Short answer first: yes to the permit, and yes to the HOA if you live in an association — and the order matters. The permit protects you; the HOA protects the neighbourhood; and doing them in the wrong order is the most common way a generator installation stalls. This page is the sequence, the fees, and the law as it actually stands in Palm Beach County.

The short answer

A standby generator in Palm Beach County needs permits — building, electrical, and fuel — and if you live in a homeowners association, it needs HOA approval too. The sequence is: consultation and quote, HOA application, permits, installation, inspections. The permit fees on a typical job run about $175–$400, depending on the city, and the state requires the city to act within five business days of a complete application.

One thing this page does not do: it does not tell you that your HOA cannot stop you. It cannot. Florida law protects solar panels and other renewable devices from HOA bans — it does not protect standby generators. The HOA can set rules about where the unit goes, and in some communities it can refuse the location you want. The section below is the law as it stands, not as people wish it stood.

Figures last reviewed November 2026 · Sources: see ‘How we get our numbers’ on the About page.

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The permits, and what they cover

A generator installation in this county needs three permits, and they are not the same piece of paper:

Building permit — the pad and the placement: the unit’s location, its setbacks from the house and the lot line, and the pad it sits on.
Electrical permit — the transfer switch, the wiring, and the panel work.
Fuel permit — the gas line, or the propane tank and its line.

The installer applies for them, and the installer should be the one who knows which your city requires and what the fee will be. If an installer tells you no permits are needed for a whole-home standby generator in Palm Beach County, that is a reason to find another installer.

Why ‘permitted’ matters

A permitted installation is inspected, and an inspected installation is the one your insurer and a future buyer will accept. An unpermitted generator can void a homeowner’s policy, stall a sale, and — if it is installed badly — be a fire risk that no one catches. The permit is not bureaucracy for its own sake; it is the check that the work was done to code.

Six cities, six counters

Permit fees in Palm Beach County are a percentage of the job value, and the percentage is set by each city. Five schedules are verified and published here. Two cities are not — and this page says so, rather than borrowing another city’s rate:

Boynton Beach — 2.30% of the job value, $75 minimum. On a $11,000 job, $253; on a $17,000 job, $391. Review typically up to 15 calendar days.
Boca Raton — 1.60% of the job value. On a $11,000 job, $176; on a $17,000 job, $272.
Wellington — 2.00% of the job value. On a $11,000 job, $220; on a $17,000 job, $340.
Jupiter — 2% of the job value. On a $11,000 job, $220; on a $17,000 job, $340.
Unincorporated Palm Beach County — a tiered schedule: $75 for the first $2,000 of job value, then 2.50% of the next $8,000, then 1.75% of the next $90,000. Review typically 15–30 working days.
Delray Beach and West Palm Beach — we do not publish fee figures we have not confirmed with the city, and we are confirming both schedules now. This section will carry the exact numbers when that check is complete.

On a typical job in this county, the permit fees run about $175–$400 across the five verified schedules. The state sets the clock: under Florida Statute §553.792, the city must act within five business days of receiving a complete application — approve it, deny it, or ask for more information. A complete application is the part you control; an incomplete one restarts the clock.

One exemption worth knowing: HB 803, passed in 2025, exempts some small home improvements from the permit requirement — but the exemption excludes electrical and gas work, which is exactly what a generator installation is. Do not expect it to apply here.

How HOA approval actually works

If you live in a homeowners association, the HOA’s approval is a separate step from the permit, and it comes first. The HOA reviews the application — the unit’s location, its appearance, its noise — and approves, approves with conditions, or denies. The city will not issue a permit until the HOA has approved, and the installer will not start work until both are in hand.

The law that matters is not the one people quote. Florida section 163.04 protects renewable energy devices — solar panels, solar water heaters — from HOA bans. It does not cover standby generators. A standby generator is not a renewable device, and an HOA that bans one is not breaking section 163.04.

The law that does matter is HB 803’s amendment to section 720.3035, which says an association cannot require a homeowner to get a permit before the HOA has reviewed the application. The HOA reviews first; the permit comes after. If your HOA tells you to get the permit first, that is backwards — and it is the one point on this page worth quoting back.

What the HOA can do: set rules about where the unit sits, how it is screened, and when it runs its exercise. What it cannot do: require a permit before it reviews your application. What it can still do, in most communities, is refuse the location you want — which is why the application should go in with a location the HOA is likely to accept, not the location that is easiest for the installer.

The sequence, start to finish

The whole process, in order:

Consultation and quote — the load calculation, the unit size, and the turnkey quote. The generator sizing guide.
HOA application — the location, the screening, and the exercise schedule, submitted to the association. Allow time for the board’s meeting cycle.
Permits — building, electrical, and fuel, applied for by the installer once the HOA has approved.
Installation — the pad, the unit, the switch, the fuel, and the panel, usually in a day or two of work. How installation proceeds, step by step.
Inspections and approval to operate — the city inspects, the permits close, and the generator is handed over running.

Doing all of this from up north

If you are not in Florida while this is happening, the sequence is the same — but the paperwork moves by email and phone, and the installer is your eyes on the ground. The HOA application can be submitted remotely; the permits can be applied for by the installer; the inspections happen without you there. What you need is an installer who will send you the approvals as they come in, and a monitoring setup that tells you the generator ran when the installation is finished.

The snowbird generator checklist has the full list of what to arrange before you leave, and what to check when you return.

Get the numbers in one file

The free Cost Guide has the permit fees for all five verified cities, the HOA checklist, and the sequence above in one sheet.

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Permits and HOA, answered

Can my HOA ban a generator outright?

In most communities, the HOA can set rules about the location and the appearance, and in some it can refuse a location — but it cannot require you to get a permit before it reviews your application. An outright ban on all generators is rare, and it is worth asking the association for the rule in writing. If the rule is not in the declaration, it may not be enforceable — but that is a question for a lawyer, not for this page.

My installer says no permits are needed. Is that right?

No — not for a whole-home standby generator in Palm Beach County. The installation needs building, electrical, and fuel permits. An installer who says otherwise is either unfamiliar with the county or cutting a corner. Find another installer.

How long do the permits take?

The state requires the city to act within five business days of a complete application. Boynton Beach reviews typically within 15 calendar days; unincorporated Palm Beach County within 15–30 working days. The HOA’s review is separate, and it follows the board’s meeting cycle — which is usually the longer wait.

Does the propane tank need its own permit?

Yes — the fuel permit covers the tank and its line, and the tank’s placement has its own setbacks: at least 5 feet from the house and 10 feet from the property line. The setbacks are part of the permit application, and the inspector checks them.

Should I apply to the HOA before or after the consultation?

After. The consultation sets the unit size and the location — which is what the HOA application needs. Apply to the HOA with the installer’s plan in hand, not before it.

Palm Beach Backup Power is an independent information service. We are not a generator installer. These figures are published estimates, not quotes — the number for your home comes from your installer’s written quote. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

Do I need a permit — and HOA approval — for a generator in Palm Beach County?