West Palm Beach, FL Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

Sec. 94-304(a)(2) governs converting a detached garage, or any other accessory structure, into a dwelling unit: the conversion is permitted only if the newly created dwelling unit is itself a permitted use in the zoning district and all other code requirements are satisfied, meaning the converted structure still has to clear the standard accessory-structure setbacks, height limit and floor-area cap in Sec. 94-304(b), plus any applicable accessory-apartment standard elsewhere in the chapter if the new unit functions as an accessory apartment. Sec. 94-304(a)(3) addresses the parking consequence directly: any required off-street parking space that is deleted or made unusable by the conversion, for instance when the garage bay itself was counted toward the home's required parking, must be replaced in a manner consistent with Article XV of the zoning code, the article that sets parking-space counts and design standards.

Sec. 94-304(a)(1) supplies the underlying sequencing rule for all accessory structures, including a converted garage: it cannot be built, occupied, or established before the principal structure on the lot has received a certificate of occupancy. Together these three subsections mean a garage conversion in West Palm Beach is not simply an interior remodel; it is a zoning-reviewed change of use that has to satisfy district permitted-use rules, dimensional standards, and parking replacement before the space can legally function as a dwelling unit.