Completed work
From the elevation
inward.
Completed Elbaz Construction projects across South Florida shown the way a reviewer meets a building - approach and elevation first, then what happens inside. Different properties, photographed on completion; each caption says which.
All photographs are of real Elbaz Construction work in South Florida. None was taken in Lake Worth Beach, none is presented as a City-permitted project, and no frame here says anything about whether a property sits in a historic district.
Building here
The delay list,
read backwards.
Every building department has a mental list of the reasons submittals come back. Very few write it down. Lake Worth Beach does: its plan review page names ten specific causes of delay, from an incomplete application and plans not stamped, signed or sealed as required by State Statute, through no up-to-date survey or site plan, improper setbacks and lot coverages, exceeding height requirements, inconsistencies between plans and product listings, accessibility not shown, and conflicts with the Land Development Regulations including use.
That is a gift, and it is worth treating as one. A list of failure modes published by the people who apply them is a better pre-submittal checklist than anything a contractor could write. It also contains one item that is easy to miss and expensive to miss: a lack of Certificate of Appropriateness application, if the property is located in a City historic district.
- Ten named causes
Published by the City on its own plan review page. Each one is something you can check before filing rather than discover after.
- A historic district is a schedule item
The City names a missing CoA application among its delay causes. Whether an address sits in a district is a City determination we check.
- Either application is accepted
The City states a permit application may be submitted with the Palm Beach County universal permit application, or a Lake Worth Beach one.
Constraint and consequence
What the City warns about,
and what to do
with the warning.
None of the below is a statement about your address. It is what the City publishes about how reviews stall and what work is exempt, and what each item means for how a submittal should be built.
An out-of-date survey is a published delay
The City names "no up to date survey or site plan" among its causes. A current survey is a lead-time item, so it is commissioned at the start rather than chased at the end.
Signed and sealed, as the statute requires
Plans not stamped, signed or sealed as required by State Statute is another named cause. It is a workflow question for your design team, answerable in five minutes.
Accessibility has to be shown
The City names "access for handicapped not shown". Drawn, not assumed - it is about what appears on the sheet.
Product listings must agree with the plans
Inconsistencies between plans and product listings are named. Substituting a window late without updating the drawing creates exactly this.
The exemption list is measured
Not vague. Drywall repair under three 4-by-8 sheets; fence repair up to 16-foot sections, excluding pool barriers; soffit and fascia up to 25% of total; wood deck repair up to 100 square feet of previously permitted boards, no framing members.
Same-day inspection exists, for a fee
Next-day inspections are booked by 4:00 pm through the automated line. For a same-day inspection the City publishes a separate number and states that additional fees are assessed.
named causes of plan review delay the City publishes on its own page - which makes them ten things to check before filing
| Element | Filed on assumption | Filed against the list |
|---|---|---|
| The survey | The one from the purchase | Current, and matching what is on site |
| Sealing | Assumed handled | Confirmed against the statute before drawings are due |
| Setbacks and coverage | Checked roughly | Checked against the Land Development Regulations |
| Accessibility | Considered | Shown on the sheet |
| Historic district | Assumed not applicable | Confirmed with the City, and a CoA filed if it is |
| What comes back | Comments, and a cycle | A decision |
The design is identical in both columns. What differs is whether ten published questions were answered before filing or after.
Stills from the two completed units on this page. They illustrate the stages; they are not photographs of the stage named beside them.
How we run it
Eight stages,
against a published list.
The sequence we follow on a Lake Worth Beach property. Several of the stages exist because the City named the failure they prevent.
- 01
Address, record and district
What the address is, what is already permitted on it, and whether the City treats it as being in a historic district. That last question is asked at the start in Lake Worth Beach, because the City lists a missing Certificate of Appropriateness among its own delay causes.
- 02
Commission a current survey
Named on the delay list, and a lead-time item. It is ordered in week one rather than assumed to exist.
- 03
Test the scope against the exemptions
The City publishes a measured exempt list. Some genuinely small work is exempt; most of what people assume is exempt is not. We check before promising anyone a permit-free job.
- 04
Zoning envelope before layout
Setbacks, lot coverage, building coverage and height are four of the ten named causes. They are checked against the Land Development Regulations before a layout is worth developing.
