Mission: To promote a clean, safe, healthy and esthetically pleasing environment for the citizens of West Palm Beach by enforcing the legal codes established to manage the disposal of waste and the repair of City property.

Operations: Code Enforcement Officers identify code violations and encourage property owners to take corrective action by providing collection guidelines and written citations. When the property owner corrects the violation within twenty-four hours, the city dismisses the citation. Uncorrected violations result in the city removing the debris, and a penalty fee will be assessed to the property owner. Code Enforcement Officers will meet with property owners to discuss the violation, if so requested. The property owner can request a formal hearing within thirty days of the citation issue date if they so desire.

The most common code violations have to do with sanitation. See Garbage Pick-up Schedule and Garbage Restrictions in the Service Links below. Garbage (refuse) bulk items and yard waste must be disposed of in the approved manner:

Garbage Service: Seal garbage in a plastic bag, place in a standard 35-gallon garbage container with a tight lid Place container at the curb after 6P.M. on the day of pick-up (see Garbage Pick-up schedule) Place garbage containers within six feet from the road but not on sidewalks or thoroughfares Do not mix garbage with yard waste. Do not fill garbage can with more than 50 pounds of material.

Bulk Items: Bulk items, to include furniture (sofas, chairs, mattresses and box springs) and appliances except refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners is collected with garbage, twice a week. Place bulk items at the curb by the regular garbage after 6 P.M the night before collection day. Roll carpet and tie in sections no longer than 4 feet and weighing no more than 50 pounds No Refrigerators, freezers or A/Cs with bulk items (see Restricted Garbage in Service Link below). Do not mix bulk items with yard waste. Do not place construction materials in with bulk items. Piles of bulk items are limited to 4 feet by 4 feet by 9 feet Building materials emanating from home repairs or remodeling are not collected by sanitation. The property owner must dispose of these debris.

Yard Waste (Vegetation): Yard Waste is tree trimmings, grass clippings, palm fronds, leaves and shrub trimmings, etc. generated by the property owner. Landscaping/Lawn maintenance agencies are responsible for disposing of the residue they generate.

Place waste at the curb/edge of the street after 6 P.M. the evening prior to scheduled pick-up. Place waste in front of the property where it was generated. Place grass clippings, small trimmings and leaves in plastic bags of no more than 50 pounds. Limit piles of waste to no more than 4 feet high, 4 feet wide and 17 feet long. Cut tree limbs and branches into sections no longer than 6 feet. Cut tree trunks and roots into lengths of 4 feet and no larger than 12 inches in diameter. Clean up debris remaining after waste has been picked-up. Call the Code Enforcement Department for special pick-up of waste piles that exceed limits. Do not mix yard waste with any other item(s).

NOTE: The months of April and May are amnesty months, meaning the Sanitation Department will pick up unlimited amounts of yard waste. This allows our citizens to prepare for hurricane season.

Hazardous Waste:

NOTE: You cannot dispose of hazardous waste such as paint, paint products, motor oil, pesticides, batteries, propane/gasoline tanks and similar items through the City system. Call the Solid Waste Authority 640-4000 for information on the disposal of hazardous materials.

Duties: The duties of a Code Enforcement Officer include both education and compliance. Citizens may not know they are violating code until they receive a written citation. If they take corrective action, the citation is dismissed. If the violation goes uncorrected, the Code Enforcement Officer takes action to ensure compliance. These efforts help keep the City neat, clean and a desirable place to live.

Additional Duties: Code Enforcement Officers monitor the licensing and positioning of "Roll-off containers," those large containers supplied by commercial companies to collect waste at various construction sites.

Code Enforcement Officers investigate damage to City property. They would investigate damage to sidewalks, light poles, berms, landscaping, etc.

Structure: There are four Code Enforcement Officers and one Code Enforcement Supervisor assigned to the Public Works Division. They work closely with Sanitation personnel who aid in the identification of code violations. We also depend on private citizens to report code violations. West Palm Beach is our City and we all have a personal stake in keeping it a clean, healthy and desirable place to reside.

Special Note: Code Enforcement Officers are on call twenty-four hours per day to investigate code violations.