Palm Beach Island Owner Guide · Closed-House Estate Care · Palm Beach, FL
Quick Answer
Roughly 45 percent of housing units in the Town of Palm Beach are not primary residences, and the Town's three-month occupancy rule means most of them sit closed from May through October. The Police Department's free Closed House Service checks that the outside is secure; it does not go inside. A closed Palm Beach house also needs interior walk-throughs twice a month, humidity and water checks, a vendor plan that accounts for ARCOM review, bridge traffic, and undergrounding work through 2027, and a storm plan with a named person who can act.
By Jean Taveras, Broker-Owner, Atlis Property Management · Updated September 2026
The Town of Palm Beach is built around the closed house. The population is about 9,000 in summer and closer to 25,000 in season, and the 2020 census counted more than 4,200 vacant housing units out of roughly 9,250. The Town is organized accordingly: a police program to watch closed homes, construction rules that shift with the season, and zoning that keeps short stays out of residential districts.
What the Town does not do is go inside. This guide covers what a closed Palm Beach estate needs between visits, how island logistics complicate a summer repair, and how home watch and estate care is structured for a house that will not see its owner for six months.
Palm Beach Island at a Glance: What Makes It Different
Narrow, Old, and Reviewed
The Town, incorporated in 1911, sits on a barrier island never wider than three-quarters of a mile and in places only about 500 feet across, Atlantic on one side and Lake Worth Lagoon on the other. Housing runs from 1920s Mizner, Fatio, and Wyeth landmarks in the Estate Section and North End to in-town townhouses and the 1960s-to-1980s condominium towers along South Ocean Boulevard. Every exterior change goes through the Architectural Commission, and landmarked homes through the Landmarks Preservation Commission too.
The Three-Month Rule
Town zoning requires occupants to reside not less than three months, and the Town Attorney has stated that short-term vacation rentals are not permitted in residential districts. A 2026 brokerage guide reads the code as allowing shorter stays no more than three times a year per property; confirm the exact section with the Town before relying on it. The practical result is that a Palm Beach house is either lived in for a season or closed.
A Town That Expects You to Leave
The Police Department runs a free Closed House Service: officers check the house periodically, day and night, to confirm it is secure while you are away. You sign up by phone or online and call to deactivate on return. Every closed house should be on it. It is also an exterior security check, not a walk-through of your air handlers.
What a Closed Palm Beach Island Home Needs Between Visits
Inside the House, on a Schedule
Masonry houses with plaster walls, wood floors, and closed drapery hold moisture through a South Florida summer. The interior needs a person every two weeks who reads humidity room by room, checks A/C drain pans and condensate lines, runs water at every fixture, looks at ceilings under upstairs baths, and confirms the alarm and main shutoff. Every Atlis plan includes two full interior walk-throughs a month, with a written photo note after each, from the same manager.
Ocean Side, Lake Side
Oceanfront parcels are typically in VE flood zones and lagoon-side parcels in AE, parcel by parcel. Ocean exposure means salt on every hinge, condenser, and fixture; lake exposure means docks, seawalls, and a Town that stepped up enforcement on illegal moorings this year. A visit should walk the seawall cap and dock, and photograph both after any storm.
Getting a Contractor to the Island in 2026
Every vendor comes over one of three bridges from West Palm Beach. This year, South Ocean Boulevard near Mar-a-Lago has been closed around the clock for federal security, and the $128 million utility undergrounding project runs through 2027. The Town extended its expanded construction hours, weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., through October 31, 2026, with weekend and holiday limits unchanged. Exterior repairs also need ARCOM sign-off. We schedule all of that through our maintenance coordination, quoted first and billed at cost.
Summer Vendor Logistics on the Island
- Approvals first: ARCOM or Landmarks review for any exterior work, before the crew is booked.
- Hours: weekday work inside the Town's window; loud work finished before the season.
- Route: check undergrounding closures and the South Ocean detour the morning of.
- Access: someone on site to open, supervise, and lock up; police notified if the house is on Closed House Service.
- Record: photos of the work and the at-cost invoice in the owner's file.
Storm Season on a Barrier Island
The island has not taken a direct hurricane strike since 1928, but the barrier islands were under mandatory evacuation for Irma in 2017 and will be again. The Town runs an emergency re-entry list for after a storm; we could not confirm caretaker eligibility, so ask the Town and get your home-watch provider registered before June 1. We found no Town deadline for shutter removal, so set your own.
The Costliest Risk: Mold in a Landmarked House
A modern house with a mold problem gets gutted and rebuilt. A landmarked Palm Beach house cannot be. Original plaster, pecky cypress, and cast stone are remediated in place, exterior repairs go through the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the work waits on the off-season window. The cause is almost always the same: an A/C set too high, a clogged condensate line, and four months with nobody inside.
| System | What goes wrong in a closed house | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| A/C and humidity | Short cycling, clogged drains, mildew on finishes | Every visit |
| Plumbing | Failed supply lines, dry traps, water heater leaks | Every visit |
| Exterior and grounds | Salt corrosion, irrigation failure, pool chemistry | Every visit |
| Dock and seawall | Cap cracking, piling wear, mooring compliance | Every visit, plus post-storm |
| Major systems | Generator, electrical, roof, gates | Quarterly on Estate and Private Client |
Common Mistakes Palm Beach Island Owners Make
Counting the Police Check as a Home Watch
The Closed House Service confirms the house is secure. Officers are not reading a hygrometer in the library.
