West Palm Beach, FL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

West Palm Beach's Housing Code, City Code §§ 18-91 through 18-109, sets the baseline every rental dwelling must clear before a landlord can lease it. Section 18-102 puts the duty on the owner: no dwelling may be let for occupancy unless it satisfies the minimum standards of §§ 18-95 through 18-103(i), and the owner must free the unit of infestation, clean and repair it, and repaint walls and ceilings before offering it for rent. The referenced sections spell out the actual standards. Section 18-95 requires at least one electric light fixture per habitable room plus a window or skylight equal to ten percent of floor area (15 percent if skylight-only).

Section 18-96 sets minimum ventilation at 45 percent of that window area. Section 18-97 requires a working kitchen sink, a private flush toilet, and a bathtub or shower connected to hot and cold water, with water-heating equipment able to deliver water at not less than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Section 18-99 caps occupancy by bedroom count, for example four persons in a one-bedroom unit and six in a two-bedroom, and sets a minimum seven-foot ceiling height over at least half of each habitable room. Section 18-100 requires a safe, unobstructed exit to ground level, and Section 18-103 requires every foundation, exterior wall, roof, window and door to be watertight, weathertight and rodentproof and kept in a workmanlike state of repair. A tenant who occupies a unit that fails these standards can report it to the city's construction services or code enforcement division.