What do these permits involve in Palm Beach County?

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Local Business Tax Receipt (LBTR)

Every business in Palm Beach County needs an LBTR before operating, and it is required countywide in addition to any separate municipal business tax receipt owed to one of the county's 39 municipalities — a business inside West Palm Beach, Boca Raton or any other city still owes the county receipt on top of its city one. The Tax Collector's own application form, not a public fee table, is where the amount gets set: staff calculate it per application from the business classification plus employee count, machine count, or room/seat count as applicable, which is why no flat dollar figure is published here. Sec. 17-17 of PBC Ordinance No. 72-7 is the governing authority. Before an LBTR issues, the applicant generally needs zoning sign-off (a Certificate of Use, in unincorporated PBC) and, where applicable, a state Fictitious Name Registration. Call the Tax Collector's Local Business Tax Section for the current fee for a specific classification.

Sign Permit

Exterior signage on a commercial building in UNINCORPORATED Palm Beach County needs its own PZB Building sign permit, separate from the underlying building permit. The county's 2009 fee schedule — the most complete sign-fee document located during this review — prices a painted or wall-mounted sign at $100, a freestanding sign at $150, a billboard at $500, and a face-panel change on an existing sign at $100. Each of the 39 municipalities regulates and permits signs inside its own limits instead of PZB. A restaurant, coffee shop, retail store or any other storefront business adding or changing exterior signage in the unincorporated area should confirm the current fee with PZB Building before budgeting, since a newer schedule may have superseded these 2009 figures.

Certificate of Use / Zoning Approval

A business locating in UNINCORPORATED Palm Beach County needs a Certificate of Use from PZB Zoning confirming the use complies with the Unified Land Development Code, and it is generally obtained before or alongside LBTR issuance. Each of the county's 39 municipalities runs its own separate zoning-approval process instead of this one, so a business inside any incorporated city should contact that city, not PZB, for its equivalent. Most home-based businesses are exempt from needing a Certificate of Use, except home-based landscaping and storage operations, which still need one. This review is also where PBC Code Chapter 3's alcohol-beverage locational standards get checked for a restaurant, coffee shop or retail store proposing alcohol sales — see the separate Palm Beach County alcohol zoning record — and where a food truck's fixed vending site gets checked for zoning compliance.

Building Permit

New construction, alteration, equipment installation, hood/suppression work and ADA modifications in UNINCORPORATED Palm Beach County need a PZB Building Division permit before work starts; each of the 39 municipalities issues its own building permits instead for work inside city limits. The base fee scales with project valuation and trade rather than a single flat number. PZB's 2009 'Proposed Permit Fee Adjustments' fee-schedule exhibit — the most complete permit fee document located during this review — separately prices a commercial hood without suppression at $100 and sets a re-inspection escalation of $50, then $100, then $300 for the third and later re-inspections, authorized under Fla. Stat. §553.80. Applications are filed through the ePZB Admin Portal. A Certificate of Occupancy (separate record) is required before occupying the completed space.

Certificate of Occupancy / Completion

A business in UNINCORPORATED Palm Beach County cannot occupy new or renovated commercial space until PZB Building issues a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Completion, and PZB withholds it while any unapproved work remains open on the permit record. The cost of the initial certificate itself is not itemized separately from the building permit fee in the 2009 fee-schedule document cited here, but that same schedule prices a duplicate copy of an issued certificate at $20 and a temporary or partial certificate — used when part of a project is ready for occupancy before the whole project is finished — at $150 to $1,000 depending on scope. Each of the 39 municipalities issues its own certificate of occupancy for work inside city limits instead of PZB's.

Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Local Business Tax Receipt (LBTR)	Palm Beach County Constitutional Tax Collector, Local Business Tax Section	Calculated per application by Tax Collector staff from the classification, number of employees, number of machines, and number of rooms or seats entered on the Business Tax Receipt Application (PBCTC Form 65); the Tax Collector publishes no flat fee table, so 'TOTAL FEE DUE' is filled in case by case rather than looked up in a schedule.	annual; renewal window July 1-Sept 30; 10% penalty begins Oct 1, rising to 25% with further delinquency	2026-09-28
Sign Permit	Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building Department, Building Division	$100–$500 per the county's 2009 fee schedule, by sign type: $100 for a painted or wall-mounted sign, $150 for a freestanding sign, $500 for a billboard, and $100 for a face-panel change on an existing sign	one-time, per sign installed or changed	2026-09-28
Certificate of Use / Zoning Approval	Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building Department, Zoning Division	Assessed by PZB Zoning according to its published fee schedule, which varies by application type (new business, change of use, home occupation) rather than a single flat charge for every applicant.	no periodic renewal identified; a new Certificate of Use is required on a change of use, tenant, or business activity at the address	2026-09-28
Building Permit	Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building Department, Building Division	The base building permit fee is calculated from project valuation rather than a flat rate, per PZB's Construction Permit Fee Schedule. That same schedule's 2009 edition separately lists a $100 fixed fee for a commercial hood installed without its own suppression system, and a re-inspection fee that escalates from $50 (first re-inspection) to $100 (second) to $300 (third and beyond), the latter figure set under Fla. Stat. §553.80.	one-time per project; permit expires if work is not commenced or inspected within the period stated on the permit card	2026-09-28
Certificate of Occupancy / Completion	Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building Department, Building Division	The 2009 PZB fee schedule does not list a separate charge for a first, full certificate of occupancy or completion issued at project sign-off — that cost is bundled into the underlying building permit fee — but it does price two related documents: $20 for a duplicate copy of an already-issued certificate, and $150 to $1,000 for a temporary or partial certificate of occupancy or completion issued before a project is fully finished, with the amount depending on the scope covered.	not a renewable permit — a new certificate is required after any new construction, renovation, or unapproved work	2026-09-28

Business licenses and permits in Palm Beach County, Florida

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Permits that apply to every type of business in Palm Beach County