Palm Beach County
Most homes in the Town of Palm Beach are in condominium, co-op and apartment buildings, and many sit empty for part of the year. That makes leaks that travel between floors, and leaks nobody is home to see, a particular concern on the island.
ZIP codes in the area
Some of these ZIP codes also include neighboring communities.
This page is for the Town of Palm Beach, the barrier island town between the Lake Worth Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. It is a separate municipality from West Palm Beach, which sits on the mainland across the lagoon. The island runs about 18 miles and is no wider than three-quarters of a mile, so water is never far away in any direction.
The picture of Palm Beach as a town of large single-family homes leaves out most residents. Around 69 percent of housing units are in buildings of five or more units, and roughly 84 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. The typical building went up around 1970.
In a stacked building, damage rarely stays put. A washing machine hose that bursts on an upper floor can soak the ceiling, walls and flooring of the unit below, and sometimes the one below that. Older buildings add aging risers, shutoff valves and drain lines to the list of likely sources. Getting building management involved early matters, because the water has to be stopped at its source before anyone can start drying and restoring the affected units.
Seasonal living shapes a lot of the water damage here. The population nearly triples between November and April, which means many units sit closed during the hottest, wettest months. A slow drip under a sink or a clogged AC condensate line can keep running with nobody there to hear it or see a stain.
By the time a house manager, neighbor or returning owner finds it, the problem is often more than wet drywall. Swollen cabinet bases, soaked carpet pad and musty odors all point to moisture that has been there a while. The guide to mold after water damage explains what tends to grow and how quickly. Shutting off the main water supply before leaving for the season, and arranging regular checks of the unit, cuts down how long a leak can go unnoticed.
The Town’s flood hazard information names tropical storms, hurricanes, tides, waves and heavy rainstorms as sources of flooding. The oceanfront has a record to back that up: the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane hit the town directly, and the 1991 “Perfect Storm” destroyed about 1,200 feet of seawall at Worth Avenue.
Water pushed in from the street, the lagoon or the ocean is handled differently from a clean pipe leak. It is treated as contaminated, so flooring and the lower portion of walls it soaked are usually removed rather than dried in place. Flood cleanup covers how that work is done. The Town’s Public Works department also offers site visits on request to look at flooding, drainage and sewer problems on a property.
From November 1 to April 30, the Town restricts construction to weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., with no site noise before 9 a.m. and no work on weekends, town holidays, the days around Thanksgiving, or December 24 through January 1. In the Worth Avenue district, construction is not allowed at all during those months. Rebuilding work such as new drywall, flooring or cabinetry can take longer to book in winter as a result, so it helps to talk through the timeline with the company handling the job early.
Census estimates place roughly 69 percent of the town's housing units in buildings with five or more units. A failed supply line, water heater or AC drain on one floor can reach the ceilings and walls of units below.
The median home in town was built around 1970, and about half of all units date to before 1970. Original valves, risers and drain lines in buildings that age are common starting points for leaks.
The year-round population was about 9,200 in the 2020 Census, but it grows to around 25,000 from November to April. A leak in a unit left empty through the humid, rainy months can run for weeks before anyone finds it.
The Town lists tropical storms, hurricanes, tides, waves and heavy rainstorms as flood sources. On an island this narrow, both the ocean and the Lake Worth Lagoon are close to nearly every property.
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FAQ
Only slightly. About 97 percent of the land in 33480 is inside the Town of Palm Beach. Small pieces fall in South Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, and the 24/7 line serves the whole ZIP code.
Yes, but on a tighter calendar. From November 1 to April 30 the Town limits construction work to weekdays, with no site noise before 9 a.m. and no work on weekends, town holidays or December 24 through January 1. Ask the company handling the job how those hours affect the rebuild, and check with the Town's Building division if anything is unclear.
Shut off the water, take photos, and have the unit checked with moisture meters before anything is covered back up. Long-running leaks in a closed, humid home often reach behind cabinets and under flooring, and any mold growth is usually dealt with before drying and rebuilding.
Tell building management or the association right away so the source unit can be reached and the water shut off. Damage that crosses unit lines usually involves more than one owner, so each affected unit should be documented and checked for moisture.
Call now
Shut off the water if you can reach the valve safely, then call. Describe where it came from and which rooms are wet.
When you call, have ready