- 05
Draw the things the list asks to see
Accessibility shown rather than assumed, product listings consistent with the plans, disciplines complete, and everything stamped, signed and sealed as the statute requires.
- 06
File digitally, on whichever form suits
The City performs review digitally and accepts either its own application or the Palm Beach County universal permit application, with a master permit application used for all scopes of work and one copy of submittal documents.
- 07
Build, with inspections booked to the clock
Next-day inspections requested through the automated line by 4:00 pm. Where the programme genuinely needs it, the City publishes a same-day route with additional fees assessed.
- 08
Closeout
Through the inspections the scope requires, then the permit is closed out rather than left open against the property.
Approvals
What is exempt,
and what is not.
Lake Worth Beach is unusually precise about small work. Its published permit exceptions are written to a measurement rather than to a feeling: drywall interior wall repair of less than three 4-foot by 8-foot sheets; fence repair or replacement of a previously permitted fence up to 16-foot sections, excluding pool barriers; soffit and fascia repair and replacement up to 25% of the total; wood deck repair up to 100 square feet of previously permitted deck boards with no framing members; plumbing fixture replacement for a single family or R-3 occupancy in the same location, excluding bath tub and shower; and appliance replacement with cord and plug, excluding water heaters.
Everything outside those lines is a permit. The City states that building permits are required to construct, modify, repair, demolish or alter buildings, and that work without a permit may result in code compliance action. The precision cuts both ways - it tells you exactly what you may do, and exactly where that stops.
Simplified sketch, for explanation only. It is not a permit drawing and not a plan of either project shown on this page.
From first call to closeout
- Drywall
Interior wall repair of less than three 4-foot by 8-foot sheets. Beyond that it is a permit.
- Fences
Repair or replacement of a previously permitted fence up to 16-foot sections - and the City explicitly excludes pool barriers from that exemption.
- Soffit and fascia
Repair and replace up to 25% of the total. A whole run is a different job.
- Wood decks
Repair up to 100 square feet of previously permitted deck boards, with no framing members. Structure is not covered.
- Plumbing fixtures
Replacement of common household fixtures for single family or R-3, in the same location - excluding bath tub and shower.
- Electrical
Replacement of lights, outlets and switches for single family or R-3 per the National Electrical Code edition the City cites.
- Appliances and air conditioning
Appliance replacement with cord and plug, excluding water heaters; and a window air conditioning unit in an existing opening with existing cord and plug.
- Everything else
A permit is required to construct, modify, repair, demolish or alter buildings, and the City states unauthorised work may result in code compliance action.
Precision is a favour
A city that says "up to 100 square feet, no framing members" has told you exactly where you stand. Vagueness is what makes people guess, and guessing is what produces unpermitted work that shows up at sale.
None of the above is a statement about your property. The City of Lake Worth Beach Building Division determines what any specific address and scope requires, including whether a property is in a City historic district, and requirements change. We confirm what your project actually needs before anything is filed, and we do not publish fees, review durations or any assurance of approval, because the City publishes none.
Cost and time
What moves the number,
and what moves the date.
No figures here. When a city publishes its own delay causes, the honest conversation about time is about which of them apply to you.
What moves the cost
- Whether a Certificate of Appropriateness is in play
In a City historic district it is a submittal in its own right, with its own considerations. Knowing early is the difference between a stage and a surprise.
- How current the survey is
Named on the delay list. A new survey costs what it costs; a stale one costs a review cycle.
- The zoning envelope
Setbacks, coverage and height decide what is worth drawing. Testing them first is cheaper than redrawing after.
- Product selection and its paperwork
Inconsistencies between plans and product listings are a named delay cause, so a late substitution has a documentation cost.
- Structural alteration
Openings, spans and load paths need engineering, and engineering needs to be in the drawing before it can be in the submittal.
- What the survey and demolition find
On an older Lake Worth Beach property, previous work - permitted or not - is discovered and has to be resolved rather than covered.
What moves the schedule
- Getting a current survey
A lead-time item, and one of the City’s own named causes of delay.
- The Certificate of Appropriateness route
Where it applies. It is a real stage and it belongs in the programme from the start.
- Digital plan review
The City performs review digitally, and once all appropriate departments have reviewed, the permit is sent by email or file transfer to the contractor of record.
- Inspection booking
Next-day requests by 4:00 pm through the automated line. Same-day is possible by calling for availability, with additional fees assessed.
