Lake Worth Beach, Palm Beach County
Demolition in Lake Worth Beach
Lake Worth Beach has six local historic districts, from College Park to South Palm Park, and inside any of them the Certificate of Appropriateness comes before the building permit. The city’s Historic Preservation office reviews those certificates for demolitions, so the first filing on a teardown here is a preservation one.
The preservation ordinance dates from 1996 and covers six districts plus four individually significant structures: College Park, Old Lucerne, Old Town Commercial, Northeast Lucerne, Southeast Lucerne and South Palm Park. Northeast Lucerne’s period of significance runs from 1915 to 1952. College Park grew in two bursts, 1925 to 1928 and 1945 to 1949, and South Palm Park runs about 60 blocks to the Intracoastal.
Small permit exemptions do not end the conversation. The city says work exempt from a building permit under HB 803 may still need a zoning permit and a COA inside a historic district, which puts a detached garage or shed on the list of things to ask about before anyone touches it.
The city runs its own utilities, and the Building Division publishes no demolition checklist or utility-release form. Ask the division which disconnects and releases it expects before you file; we request them in that order so the package is complete when it goes in.
Sources: City of Lake Worth Beach: Historic Preservation · City of Lake Worth Beach: historic districts
Demolition permits in Lake Worth Beach
City of Lake Worth Beach, Community Sustainability, Building Division
The Building page says permits are required to demolish buildings and accepts the county universal application or the city’s own. No demolition checklist is published; ask the Building Division, and check historic status with the Historic Preservation office first.
Read the official pageA general summary only, and not legal advice. When Romco takes the job, the application goes in under our name as contractor of record. Palm Beach demolition permit guide
What we quote in Lake Worth Beach
Demolition we quote here
- Interior demolitionStrip-outs inside condos, offices and stores, with the asbestos question settled first.Interior demolition in Palm Beach →
- Selective demolitionOne wing, one floor or one wall removed while the rest of the building stays in use.Selective demolition in Palm Beach →
- Commercial demolitionStores, offices, warehouses and plazas, taken down once the releases are in hand.Commercial demolition in Palm Beach →
- House demolitionSingle-family teardowns, with the sheds, pool and septic tank handled to code.House demolition in Palm Beach →
- Structural demolitionConcrete towers, parking garages and steel frames, taken down in engineered sequence.Structural demolition in Palm Beach →
- Concrete removalSlabs, driveways, patios, walks and footings, broken out after the locates are in.Concrete removal in Palm Beach →
- Pool removalBottom broken out and filled, or the shell, deck and equipment removed entirely.Pool removal in Palm Beach →
- Mobile home demolitionSingle units or several in one park, with approvals and permits in order first.Mobile home demolition in Palm Beach →
- Storm damage demolitionTaking down what a hurricane or tornado left unsafe, once the adjuster has seen it.Storm damage demolition in Palm Beach →
- Site clearingBrush, stumps, buried slabs and old fill cleared once the vegetation permits are in.Site clearing in Palm Beach →
- Asbestos coordinationLicensed survey, health department notice and licensed abatement, in the right order.Asbestos coordination in Palm Beach →
- Accessory structure demolitionSheds, detached garages, cabanas, carports, barns and signs, one or several.Accessory structure demolition in Palm Beach →
- Something else?Every type of demolition is quoted, whatever the size. If your job is missing above, describe it on the phone.Call (561) 273-9189 →
Order of work
From first call to closed permit
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A garden shed and an apartment building go through these steps in the same order.
Call or send the form
Give the address, what is coming down and anything that must be protected. Photos or a survey help.
Walk the property
We check the structure, live services, truck access, trees, the seawall or neighbor close by, and any association rules.
Scope and price in writing
Removal, protection, haul-off and anything that depends on the asbestos survey are listed line by line.
Notices, letters and permit
The licensed asbestos survey and any health department notice, the utility releases, then the application to the right building office.
Take it down and haul it out
Work runs in the agreed order. Loads go to Solid Waste Authority–permitted facilities, or the hauler your city requires.
Final inspection and close-out
The inspector signs off and the permit closes. You keep a graded lot or the shell you asked for.
Questions
Demolition in Lake Worth Beach
How do I know if my Lake Worth Beach house is in a historic district?
Check the city’s historic district maps before you apply. If the property is in College Park, Old Lucerne, Old Town Commercial, Northeast Lucerne, Southeast Lucerne or South Palm Park, or is an individually designated landmark, a Certificate of Appropriateness is required before a building permit can be issued. The Historic Preservation office reviews demolitions and can tell you which review applies.
What does a demolition cost, and what moves the number?
We do not publish prices, because the number depends on what surrounds the building. The main drivers are structure type and size, asbestos findings, truck access, the permit and utility requirements for the address, any below-grade work, and the haul to SWA-permitted facilities. Local rules move it too: the Town of Palm Beach requires a bond of the demolition cost plus 35%. Send the survey and photos, and we will price it.
Do I need an asbestos survey before demolition?
For commercial buildings, condos and co-ops, yes. The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County requires a survey and written notice at least 10 working days before a regulated demolition, even when no asbestos turns up. An isolated house of four or fewer units is usually excluded, though several cities still ask for an asbestos form with the permit. We arrange a licensed survey and coordinate licensed abatement.
How long does a demolition take?
We do not promise durations, because much of the calendar belongs to other parties. The health department’s asbestos notice needs 10 working days, Sunshine 811 needs two full business days, utility release letters arrive when the utilities issue them, and the Town of Palm Beach bars demolition from the Monday before Thanksgiving through March 31. We set out the sequence in writing with the quote, so you can see what drives it.
Other Palm Beach cities: West Palm Beach · Boca Raton · Palm Beach (the Town) · Jupiter · Delray Beach · Boynton Beach · Palm Beach Gardens · Wellington · Unincorporated Palm Beach County · Riviera Beach and Singer Island · Royal Palm Beach · Greenacres · North Palm Beach · Tequesta · Highland Beach · Manalapan · Juno Beach · Lantana · Ocean Ridge · Palm Springs · Belle Glade
Every type, every size, all of Palm Beach County
Tell us the address and the scope. We will put a number on it.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A single wall or a whole building, each quote arrives as a written scope with a price.