Emergency Board Up in West Palm Beach, FL

How Much Does Emergency Board Up Cost in West Palm Beach?

An emergency board up in West Palm Beach typically costs $190 to $970 to cover one to a few broken windows or a door with plywood and clear the loose glass.

What moves the price here is the kind of building. About 4 in 10 homes are in buildings of five or more units^[1],, and upper-floor condo glass is boarded from inside. Sealing an empty building's ground floor with concrete block costs more than plywood^[4]. More on what changes the price is on our cost page.

When Does West Palm Beach Require a Boarding Certificate?

Only when boards stay on a building outside an emergency. The city code requires a certificate of boarding for boarded buildings, with a fee set by the city commission^[3]. Hurricane preparation and weather damage are exempt^[2].

The owner or contractor applies and must finish every step within 30 days, and the city issues it after a city inspector checks the work^[3]. It lasts no more than six months, and the special magistrate can renew it once for six more^[3]. A vacant building boarded without a valid certificate is a public nuisance^[8].

Boarding under these rules also means removing the utility meters and capping the sewer^[9]. The statewide rules are on our Florida board-up rules page.

Securing an Empty House or Storefront in West Palm Beach

Vacant buildings have their own standard. Ground-floor doors and windows, meaning any opening a six-foot person can reach without a ladder, must be sealed with concrete block or material the building official finds just as strong against forced entry^[4]. Higher openings can take wood, and every board must be painted the color of the walls^[4]. A broken window on a vacant property is to be secured by re-glazing^[11].

After a violation notice, the owner gets ten days to fix it, or two days when an open building is a danger to the public. After that the city may do the work, bill the owner, and turn an unpaid bill into a lien after 30 days^[12].

Downtown, from Banyan Boulevard to Fern Street and Rosemary Avenue to Flagler Drive, and in the Northwood mixed use district, closed shops may not board or shutter their windows^[13][14]. The ban does not cover closures caused by natural disasters^[14].

How Hard Do Storms Hit West Palm Beach Windows?

Hard enough that most years bring broken glass somewhere in the county. NOAA logged 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 reports of hail an inch or larger and 31 tornadoes in Palm Beach County from 2016 to 2025^[16].

In early November 2026 parts of the city got over 22 inches of rain^[20], so an open window cannot wait. The median home was built in 1988^[1], so many still have older windows that were not made to stand up to flying debris.

Boarding a Home in a West Palm Beach Historic District

The city requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for work that changes a building's exterior look^[21]. Its approval matrix sends removable shutters and same-material repairs to staff review, and visible permanent shutters to the preservation board^[22]. The matrix does not list temporary plywood. Boards fixed to the frame come off later without scarring old trim, but if you plan to leave them up past the emergency, ask the planner first.

If a historic building is found unsafe, the code tells the building official to try to have it repaired rather than demolished^[23]. Closing the openings quickly helps keep it worth repairing.

West Palm Beach Neighborhoods Where We Board Up

We work across the city, from Downtown, Old Northwood and Northboro Park through Flamingo Park, El Cid and Prospect Park to Southland Park, Vedado and the South End. Farther west we cover Ibis, Baywinds and Bear Lakes. We also board up in nearby Riviera Beach, Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach and Greenacres.

ZIP codes: 33401, 33405, 33407, 33409, 33411, 33412, 33417

Near West Palm Beach

We also cover Miami, Hialeah, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Boca Raton in the South Florida area. See all areas, the price table and Florida rules.