- Product lead times
Ordering after approval is a date; ordering before it is a risk.
- Closeout
The inspections the scope requires, then the permit closed out rather than left open.
Owner’s guide
Six things worth knowing
before you draw anything.
Not rules - the City writes those, and it determines them per address. These are the things that most often change how a Lake Worth Beach project is planned.
Read the delay list before the code
Ten named causes, published by the people who apply them. Working through them is the highest-value hour available before a submittal.
Ask about the historic district first
A missing Certificate of Appropriateness application is on the City’s own list. Whether your address is in a district is a City determination, and it is a two-minute question.
Get a current survey
Not the one from the closing file. "No up to date survey or site plan" is named as a delay cause, and it is entirely avoidable.
The exemptions are measured, so measure
Three sheets of drywall, 16-foot fence sections, 25% of soffit, 100 square feet of deck boards. If your job is bigger than the number, it is a permit.
Pool barriers are never the exempt fence
The City excludes them explicitly from the fence exemption. It is the single most safety-critical carve-out on the list.
Either application form is fine
The City accepts its own or the Palm Beach County universal permit application, and uses a master permit application for all scopes of work.
What it is like
Living with a project
checked against a list.
The honest version of the experience, including the parts where we ask for things earlier than you might expect.
- We ask about the district on day one
Because the City put it on its delay list, and because the answer changes the programme rather than the finishes.
- The survey gets ordered before the design
It is named as a delay cause and it is a lead-time item. There is no good reason to leave it.
- Decisions arrive in batches
We will ask for product selections together, because inconsistencies between plans and product listings are one of the ten named causes.
- One point of contact
The same person from the first visit to the walkthrough. Design, permitting and construction sit in one company, so a reviewer’s comment does not wait on a hand-off between two firms.
- The site itself is ordinary
Protection, containment, deliveries, dust and noise are managed as on any job, and any association hours are respected without being asked.
- Closeout is not optional
Permits are closed out. An open permit stays with the property and reappears when it is sold, when it is someone else’s leverage.
Questions
Ask the
awkward ones.
Six categories. Pick one and the answers change.
In the City’s own words: an incomplete permit application; plans not complete or missing required disciplines; plans not stamped, signed or sealed as required by State Statute; no up to date survey or site plan; improper setbacks, lot coverages and/or building lot coverages; exceeding height requirements; inconsistencies between plans and/or product listings; accessibility - access for handicapped not shown; lack of Certificate of Appropriateness application if located in a City historic district; and conflicts with the City’s Land Development Regulations, including use.
Because it converts a list of failure modes into a checklist. Every item is something you can verify before filing, and each one you verify is a review cycle you do not spend.
It is the approval that applies to work on property in a City historic district, and the City names a missing CoA application among its delay causes. Whether your address is in a district is for the City to say, and we check rather than assume.
We do not publish a number, because the City does not. It states that plan examiners make every effort to review plans as quickly as possible and then lists what delays them - which tells you where the leverage actually is.
Yes, and the City is unusually specific about it. Its published exceptions include drywall interior wall repair of less than three 4-foot by 8-foot sheets, soffit and fascia repair up to 25% of total, and wood deck repair up to 100 square feet of previously permitted deck boards with no framing members.
The City exempts repair or replacement of a previously permitted fence up to 16-foot sections - and it excludes pool barriers from that exemption in as many words. If the fence is a pool barrier, treat it as a permit question.
The plumbing fixture exemption covers replacement of common household fixtures for single family or R-3 occupancy in the same location, and the City explicitly excludes bath tub and shower from it.
The City states that work without a permit may result in code compliance action. On an older house it is better to find it during survey and resolve it deliberately than to have it surface at sale.
Either. The City states a permit application may be submitted with the Palm Beach County universal permit application or a Lake Worth Beach permit application, and that a master permit application is used for all scopes of work with requirements varying by scope.
The City states one copy of submittal documents is required for all permits, and that it now performs the review digitally.
Required inspections are requested through the City’s automated phone line on (561) 586-1691, with all next-day inspections scheduled by 4:00 pm. Inspections may also be scheduled online.
The City publishes that if a same-day inspection is needed, a call must be made to (561) 586-1647 for availability of inspectors, and that additional fees are assessed. It is a real option and it is not free.
