West Palm Beach Grew by 9,529 Since 2020 and Permitted 230 Units in 2024
Residential Drafting and CADD, Delivered Remotely
West Palm Beach is Palm Beach County's fastest-growing large city, adding 9,529 residents since the 2020 Census according to US Census Bureau estimates reported by WLRN. It sits inside a county that permitted $1.47 billion worth of new homes in 2024 alone, per the Palm Beach County Planning Division. Growth like that generates drafting work of every kind at once: new custom builds, budget-conscious stock plans, backyard ADUs, and remodels of the housing that already exists. Apex Drafting handles all of it for West Palm Beach homeowners and builders, 100% remotely.
What the Permit Numbers Say About Building Here
The growth side of the ledger is unambiguous. Census Bureau estimates reported by Stet News put West Palm Beach at 127,744 residents in 2024, up more than 10,000 people, roughly 9%, from the 2020 count of 117,493. WLRN pegs the pace at about 1.9% per year, the fastest of any large city in Palm Beach County, and the wider Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach metro ranked as the 4th-fastest-growing in the country for 2023-24.
The construction side has not kept pace. The Palm Beach County Planning Division's 2024 Annual Residential Permit Report, built on US Census Building Permits Survey data, shows the county permitted 4,002 dwelling units in 2024 worth $1.47 billion, split between 2,629 single-family and 1,373 multifamily units. That total was down 25% from 5,368 units in 2023. West Palm Beach itself accounted for just 230 of those units: 85 single-family homes and 145 multifamily units, worth $79.1 million.
Read those two facts together and the picture is a city absorbing thousands of new residents while permitting a couple hundred new homes a year, most of them multifamily. That mismatch pushes demand onto the existing housing stock, which is where additions, remodels, and ADUs live. One honest caveat: the county report tracks new dwelling units, so it tells us nothing about how many remodel or addition permits were pulled. We will not pretend to quantify that side of the market.
Pricing splits the market in two. As of May 2026, Zillow puts the average West Palm Beach home value at $405,069, down 1.5% over the past year, while Palm Beach County as a whole averages $471,499. The city sits below the county's luxury-skewed mean, which means a drafting partner here has to cover real range: full custom design at the top of the market and disciplined, affordable plan sets for everything else.
ADUs in West Palm Beach: What State Law Guarantees, and What Still Needs a Zoning Check
ADU plans may be feasible where the current ordinance for West Palm Beach allows them. Apex verifies the parcel's zoning and local dimensional requirements before defining the drawing scope; neither 2025 SB 184 nor 2026 SB 48 became law.
ADU plans may be feasible where the current ordinance for West Palm Beach allows them. Apex verifies the parcel's zoning and local dimensional requirements before defining the drawing scope; neither 2025 SB 184 nor 2026 SB 48 became law.
Working on a West Palm Beach, FL project right now?
Send us the lot and what you want to build. We'll confirm which local rules apply to your parcel and come back with a firm number, at no cost.
Where Our Services Fit This Market
Eight services, matched to what the West Palm Beach data actually shows.
Custom House Plans
The county's $471,499 average home value is pulled upward by a genuine luxury tier. For clients building at that end, we draft fully custom plans shaped around the lot, the light, and the budget.
Stock House Plans
The city's own $405,069 average tells the other half of the story. Stock plans starting at $799 give standard-value builds a professional, buildable set without a custom price tag.
ADU Plans & Design
ADU plans may be feasible where the current ordinance for West Palm Beach allows them. Apex verifies the parcel's zoning and local dimensional requirements before defining the drawing scope; neither 2025 SB 184 nor 2026 SB 48 became law.
Home Additions & Remodel Drafting
230 new units permitted in 2024 cannot absorb 9,529 new residents since 2020. A lot of this city's growth will be housed by changing the homes that already exist.
3D Renderings & Walkthroughs
In the 4th-fastest-growing metro in the country for 2023-24, many clients plan a build from out of state. Renderings and walkthroughs let them approve a design they have never stood inside.
Permit-Ready Drawings & As-Builts
Every project above ends at the permit counter. We draft complete, submittal-ready sets, and produce as-built documentation for the existing homes that remodels and additions start from.
We also offer energy-efficient home design and multigenerational and universal design for South Florida households planning around climate and family under one roof.
How Remote Drafting Works for a West Palm Beach Project
Apex Drafting is based in Colorado City, Arizona. We have no Florida office, and we do not need one: drafting is document work, and every deliverable arrives as a digital set ready for your builder and your permit submittal.
- Free quote. Tell us about the project by phone or through the quote form. You get a scope, a price, and a schedule before committing to anything.
- Remote design. We work through video calls, email, and marked-up drawings, on your timeline, from anywhere you happen to be.
- Revisions. Revision rounds are included as scoped in your quote, so the plan gets refined until it matches what you actually want to build.
- Delivery. You receive a permit-ready digital set formatted for local submittal. Timelines vary by project scope, and we put the schedule in writing with every estimate.
More Florida Service Areas
West Palm Beach is one of the Florida markets we serve remotely. Explore the rest:
West Palm Beach Drafting FAQs
How much do house plans cost in West Palm Beach?
Stock house plans from Apex Drafting start at $799. Custom house plans, ADU designs, and remodel drawings are quoted per project based on scope. For context, Zillow puts the average West Palm Beach home value at $405,069 as of May 2026, so professional drafting is a small fraction of what is at stake in a build.
Can I add an ADU to my West Palm Beach property?
Not automatically. Florida does not currently have a statewide law requiring every local government to allow an accessory dwelling unit on every single-family lot. Florida Statutes Section 163.31771 allows local governments to adopt ordinances permitting accessory dwelling units in residential areas. The official Florida Senate record shows that 2025 SB 184 died in returning messages on June 16, 2025, and 2026 SB 48 died in House messages on March 13, 2026. Eligibility in West Palm Beach depends on the current local ordinance and the specific parcel. Confirm the city or county requirements before design.
How much homebuilding is happening in West Palm Beach right now?
Per the Palm Beach County Planning Division's 2024 Annual Residential Permit Report, the city of West Palm Beach permitted 230 dwelling units in 2024, made up of 85 single-family and 145 multifamily units worth $79.1 million. Countywide, 4,002 units worth $1.47 billion were permitted, down 25% from 2023's 5,368 units.
Does Apex Drafting have an office in West Palm Beach?
No. Apex Drafting is based in Colorado City, Arizona, and all drafting work is done 100% remotely. We serve West Palm Beach clients by phone, video, and email, and we deliver digital drawing sets formatted for submission to your local permit office.
More Florida Markets We Draft For
Same remote process, same permit-ready standard, researched for each market's own rules.
Get a Free Quote for Your West Palm Beach, FL Project
Tell us what you're building and we'll scope it, confirm the timeline, and give you a firm number before any drafting starts. Every plan set is drafted to your local jurisdiction's documentation standards.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (435) 990-3556.
Ready to Put Your West Palm Beach Project on Paper?
Tell us what you want to build, add, or convert. You will get a clear scope, price, and schedule at no cost.