Palm Beach County Sex Offender Registry
Palm Beach County maintains a public sex offender registry through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with in-person registration handled by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. The county enforces some of Florida's stricter local residency rules, with certain municipalities extending the standard 1,000-foot buffer zone to 2,500 feet, giving residents additional distance from registered offenders living nearby.
Palm Beach Quick Facts
Palm Beach County Sheriff and the Sex Offender Registry
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) maintains the county's sex offender registry as a public service tool designed to keep residents informed. PBSO coordinates with local municipalities, state agencies, and federal authorities to track registered sex offenders and sexual predators throughout Palm Beach County. The registry pulls from the FDLE statewide database, meaning a search through PBSO's resources and a direct FDLE search will return the same underlying records.
Palm Beach County sex offenders and predators face lifetime registration requirements under Florida law. That is not a common outcome in most legal situations. In sex offender cases, however, registration typically does not end with a sentence. The obligation continues indefinitely unless the registrant successfully petitions the court for relief, a process discussed further below.
PBSO can be reached at (561) 688-3000. The office handles registration, re-registration, and compliance enforcement. If you believe a sex offender in Palm Beach County is not meeting their legal obligations, PBSO is the agency to contact.
The PBSO website provides direct access to registry search tools and information about how the county handles sex offender registration and public notification.
Registration Requirements in Palm Beach County
All sex offenders and sexual predators who live, work, or attend school in Palm Beach County must follow strict registration rules. The foundation of those rules is Florida Statute § 943.0435, which sets the statewide standard for registration frequency, reporting obligations, and penalties for non-compliance.
| Office | Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) |
|---|---|
| Phone | (561) 688-3000 |
| Website | www.pbso.org |
| Sex Offenders | Re-register twice per year (every 6 months) |
| Sexual Predators | Re-register four times per year (every 3 months) |
| Change Reporting | 48 hours for any change to address, employer, vehicle, phone, or email |
| New to Florida | Register within 48 hours of establishing Palm Beach County residence |
The 48-hour reporting window under § 943.0435(4) covers more than just home address changes. Any update to employment, vehicle registration, phone number, or email address must be reported within two days. That applies even if the change seems minor. Not reporting it is a violation. Failure to register properly is a third-degree felony in Florida, which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison plus additional charges that can compound the consequences.
Anyone moving into Palm Beach County from another state must register within 48 hours of establishing any form of residence. That timeline starts when you arrive and set up a place to stay, not when the lease is signed or the utilities are turned on. If you work or go to school in Palm Beach County without living there, registration obligations may still apply depending on how frequently you are present in the county.
Residency Restrictions in Palm Beach County
Florida sets a baseline residency restriction for all registered sex offenders: no living within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare center, park, playground, or any place where children regularly gather. That rule comes from § 775.215 and applies county-wide across Florida, including Palm Beach County.
What makes Palm Beach County stand out is what some municipalities add on top of that baseline. Cities like Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach have enacted local ordinances that extend the minimum distance to 2,500 feet. That is more than double the state standard. For a registered sex offender looking for housing in those cities, the practical effect is significant. Large portions of a city's residential areas may fall within the prohibited zone, leaving very few compliant options.
These local rules exist because state law explicitly allows municipalities to set stricter standards than the state minimum. They cannot be looser than the state rule. They can be tighter. Residents of Palm Beach County cities should check with their local municipality to find out what additional restrictions apply in their area. What is allowed in unincorporated Palm Beach County may not be allowed within city limits, even on the same street. A registered offender who moves without checking local ordinances first may find themselves in violation immediately upon arrival.
How to Search Palm Beach County Sex Offenders
The most complete search tool is the FDLE sex offender search. You can filter by county, city, ZIP code, or individual name. Selecting Palm Beach County returns all active registrations within the county. Each record includes the offender's photo, registered address, physical description, and conviction history. Predators are clearly labeled and carry additional notification details.
Palm Beach County also supports search access through ICrimeWatch, a tool integrated with PBSO's registry data. ICrimeWatch allows map-based searching, which can be useful for checking whether a specific address or neighborhood has registered sex offenders nearby. The interface differs from FDLE's search but draws from the same underlying registry.
A guide to navigating Palm Beach County sex offender records is available at Criminal Justice Florida's Palm Beach County resource page. This page explains the local registration process, what information is publicly available, and how to interpret what you find in the registry.
The Palm Beach County informational guide walks through how to use the registry search tools and what the results mean for residents trying to understand who is registered in their area.
Removal from the Palm Beach County Registry
Most people assume sex offender registration lasts forever. In Florida, that is mostly true, but the law does provide one narrow path to relief. Under § 943.0435(11), a registered sex offender may petition the court for removal from the registry after 25 years of continuous registration, provided certain conditions are met.
The 25-year period must be free of any additional criminal convictions. The petitioner must not be designated as a sexual predator under § 775.21. The underlying offense cannot be one of a handful of the most serious categories that permanently bar petition rights. And the court must find that the petitioner does not pose a threat to public safety. That last part involves judicial review, not a rubber stamp. The burden falls on the petitioner to show they meet every requirement.
This is a narrow exception. Most sex offenders do not qualify for petition at the 25-year mark because of additional convictions, the predator designation, or the nature of the original offense. Those who think they may qualify should consult a Florida criminal defense attorney familiar with sex offender laws before filing anything with the court.
Florida Offender Alert Notifications
Palm Beach County residents can track sex offender movements in their neighborhoods through Florida Offender Alert, a free email notification service. You register with an email address, select the ZIP codes or areas you want to monitor, and the system sends an alert when a registered sex offender or predator moves into or within your chosen area.
The service runs automatically. You don't have to keep checking the registry yourself. The alert goes out when something changes. For anyone with children in school, daycare, or regular after-school programs in Palm Beach County, this kind of ongoing notification can fill the gap between occasional manual registry checks. Alerts cover all of Florida, so you can monitor multiple areas with a single account if you have reason to watch more than one location.
Cities in Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County's larger cities include some with additional local sex offender ordinances that go beyond state requirements. All registered individuals in these cities appear in the statewide FDLE database.
Nearby Counties
Sex offenders who relocate across county lines must register with the new county's law enforcement within 48 hours. Each bordering county has its own sheriff's office handling in-person registration.