Leaving Repairs for November
The season is when the Town tightens construction, traffic, and noise. Exterior work belongs in the summer window, supervised by someone local.
Testing the Three-Month Rule
Short stays in residential districts are a zoning matter the Town takes seriously; it pushed a co-ownership platform to delist its Palm Beach properties in 2024. A closed house should stay closed or be leased for a full season.
Forgetting the Undergrounding Crews
Utility work through 2027 can mean trenching at the driveway and service interruptions. Someone needs to know when your street is scheduled and confirm the house came back online.
When to Adjust: Triggers That Change the Plan
An evacuation order for the barrier islands. Shutters, generator, pre-storm photos, and re-entry paperwork replace the routine; the first post-storm visit happens the day access opens. The Town changes construction hours. The current extension ends October 31, 2026; after that the seasonal schedule applies. Your street enters the undergrounding schedule. Add a utility check to each visit. An ARCOM application is pending. Nothing exterior gets touched without the approval in hand. The house will be leased for a season. A tenant changes access, inventory, and who calls whom when something breaks.
Who This Is For
The season resident. In town November through April. Atlis Watch, $295 a month on a 12-month agreement, gives you the two interior walk-throughs and the photo note. With a pool, a dock, and staff to coordinate, Atlis Estate at $595 adds vendor coordination, hurricane preparation, post-storm inspection, and mail retrieval.
The family office or trust. A landmarked estate held across generations needs a single accountable manager and a paper trail. Private Client, from $1,195 a month, provides a dedicated estate director with a direct 24/7 line, quarterly owner walkthroughs, and access management for family, guests, and contractors.
The condo owner on South Ocean. Your building handles the envelope and common areas, and many are now under Florida's milestone inspection regime. Your unit still needs interior checks. Watch fits most units; confirm your association's rules on who may enter.
“Palm Beach has the best closed-house infrastructure of any town we work in. The police program is real and it is free. But the town is watching the outside of the house, and the outside is not where the expensive problems start.”
— Jean Taveras, Broker-Owner, Atlis Property Management · FL Broker CQ1071712
Inside the house twice a month, from May to the day you return.
Written photo notes, vendors at cost, a four-hour emergency response guarantee.
See Estate Care Plans →Schedule a Call with Jean →Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Town of Palm Beach check closed houses?
Yes. The Palm Beach Police Department's Closed House Service is free: officers check the house periodically, day and night, to confirm it is secure in your absence. You enroll by phone or online form and call to deactivate when you return. Details are at townofpalmbeach.com. It is a security check, not an interior inspection, so owners pair it with an estate care plan.
Can I rent my Palm Beach house for a few weeks while I am away?
Not in a residential zoning district. The Town Attorney has stated that short-term vacation rentals are not permitted there, and the zoning code requires occupants to reside not less than three months. Short-term use is limited to the condominium-hotel category, and timesharing to one South End district. Seasonal leases of three months or longer are the workable path; condominium boards add their own approval rules on top.
When can exterior construction happen on Palm Beach Island?
The Town runs an in-season and off-season regime, with the season roughly November through April. In May 2026 the Council extended its expanded weekday hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through October 31, 2026, with quiet work permitted earlier and weekend and holiday restrictions unchanged. Confirm seasonal limits on major exterior work with the Building Division before scheduling. All exterior changes need ARCOM review first.
How often should a closed Palm Beach estate be walked?
Twice a month inside, minimum. That is the cadence on every Atlis plan, and the Estate plan adds two supervised vendor visits monthly plus quarterly system inspections. On the ocean side, salt and humidity move fast enough that a month between visits leaves too much time for a drain clog or a corroded fitting to become damage. After any tropical system, the next visit happens as soon as the bridges reopen.
Is a Palm Beach oceanfront home in a flood zone?
Usually. Immediate oceanfront parcels are typically mapped VE, and lagoon-side and low-lying areas AE, but it is parcel-specific and Palm Beach County's maps were updated in December 2024. The barrier islands have been under mandatory evacuation in past storms. Pull your parcel, keep the elevation certificate with the insurance file, and make sure whoever watches the house knows the evacuation zone and re-entry process.
About the Author
Jean Taveras — Broker-Owner, Atlis Property Management LLC
3801 PGA Blvd., Ste. 600, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 · 561.473.3664 · info@atlispm.com
FL Real Estate Broker License CQ1071712 — myfloridalicense.com · BBB Accredited through April 2027
Community facts reference the Town of Palm Beach website (Closed House Service FAQ, planning and zoning pages), Town Council actions reported by the Palm Beach Daily News in May 2026, 2020 census housing data, and Palm Beach County flood-zone guidance, current as of September 2026. This article is general educational information, not legal or insurance advice; consult a licensed Florida attorney and the Town about your specific property.
For informational purposes only and not legal, tax, or financial advice. Town ordinances, construction hours, and flood maps can change; verify current text with the Town of Palm Beach and a licensed Florida attorney before making decisions based on this article.
Close the House Properly This Year
We will walk the house with you, write the close-up plan, and be inside every two weeks until you are back.
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info@atlispm.com · 3801 PGA Blvd., Ste. 600, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 · FL Broker CQ1071712 · BBB Accredited
