West Palm Beach, FL Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Business tax receipt plus rental license or temp certificate
- Inspection tied to license
- Must pass Ch. 18, Art. IV housing standards
- Correction window
- 30 days to fix violations before code enforcement
- Resident agent
- Required local contact for notice of violation
- Exemption
- West Palm Beach Housing Authority-owned units only
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 5006-22, effective June 27, 2022
Summary
West Palm Beach makes it unlawful to rent out a dwelling unit, as owner, lessee, agent, or manager, without first holding a business tax receipt and a rental license or temporary certificate under Chapter 22, Article XII. Public housing units owned directly by the West Palm Beach Housing Authority are the only carved-out exemption.
It shall be unlawful for any person, agency, firm, corporation, association, or other group or organization whether organized for profit or nonprofit, unless specifically provided by the provisions of this article, to operate or cause to be rented either as owner, lessee, agent or manager within the city, any rental dwelling unit used for human habitation without having first obtained a business tax receipt, and rental license or temporary certificate in compliance with the provisions of this article. Rental dwellings owned and maintained by the West Palm Beach Housing Authority shall be exempt from the provisions of this article. This exemption does not apply to rental dwellings owned and maintained by a nonprofit entity of the West Palm Beach Housing Authority, or other rental dwellings receiving rental assistance under Section 8 of United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended by 42 USC 1437 et seq.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 76).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 22, Article XII covers any structure or part of a structure rented as a home, residence, or sleeping place, whether to one tenant or to two or more tenants sharing a household (§ 22-440). Before renting, the owner of an existing rental unit must file an application on the city's form, and the owner of a newly built rental unit must apply before its first occupancy (§ 22-442). The license fee is set by city commission resolution and is due with the application and again each year at renewal (§ 22-443).
Once the fee is paid, the building official issues a temporary certificate that allows continued occupancy while the structure is inspected for compliance with the Housing Code standards in Chapter 18, Article IV, such as minimum lighting, ventilation, plumbing, and sanitary conditions (§ 22-444). If the inspection finds the unit compliant, the license issues; if not, the building official sends the owner a written denial listing every violation, and if the owner has not corrected them within 30 days, the case is referred to a code enforcement officer under Chapter 26 (§ 22-445).
No license may issue unless the owner designates, in writing, a resident agent, an adult who is customarily present at a local business address or who lives in the city, to accept notice of Code violations on the owner's behalf; once designated, notice delivered to that agent counts as notice to the owner (§ 22-446), and the resident agent has an affirmative duty to accept a code enforcement officer's notice of violation (§ 22-447). S. Housing Act of 1937, still need the license (§ 22-441). The article was added by Ordinance No. 5006-22 and took effect June 27, 2022.
Violations & Fines
Operating a rental dwelling without the required business tax receipt and license is unlawful under § 22-441. A license that is denied, expired, suspended, or revoked bars any further rental of a vacant unit until the structure passes inspection; units in a multi-unit building that already comply may keep operating even while other units in the same structure do not (§ 22-445). Owners who ignore a 30-day correction notice are referred to a code enforcement officer for a Chapter 26 special magistrate hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do landlords need a license to rent property in West Palm Beach?
Is public housing exempt from the West Palm Beach rental license?
What happens if a rental unit fails its West Palm Beach inspection?
Do I need to name a resident agent to get a rental license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in West Palm Beach
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