Structural demolition · Palm Beach County
Structural demolition in Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County’s older concrete towers now answer to Florida’s milestone inspection law. When the repair bill outruns the building, demolition comes up next. That job is set by an engineer’s sequence, the Coastal Construction Control Line, and the ground underneath.
Palm Beach County’s published schedule sets the first inspection at 25 years for condominium and co-op buildings of three stories or more within 3 miles of the coast, then every 10 years; state law, section 553.899, sets 30 years and lets the local building official require 25. If Phase Two repairs for substantial structural deterioration do not start within 365 days, unincorporated Palm Beach County may treat the building as unsafe. Some associations answer with termination and sale.
On the beach, two state rules matter. Work seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line needs an FDEP permit or a written exemption, and sea turtle season runs March 1 through October 31. Section 553.8991, Florida Statutes, limits a local government’s power to block demolition of certain structures seaward of that line, though single-family homes are excluded.
Below grade is where Romco self-performs. Dewatering, Support of Excavation and deep foundations, including tidal ground, stay with our own crews, so pile caps and garage levels do not change hands in the middle of the sequence.
Send the structural drawings, the latest milestone report if there is one, and the survey. We will review the sequence with your engineer and price it.
Sequence
- Review structural drawings, milestone reports and the survey.
- Engage the engineer of record to write the demolition sequence.
- Check the CCCL and apply to FDEP for a permit or exemption where the site is seaward.
- Arrange the asbestos survey, the DOH-Palm Beach notice and licensed abatement.
- Secure utility releases and the demolition permit.
- Demolish to sequence, then remove foundations with our dewatering and SOE crews.
- Grade and hand over the site.
The usual problems
What tends to go wrong, and how it is handled
Collapse in a direction no one chose
A frame that loses the wrong column can fall unpredictably. We remove to a written sequence from a licensed engineer and do not depart from it without that engineer’s approval.
Neighbors at arm’s length
Coastal towers often stand beside occupied buildings. Monitoring, debris netting and exclusion zones are priced into the plan from the start, not added after a complaint.
Asbestos in a condo tower
Condominiums and co-ops are never exempt from the health department’s asbestos rules. We arrange the licensed survey and the 10-working-day notice to DOH-Palm Beach before a date is set.
Groundwater in the excavation
Removing pile caps and basements near the Intracoastal means working below the water table. Our own dewatering and Support of Excavation crews hold the excavation while foundations come out.
Outside our license
The demolition sequence is designed by a licensed engineer. Abatement, utility disconnects and FDEP coastal permitting involve other licensed parties we coordinate. Condo termination is a legal process for the association and its counsel; we price the demolition that follows it.
Questions
About structural demolition
Does demolishing an oceanfront building need a CCCL permit?
Work seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line needs either an FDEP permit or a written letter of exemption. The rules do not name demolition outright, so we ask FDEP before scheduling. Sea turtle season, March 1 through October 31, can add conditions on the beach side.
What does the 2024 Safe Structures Act change?
Section 553.8991, Florida Statutes, effective March 22, 2024, limits local governments from blocking demolition of certain structures at least partly seaward of the CCCL, such as buildings that fail flood-elevation rules or have been deemed unsafe. Single-family homes and individually National Register–listed buildings are excluded, and the Town of Palm Beach received a carve-out for certain commercial buildings.
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 you quote demolition of any size?
Yes. Size never rules a job out: we price everything from a single shed or an interior strip-out to a commercial site or a concrete tower. Every job is priced from the same questions: which department issues the permit, what the asbestos rules require, which utility releases are needed, and in what sequence the structure comes down. Send what you have, and we will say what else we need.
Is Romco licensed, and who does the specialty work?
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor. We self-perform demolition, dewatering, Support of Excavation and deep foundations. Asbestos surveys come from independent licensed consultants and removal from licensed abatement firms. Utility disconnects, tree removal, electrical, plumbing, fire sprinkler work and engineering go to the licensed parties for those trades, and we coordinate them under one schedule.
Order of work
From first call to closed permit
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.
Structural demolition throughout Palm Beach, including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Palm Beach (the Town), Jupiter, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, Lake Worth Beach, Unincorporated Palm Beach County, and every other Palm Beach city.
More demolition
Other demolition we quote
- 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 →
- 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 →
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.