How long a commercial build-out takes in Palm Beach County
From signed lease to open doors, a mid-size Palm Beach County interior build-out runs four to eight months. Here is where the weeks go - and where they get lost.
The realistic sequence
| Phase | Typical duration | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Design & construction documents | 3-8 weeks | Architect/designer produces permit-ready drawings; engineering as needed |
| Plan review & permitting | 4-10 weeks | Municipal or county ePZB review, comments, resubmittal; fire review in parallel or sequence |
| Long-lead procurement | overlaps | HVAC equipment, storefront, specialty items ordered at permit submission |
| Construction | 8-20 weeks | Demo, MEP rough, inspections, finishes; office lands short, medical and restaurant long |
| Finals & CO | 1-3 weeks | Final inspections, punch list, certificate of occupancy, agency sign-offs where applicable |
Where projects actually lose time
- Incomplete permit submissions. Each comment round restarts effective review. Municipalities that publish checklists - Palm Beach Gardens is the local model - reward applicants who submit clean.
- Long-lead equipment. HVAC and electrical gear can run 8-16 weeks. Order at permit submission, not approval.
- Change-of-use discovery mid-design. Rule it out first.
- Design-review overlays. Boca's standards and Delray's historic districts add a review layer before building review.
- Landlord approvals. Tower and managed-center landlord review precedes municipal review. Budget it.
Working backward from an opening date
Subtract from your target: 2 weeks for finals and CO, your construction duration, 6-10 weeks of permitting, and design. What remains is your latest lease-signing date - almost always earlier than expected. Our Palm Beach County checklist (PDF) is a fill-in worksheet for exactly this math, or get a schedule range with your 48-hour budget range.
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).