Start with the decision you are actually making
The master checklist
Every step from market scan to certificate of occupancy, in order.
Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach
Submarkets, permitting quirks, and build-out realities by city.
Build-out costs and TI allowances
2026 costs per square foot and how to negotiate the TI gap.
The realistic timeline
Week-by-week from test fit to inspections and CO.
Why companies pick Palm Beach County
The county has become a genuine corporate destination: financial services and family offices in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, corporate headquarters and legal/finance firms in Boca Raton, life sciences and medical around Jupiter, and hospitality and retail along the coastal corridors. Palm Beach International Airport, three Tri-Rail stations, Brightline service in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, and the I-95/Turnpike spine keep it connected.
The catch: like Broward, Palm Beach County is not one permitting environment. The county's ePZB system covers unincorporated areas, but most commercial space sits inside one of 39 municipal building departments, each with its own review calendar and fee schedule. That is what this site is for.
The three numbers that decide your opening date
1. Build-out cost per square foot. In 2026, a second-generation office build-out in Palm Beach County runs roughly $80-$135/sf; medical and restaurant scopes run far higher. See the full cost table.
2. Permit and review time. Plan review for a commercial interior alteration typically runs 4-10 weeks depending on the municipality. Some, like Palm Beach Gardens, publish detailed tenant build-out checklists that make the process more predictable. See the week-by-week timeline.
3. The TI gap. Landlords commonly offer $25-$60/sf in tenant improvement allowance on second-generation space, more on longer terms in Class A towers. If your scope is $100/sf, you fund the difference. How to negotiate the gap.
Get the Palm Beach County permit & timeline checklist
The one-page checklist we hand to partners planning an opening: jurisdiction lookup, permit sequence, typical review windows, and the inspections that gate your certificate of occupancy. Download the PDF or request it with the form below.
Featured build-out partner
Shiff Construction & Development
Shiff Construction & Development, Inc. is a Fort Lauderdale commercial general contractor that has delivered office, retail, restaurant, medical, bank-branch, and municipal build-outs across South Florida since 1989. We feature Shiff because their project record in Broward and Palm Beach counties is long and verifiable, and because they answer the phone.
Send plans or a space brochure and get a realistic budget range back in 48 hours - before you sign a lease, not after. Call (561) 555-0117 or use the form below.
Get a build-out budget range in 48 hours
Tell us about the space and the move. You will also get the Palm Beach County permit and timeline checklist (PDF) - the same one we hand to partners planning an opening.
Prefer to talk? (561) 555-0117. Already have the checklist? Download the Palm Beach County permit & timeline checklist (PDF).