Palm Beach Gardens, FL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- before any right-of-way improvement/alteration
- Application filed with
- city building department
- Utility locate call
- required under Ch. 556, F.S.
- Registrant requirement
- membership in Sunshine 811
- Source
- Ordinance No. 4, 2015
Summary
Anyone who wants to improve, alter, or modify a public right-of-way in the City of Palm Beach Gardens needs a right-of-way permit first. Code of Ordinances section 62-4 routes the application, plus fees, through the building department, requires the work to promote positive drainage or serve its intended use, and makes anyone digging in a right-of-way call Sunshine State One Call before breaking ground.
(a)No person shall undertake to improve, alter, or modify any right-of-way without first obtaining a right-of-way permit from the city.(b)Any work performed within a right-of-way shall meet the requirements to promote positive drainage or the intended use of such area, as determined with the issuance of the right-of-way permit.(c)The application for a right-of-way permit, together with the required fees and other charges, shall be filed with the building department on a form prescribed and furnished for that purpose. The application shall describe the nature of the proposed construction or improvements, the right-of-way location, and such other information as may be required by the city engineer or designee.
Full Breakdown
Section 62-4 sets the permitting gate for private work in the public right-of-way. No person may undertake to improve, alter, or modify a right-of-way without first getting a right-of-way permit from the city, and any work that does happen has to meet requirements that promote positive drainage or serve the right-of-way's intended use, as spelled out when the permit is issued. Applicants file with the building department on a prescribed form, pay the required fees and other charges, and describe the proposed construction or improvements, the right-of-way location, and any other information the city engineer or a designee asks for.
Before anyone digs, section 62-4(d) layers on a separate notice duty tied to state law: the applicant or the contiguous property owner must call to locate underground facilities in accordance with Chapter 556 of the Florida Statutes, and every city registrant, meaning a company registered under section 66-37, must belong to Sunshine State One Call of Florida, Inc., known as Sunshine 811, or its successor alert and warning system. That permit sits alongside section 62-5's separate rules on what structures can go in a right-of-way without a permit at all, such as USPS-approved mailboxes, city-approved traffic signs, and modular news racks, and section 62-3's maintenance duties for the contiguous property owner. The whole framework traces to Ordinance No. 4, 2015.
Violations & Fines
Section 62-4 does not attach its own fine schedule, but undertaking right-of-way work without the required permit violates the section outright, and section 62-6 lets the city relocate any facilities installed without proper authorization, or facilities that block a later city project, at the responsible party's expense, recorded as a lien on the property if left unpaid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to work in the right-of-way in front of my house?
Do I have to call before I dig in the right-of-way?
What happens if I install something in the right-of-way without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Beach Gardens
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Palm Beach Gardens to another location·View the Florida sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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Encroachment Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Palm Beach County handle encroachment permits.