What to Look for When Touring a Warehouse in Palm Beach County: A Tenant's Checklist

A warehouse tour usually lasts 15 to 20 minutes. In that time you need to decide whether the space can legally host your business, physically fit your operation and cost what you think it costs. Most tenants walk in, like the look of the floor, and leave without the information that actually decides the deal. This checklist is built for Palm Beach County: what to verify before you go, what to look at on site, and what to ask before you leave the parking lot.

Why a Checklist Matters Here

Good small-bay space in this county does not sit around. According to CBRE's Q3 2026 Palm Beach Industrial Figures, buildings completed before 2000, which make up 70% of the county's industrial inventory, were just 3.7% vacant, even though overall vacancy rose to 9.1% as new speculative space delivered in Boynton Beach. Cushman & Wakefield's Q3 2026 MarketBeat reported new leasing up 47.1% from the prior quarter, to 301,000 square feet.

In practice, that means the well-located older spaces most small and mid-size tenants want are the ones that move fastest. If you tour with a checklist, you can make a confident decision on the first visit instead of needing a second one that someone else beats you to.

Before the Tour: 20 Minutes of Homework

Write down your requirements. Square footage, minimum clear height, number and size of doors, power (voltage, phase, amps), office and restroom needs, parking, and any outdoor storage. If you are unsure about size, our guide on how much warehouse space you need walks through it.

Check whether the property is in a city or unincorporated county. This determines whose zoning code applies and where you will apply for your business tax receipt. The Palm Beach County Tax Collector requires zoning approval before it issues a local business tax receipt: from the city if the address is within city limits, or from Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building if it is unincorporated. Our zoning guide explains the districts and how to check them.

Look up the parcel. The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser shows the year built, building size and owner of record. Year built is a useful clue for what to inspect closely, such as roof age and electrical capacity.

List your equipment. Note the horsepower, voltage and phase of anything large. You will check it against the building's power on site.

On the Tour: The Checklist

1. Use and Zoning

• Tell the landlord or listing agent exactly what you will do in the space, including any outdoor storage, after-hours work or customer visits.
• Ask whether a prior tenant ran a similar use at this address.
• Ask whether the landlord will confirm in writing that your use is acceptable under the lease.

Zoning permission and lease permission are separate questions. A use can be allowed by the zoning code and still prohibited by the lease, or the reverse.

2. Clear Height

• Measure to the lowest obstruction, not the roof deck. Sprinkler heads, joists, lights and ductwork all count.
• Check whether the height varies across the space. Many buildings are taller at the center than at the walls.
• Confirm your racking plan works with the sprinkler clearance the fire code requires.

Our clear height guide explains how to measure and what different heights allow.

3. Doors and Truck Access

• Measure each door's width and height. A 10-foot door and a 12-foot door are not interchangeable if you load box trucks.
• Note whether doors are grade-level (drive-in) or dock-high.
• Walk the route a truck takes from the street to your door. Check the turning room, shared drive aisles and whether a parked truck would block a neighbor.
• Ask whether the doors have a wind rating or hurricane protection, and who is responsible for them.

The loading dock guide covers dock types and heights, and our page of warehouses with roll-up and overhead doors shows current spaces with drive-in access.

4. Power

• Photograph the meter, the main disconnect label and the panel schedule.
• Confirm voltage, phase and amperage for this specific unit, and whether it is separately metered.
• Compare the result against your equipment list.

If you run motors, compressors, refrigeration or production equipment, read our guide to 3-phase warehouse power before you tour. It covers FPL's motor thresholds and how to read service size.

5. Fire and Life Safety

Before Palm Beach County Fire Rescue signs off on a new business tax receipt, it performs a life safety inspection. Its published inspection requirements list the items most often found in violation. Use them as your tour list:

• Exit signs and emergency lights present and working
• Fire extinguishers mounted, visible and inspected within the past year
• Sprinkler heads and piping clear, with nothing hanging from them
• Fire alarm pull stations accessible and visible
• Exits clear and unobstructed

If you will store chemicals, fuels or other hazardous materials, the same document notes these must be identified to the fire department with safety data sheets. Raise that with the landlord on the tour, not after you sign. Some cities run their own fire departments, so ask which agency inspects the address.

6. Office, Restrooms and Climate

• Count restrooms and check that they work.
• Ask which areas are air-conditioned and how old the units are.
• Ask who maintains and replaces HVAC under the lease.
• Check ventilation in the warehouse area, especially if your team works there all day.

If you need a real office component, our office/warehouse page shows current spaces with built-out office.

7. Building Condition

• Roof: Look up for water stains on the deck and down for stains on the floor. Ask when the roof was last replaced and who pays for roof repairs.
• Slab: Note large cracks, uneven joints or spalling, especially if you will run forklifts or heavy racking.
• Drainage: Look for standing water near doors and in the truck court. After a South Florida summer storm, water goes somewhere.
• Flood zone: Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. It matters for your insurance and for any inventory stored on the floor.
• Pests and security: Check for gaps under doors, broken windows and signs of pests. Ask about cameras, gates and after-hours access.

8. Parking, Yard and Neighbors

• Count dedicated spaces versus shared ones, and ask where your employees and visitors will park.
• If you need outdoor storage, ask whether it is allowed and where.
• Notice your neighbors. Noise, odors, shared drive aisles and truck traffic affect your day-to-day.
• Ask about signage: building, door and monument.

9. Costs Beyond Rent

• Lease type: Is the rate NNN, modified gross or gross? Our NNN vs. gross lease guide explains the difference.
• CAM and operating expenses: Ask for this year's estimate and last year's actual reconciliation, not just the budget.
• Utilities: Which are separately metered, and which are shared and billed back?
• Maintenance: Who handles roof, HVAC, doors, parking lot and landscaping?
• Move-in work: If anything needs to change, ask whether the landlord will do it, contribute to it or require you to handle it. Our tenant improvements guide covers how that is typically negotiated.

Before You Leave

Take photos of every door, the panel, the restrooms and each corner of the warehouse. Ask for a floor plan with dimensions. Ask how much interest the space has had and whether there is a deadline for proposals. Then score the space against your requirements while it is fresh.

If it fits, the next step is a letter of intent. Our step-by-step leasing guide shows what happens from LOI to move-in. Have an attorney review the lease itself before you sign.

Quick-Reference Tour Checklist

FAQ

How many warehouses should I tour before choosing one? Enough to compare. Seeing at least two or three spaces that meet your requirements gives you a sense of what is normal for condition and terms in your size range.

Should I bring a contractor or electrician to the first tour? Usually not to the first one. Use the first visit to screen. If a space makes your shortlist and you have specialized needs, such as heavy power, refrigeration or racking, bring the right professional to a second showing before you sign.

Can I take measurements and photos during a tour? In most cases, yes. Ask the landlord or listing agent first if the space is occupied.

What is the most common thing tenants forget to check? Power and real occupancy costs. Clear height and doors are easy to see. Electrical capacity and CAM reconciliations are not, and they are expensive surprises after move-in.

Zach Vorsteg is a Florida real estate sales associate (License SL3603483) with Cornerstone Realty, not a broker. This article is general information, not legal, engineering or zoning advice. Confirm zoning and code requirements with the applicable city or county.

Ready to see spaces? Browse the warehouse space hub or the small warehouse spaces in West Palm Beach, check the city pages for Boynton Beach, Lantana and Jupiter, or request a tour and we'll line up spaces that match your checklist.