Because the same square footage can carry a Certificate of Appropriateness or not, a new survey or not, and a zoning question or not. A rate would be a guess. You get an itemised figure in writing after a survey, and it says what happens if something is found once work starts.
It is a longer process, and how much that costs depends on the scope. What we will not do is guess whether your property is in one - that is the City’s determination and we get it in writing.
Yes - across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, 104 municipalities. The filing routes genuinely differ between them, which is the reason we check rather than assume.
Why Elbaz
What we will actually
put our name to.
- Licensed, bonded and insured
Elbaz Construction is a licensed Florida general contractor, CBC1265280. Permits are pulled in the company’s name.
- We work the City’s list before filing
All ten of them, in writing, before a submittal goes anywhere. It is the cheapest quality control available on a project here.
- We check the district rather than assume it
A missing Certificate of Appropriateness is on the City’s own delay list. We get the answer from the City, not from a neighbour.
- Design and construction in one contract
The people who draw it are the people who build it, so a reviewer’s comment comes back to the team that can answer it.
- We say what we do not know
Whether an address is in a historic district, and what a specific scope needs, are the City’s to determine. Any contractor answering before checking is telling you something the City has not.
- Permits closed out
Every permit we pull is closed out at the end of the job rather than left open against the property.
No awards, no rankings and no numbers we cannot show you. Everything above is either public record or visible in the work on this page.
Reviews
I highly recommend them for home improvement. They renovated my master bathroom and a few upgrades for other guest bathrooms. They are very professional, courteous and transparent. They are great at communicating and finding ways to streamline the work. Sean has impeccable project management and customer relationship management skills. Very pleased with the work!
Omri B
Genuine Google reviews of Elbaz Construction, shown as written. None of these reviewers is identified as a Lake Worth Beach client and none is presented as one - they are shown because they are real, not because of where they are.
Redid my whole bathroom and kitchen. Great service - Great quality - very quick - very professional !! Highly recommended!
Adir Davidov
They are amazing! Very professional. Met my exact requests with so much patience and knowledge. They renovated my whole house and the whole process was such a breeze. I highly recommend them!
Lee Morali
We hired them to renovate our investment property and they provided exceptional quality service for an affordable price!
Shir Partush
Amazing experience with the entire company! They did a great job in my house for some work that needed to be completed, and I am extremely happy with the result. Super professional & great service. I highly recommend Elbaz Construction.
Mia Zafrani
After I've been Looking for a good company to renovate my house , I found those guys! These people are super professional super honest super Fast !! Don't hesitate to Rent their service! They are number one!!
carmit cohen
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104 municipalities across three counties — and we hold the licence to build in all of them. Not sure about your address? Ask us.
Keep reading
Related guides
- Renovation vs Remodel
Where repair ends and remodelling begins - which in this City is written down to the sheet, the section and the square foot.
- How Much Does It Cost to Remodel a House?
What actually moves a renovation number, and why a stale survey is one of the more expensive documents you can own.
- How Much Will My Home Be Worth After a Remodel?
The relationship between what you spend, what you change and what it is worth after.
- A Guide to Choosing a General Contractor
What to ask, what to check and what a licence number actually tells you.
Related services
- Palm Beach County
- Planning & Permitting
- HOA & Historic District Approval
- Residential Permit Expediting
- Zoning & Variance Assistance
- Full-Service Home Renovation
- Kitchen Remodeling
- Bathroom Remodeling
- Roofing
- Windows & Doors
- Design-Build New Homes
- Home Remodeling in Lake Clarke Shores
- Home Remodeling in Palm Springs
- Home Remodeling in Boynton Beach
Start here
Tell us about the property
The address, roughly when the house was built, what you want to change, and whether anything about the exterior is part of it. The address is what lets us check the historic district question rather than guess it.
We check what is already permitted on the property, then survey it, and we work through the City’s own ten delay causes before anything is filed.
A promised review date, a fee quoted from a table, or an opinion about your historic district status. The City publishes none of those and neither will we.
Thanks — that came through.
Your details are with the Elbaz Construction team and we will come back to you, usually the same or next working day. If it is urgent, call (754) 236-0675.
Answer the ten questions
before the City asks them.
Lake Worth Beach has published exactly how a review goes wrong. Working through that list before filing is the cheapest thing anyone can do for a programme. Start with a survey and a conversation about which of the ten apply to you.
