Palm Beach County · Town

Roofing in Palm Beach Shores, Florida

Palm Beach Shores occupies the southern tip of Singer Island, between the Atlantic and the Lake Worth Lagoon, at the Palm Beach Inlet. That location puts salt air, wind and standing water into the daily life of every roof here. The town is small, with 1,330 people counted in 2020, and most of its homes were built a long time ago.

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Updated October 2026

Sandy beach lined with white beachfront condo towers under cumulus clouds above turquoise ocean water. — Photo: Atlantic Ocean, West Palm Beach, Florida by David Broad, CC BY 3.0, cropped

At a glance

Palm Beach Shores homes at a glance

People (2020 Census): 1,330
Median year homes were built: 1969
Share of homes built before 1980: 70.6%
Share of homes built 2010 or later: 5.8%
Owner-occupied share of occupied homes: 60.9%

Census figures; each one is listed in the sources at the end of this page.

Housing age

How old are roofs in Palm Beach Shores?

Most homes in the town were built long ago. The median build year is 1969, and about 70.6 percent of units went up before 1980. Across Palm Beach County as a whole, the median is 1986 and only 33.5 percent are that old. If your house dates to the 1960s or 1970s, the roof has probably been replaced at least once, or it may be near the end of its life. Confirm the age of your own roof from permit records and your insurer's file.

Age matters for insurance. For a shingle roof older than 25 years, or a tile, slate, clay, concrete or metal roof older than 50 years, Citizens Property Insurance requires proof that at least five years of useful life remain. Ask your insurer or agent what they need from you before a renewal date comes up.

Permits and review

Who issues roofing permits in Palm Beach Shores

Roof permits in the town are issued by the Town of Palm Beach Shores Building Department. Check with that office before work starts, because the town's rules and submittal steps decide what you need to file. The department page is the place to confirm current requirements.

A permit does not last forever. Under the building code, a permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 6 months of issue, or if work stops for 6 months. Unless the applicant keeps working on it in good faith, the filing is considered dropped once 180 days have passed. Plan your schedule with these clocks in mind.

Before the first inspection, a Notice of Commencement must be recorded and posted on the job site when the contract is above the set amount. The permit card warns owners that skipping this step can mean paying twice for the same improvements.

Building permits

Town of Palm Beach Shores - Building Department

Official building page

Office names and links only. Fees, forms and timing change; check the official page.

Weather risk

Storms and rain on the Palm Beach Shores coast

Storm surge and wind have reached this part of the coast before. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, surge produced 2 to 4 feet of inundation along coastal northern Palm Beach County, and a sensor on the Intracoastal Waterway in Boca Raton read 3.05 feet. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew sent tropical-storm-force gusts into coastal zones stretching north from Palm Beach County.

Hurricane activity in the Atlantic is counted from June 1 through November 30, and the statistical high point arrives on September 10. Storms cluster heavily in the stretch running from roughly mid-August into mid-October. At West Palm Beach International Airport, 67.3 percent of normal annual rain falls from May through October, and August is the wettest month at 8.68 inches. That is roughly two thirds of the year's rain in six months.

Only Miami-Dade and Broward fall inside the Florida Building Code's High Velocity Hurricane Zone, so Palm Beach County sits outside it. Confirm with the Building Department which wind requirements apply to your roof.

Vacant units

Seasonal homes and the roofs they carry

About 26.7 percent of housing units here are held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, compared with 9.5 percent across the county. Owner-occupied homes make up 60.9 percent of occupied units. A roof on a home that sits empty for months can go unchecked, so arrange someone to look at it after storms and during the wet season.

Local record

On record for Palm Beach Shores

Occupies the southern tip of Singer Island between the Atlantic and the Lake Worth Lagoon, at the Palm Beach Inlet; Florida's easternmost point is in the town.
Water makes up 43.8% of the place's total area.
26.7% of all housing units are vacant and held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use.

Services

Roofing services in Palm Beach Shores

Questions

Palm Beach Shores roofing questions

What is the 25% roof rule in Florida?

The building code limits how much of an existing roof can be repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12-month period. Not more than 25 percent of the total roof area can be worked on unless the entire roof covering is replaced or recovered. A roof built or patched under the 2007 Florida Building Code or newer only needs the patched section brought up to today's standard. No city or county ordinance has the power to alter that carve-out. Confirm how the rule applies to your roof with the Palm Beach Shores Building Department before you schedule partial work.

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

How old is the typical house in Palm Beach Shores?

The median year homes were built here is 1969, and 70.6 percent of housing units went up before 1980. Palm Beach County's median is 1986. Older homes often need roof work sooner, and an older roof can affect how your insurer treats your policy. Check your roof's age against your permit history.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25004, via Census Reporter API, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Who pulls roofing permits in Palm Beach Shores?

The Town of Palm Beach Shores Building Department handles roof permits. Contact that office before you start, because the town's submittal steps set what you must file. Permits also expire if work does not start within 6 months of issue.

Source: Town of Palm Beach Shores - Building Department, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

Does the hurricane season affect roof work in Palm Beach Shores?

Yes. Atlantic storm season spans June 1 to November 30, with the bulk of storms arriving between mid-August and mid-October. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, storm surge of 2 to 4 feet reached coastal northern Palm Beach County. Schedule roof inspections and repairs before the peak if you can, and check the roof after every storm.

Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof repair

How much rain falls on Palm Beach Shores roofs?

At West Palm Beach International Airport, normal annual rainfall is 61.75 inches. Roughly 67.3 percent of the yearly rain comes between May and October, with August posting the heaviest monthly total at 8.68 inches. A 1-hour rain in a 10-year storm falls at 3.44 inches an hour at this town. Gutters and drainage should be sized and checked with these numbers in mind.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Gutters

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