7
Owner-builder
Conditional state exemption; city requires an Owner-Builder Affidavit81

Who to call

Building permits

Palm Beach Gardens Building Department

City building permits, inspections and building records

561-799-4210

10500 N Military Trail Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

Online permits →

Building permits

Palm Beach Gardens Building Department — Application Guidance

City building permit applications and owner-builder documentation

Online permits →

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County - Environmental Public Health

Septic-system plan review and permitting, septic and well approvals, and private-well location review

561-840-4500

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Palm Beach Gardens means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Palm Beach Gardens, FL?

Palm Beach Gardens requires building permits for most construction, remodeling and repair, including structural changes, roof replacement, electrical, plumbing or mechanical work, window or door replacement, and building additions or alterations.1 The city Building Department handles building and permitting activity inside Palm Beach Gardens.2

Permitted construction in Palm Beach Gardens must remain accessible and exposed until the building official approves the required inspections.9 Florida’s owner-builder exemption can let an eligible owner act as contractor for a residence for personal use, but does not remove building permit or code obligations.8

Who issues building permits in Palm Beach Gardens?

Contact the Palm Beach Gardens Building Department at 561-799-4210 for city building permit services.2 Submit building permit applications through the city’s Online Permitting System.1 Applications may require construction plans, contractor information or registration, property details and applicable building permit fees.1

The Building Department offers a universal county-wide/municipal building permit application form.2 Palm Beach Gardens homeowners applying as owner-builders must submit the Owner-Builder Affidavit with the required application documentation.1 Ask the Building Department to identify the building permit category and submission requirements for your proposed work.2

Does Palm Beach Gardens have zoning, lot-size and setback rules?

Palm Beach Gardens administers its own zoning through city Development Compliance and Zoning staff.3 Before city building permits and certificates of occupancy are issued, staff review construction plans against land-development regulations and applicable development-order conditions.3

Palm Beach Gardens allows accessory dwelling units in districts where the permitted-use table designates that use as permitted, subject to staff review and chapter requirements.6 Ask the city Planner on Call at 561-799-4222 to confirm your parcel’s district, accessory dwelling eligibility, minimum lot size and setbacks; we could not confirm the district-specific dimensional requirements.3

How do septic permits work inside Palm Beach Gardens?

The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County regulates, permits and monitors onsite sewage treatment and disposal inside Palm Beach Gardens.4 Florida requires a septic permit for installation, replacement, repair, modification or abandonment of an onsite sewage system.10

The health department reviews septic and well plans, and those plans must be approved before a building permit can be issued.11 Final septic and well approvals must be recorded in the building department’s computer before a certificate of occupancy is issued.12 For an existing functioning septic system, Florida’s available-sewer connection requirement can apply after written notice, so verify sewer availability before budgeting for continued septic use.13

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Palm Beach Gardens?

Palm Beach Gardens prohibits temporary or permanent residential use, including living or sleeping, of RVs parked or stored under the city’s RV parking and storage regulations.5 Do not plan to use such an RV as housing while building a home in Palm Beach Gardens.5

Every Palm Beach Gardens dwelling unit must provide at least 150 square feet for the first occupant and another 100 square feet per additional occupant, with the most restrictive conflicting provision controlling.7 That floor-space rule does not establish tiny-home approval: we could not confirm a specific tiny-home occupancy rule, so ask city Planning & Zoning about the proposed dwelling and parcel.3

Building a home in Palm Beach Gardens: what are the steps?

  1. Ask Palm Beach Gardens Planning & Zoning to review the proposed use and development-plan requirements for the parcel.3
  2. If using septic or a private well, arrange county health department plan review before the city building permit is issued.11
  3. Submit the city building permit application online with the required plans and documentation.1
  4. Keep permitted work exposed and accessible for the required building inspections.9
  5. Obtain final inspection approval and ensure septic and well approvals are recorded before the certificate of occupancy.112

For development in a Palm Beach Gardens flood hazard area, ask the Building Department about floodplain development approval and flood-resistant construction requirements before settling the design.142

What stays with Palm Beach County, and what should buyers check?

Septic permitting and private-well plan review stay with the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County rather than city Planning & Zoning.411 Florida requires a permit before construction, repair or abandonment of a water well from the appropriate water management district or delegated authority; well drillers also submit location plans to the county health office before drilling.1511

For land outside Palm Beach Gardens city limits, see the Palm Beach County guide; county zoning applies to unincorporated Palm Beach County.16 Before purchasing inside Palm Beach Gardens, ask city Planning & Zoning about the proposed use and Building about existing building permit records, which the city makes available through its online system.32

Watch-outs

  • RV parking or storage permission in Palm Beach Gardens does not allow residential occupancy of that RV.5
  • Palm Beach Gardens accessory dwelling eligibility depends on the parcel’s zoning district and city review.6
  • Palm Beach Gardens septic and well final approvals must reach the building department before a certificate of occupancy can be issued.12
  • We could not confirm district-specific lot sizes, setbacks or a tiny-home occupancy rule in Palm Beach Gardens; ask the city Planner on Call before committing to a parcel.3

