Unincorporated county vs. your city
If your property is in unincorporated Palm Beach County, the Building Division of Planning, Zoning and Building issues the permit. West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, and the other municipalities each run their own building department with their own checklist.
The county's demolition checklist (PBO-110)
The county publishes a demolition permit bulletin, PBO-110, that lists what the application must include. A demolition checklist accompanies the application and every item on it is required. The bulletin also provides for notice of the approved demolition to be sent to nearby property owners, and asks for proof that water, sewer, gas, and electric service have been disconnected before the structure comes down.
Single-family demolition is filed under its own residential use code, which is what the intake staff will look for on the form.
Asbestos notice is required for every demolition — even with no asbestos
The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County administers the asbestos program locally. Its rule is stricter than the federal baseline: written notification is required for all demolition activities at facilities, even when no asbestos-containing material is present, and it must be postmarked or delivered at least ten working days before the demolition starts. Where a survey finds regulated material, an inspection and abatement report goes with the application.
As in the rest of the state, single-family homes and small residential buildings of four or fewer units have exemptions from the federal asbestos work practices — but the notification step in Palm Beach County applies to demolition regardless. Ask the health department which parts apply to your structure before you count on an exemption.
Sheds, carports, tiki huts, and other small structures
Tiki huts and chickee huts are a Palm Beach specialty, and a source of code cases when they go up without a permit. Taking one down is a removal, not a licensed demolition. The same goes for free-standing carports, fences, decks, hot tubs, and above-ground pools.
A permitted, site-built shed or a carport attached to the house is closer to a building; for those we ask the building department whether a demolition filing is needed and, if the structure is part of the residence, refer the work to a licensed contractor.
- ✓Tiki hut, fence, deck, hot tub, above-ground pool, concrete patio: removal
- ✓Free-standing carport: removal; attached carport: part of the building
- ✓Permitted shed: ask the building department
- ✓House, garage, mobile home, in-ground pool: demolition permit, health department notice, licensed contractor