Sources

  1. Palm Beach Gardens Building Department — Application Guidance (pbgfl.gov)
  2. Palm Beach Gardens Building Department (pbgfl.gov)
  3. Palm Beach Gardens Planning & Zoning Department (pbgfl.gov)
  4. Septic Tanks and Private Drinking Water Wells (Palm Beach Gardens), quoted and re-checked
  5. Sec. 78-395. Recreational vehicles and watercraft (Palm Beach Gardens), quoted and re-checked
  6. Sec. 78-159. Permitted uses, minor and major conditional uses, and prohibited uses (Palm Beach Gardens), quoted and re-checked
  7. library.municode.com (Palm Beach Gardens), quoted and re-checked
  8. 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. Section 110. Inspections (Palm Beach Gardens), quoted and re-checked
  10. OSTDS Construction Application (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County - Environmental Public Health (palmbeach.floridahealth.gov)
  12. Septic Tanks and Private Drinking Water Wells (Palm Beach Gardens), quoted and re-checked
  13. leg.state.fl.us (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  14. library.municode.com (Palm Beach Gardens), quoted and re-checked
  15. Water Well Contractor Licensing and Permitting (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  16. Planning, Zoning & Building - Zoning (2026 county census)

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Palm Beach Gardens

Palm Beach Gardens’s own rules

  • InspectionsRequired

    Construction or work inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits for which a permit is required.

    • Work must remain accessible and exposed until approved.
    • Required inspections include preliminary, existing-building, foundation, construction, roofing, final, pool, demolition, and other inspections deemed necessary.
    “Construction or work for which a permit is required shall be subject to inspection by the building official and such construction or work shall remain accessible and exposed for inspection purposes until approved.”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Every dwelling unit inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits.

    • At least 150 square feet is required for the first occupant.
    • At least 100 additional square feet is required per additional occupant.
    • Sleeping rooms require 70 square feet for one occupant or 50 square feet per occupant for more than one occupant.
    • The most restrictive conflicting provision controls.

    minimum floor area for first occupant: >= 150 sq ft · additional floor area per additional occupant: per 100 sq ft

    “Every dwelling unit shall contain at least 150 square feet of floor space for the first occupant thereof and at least an additional 100 square feet of floor area per additional occupant.”
  • Living in an RVProhibited

    Residential use, including living or sleeping, of an RV or watercraft parked or stored under Palm Beach Gardens city regulations.

    • The section regulates parking and storage on lots.
    • One RV and one watercraft are generally permitted per lot; AE and AR districts have stated exceptions.
    • The RV or watercraft must be screened and located in side or rear yards, subject to loading/unloading exception.
    “Under no circumstances shall an RV or watercraft, parked or stored pursuant to this subdivision, be used for temporary or permanent residential purposes, including living, sleeping, or other similar occupancy, or storage in any manner.”
  • Camping on your landLimited

    Camping on Palm Beach Gardens city park property.

    • The cited prohibition is limited to park property and does not establish a private-lot camping rule.
    “Camping on park property is strictly prohibited.”
  • Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

    Accessory dwelling units in the zoning districts marked P for Accessory Dwelling Unit in Table 21.

    • The use is subject to city staff review and all chapter requirements.
    • The Table 21 district designation controls.
    “Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) P P P P P 78”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    Development activities located in flood hazard areas inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits.

    • A floodplain development permit or approval authorizes specific development activities only when compliant with the ordinance.
    • Manufactured homes in flood hazard areas are subject to inspection and permit conditions.
    • Flood-resistant construction requirements and applicable Florida Building Code provisions also apply.
    “Floodplain development permit or approval. An official document or certificate issued by the community, or other evidence of approval or concurrence, which authorizes performance of specific development activities that are located in flood hazard areas and that are determined to be compliant with this ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Palm Beach Gardens

Palm Beach Gardens does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Who permits septicCounty

    Onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits.

    • The Palm Beach County health department performs permitting and inspection; state and county regulations also apply.
    “The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County is charged with regulating, permitting and monitoring proper onsite sewage treatment and disposal.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Septic systems inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits.

    • Final inspection and approval are forwarded by field offices.
    • Approval must be recorded in the building department computer before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
    “Final inspection and approval of wells and septic systems are forwarded to the section by our field offices and must be recorded in the building department’s computer prior to issuing a certificate of occupancy.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Palm Beach Gardens or Palm Beach County directly.

  • Building permit — New residential construction and other construction inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders undertaking construction inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits.
  • Building code adopted — Building construction inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits.
  • Minimum lot size — Single-family residential and agricultural or rural-residential districts inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits.
  • Setbacks — Single-family residential and agricultural or rural-residential districts inside Palm Beach Gardens city limits.
10 more unanswered
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Tiny homes
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Palm Beach Gardens publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Palm Beach County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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