HOA & Condo Violations in Highland Beach, FL: What Owners Need to Know

Updated September 2026 • 11 min read

Highland Beach is a narrow barrier-island town between Boca Raton and Delray Beach, and it's almost entirely condominiums — of roughly 4,022 residences, about 3,635 are condo units and 57 are co-ops, leaving only around 330 single-family homes. That distinction matters more here than in most Palm Beach County municipalities: if you got a violation notice on a unit in one of the town's mid- or high-rise buildings, it's almost certainly governed by Florida's Condominium Act (Fla. Stat. Chapter 718), not the HOA statute that covers most of the guides on this site.

This guide covers how condo association enforcement differs from a typical single-family HOA, the Town's own two-tier code enforcement system, and what to do with a notice from either one. Further up the coast, Gulf Streamflips the usual pattern in the other direction — almost no condos, and a municipal architectural board that reviews single-family exterior changes town-wide.

A Town That's Almost All Condos

Highland Beach had a 2020 census population of 4,295, which typically grows to around 8,500 during snowbird season from November through April, and roughly 80% of residents are retired. The housing stock reflects that: mid- and high-rise buildings running roughly 10 to 15 stories dominate the skyline along the barrier island, interspersed with a small number of boutique low-rise buildings and a modest pocket of single-family homes on the west side of A1A. If your notice references "the association" here, it's worth confirming up front whether you're dealing with a condominium association board or one of the town's few traditional homeowners associations — the governing statute, and some of the procedural rules, differ between the two.

Condo Association Rules vs. HOA Rules

The core fine mechanics look similar between the two statutes, but they aren't the same law:

*Unless governing documents authorize a higher amount.

The practical difference shows up less in the fine amount and more in what's being regulated: a condo board is typically citing something about your unit's exterior appearance, a common-element modification, or a building rule, since there's no individually owned lot or yard involved the way there is in a single-family community. For a broader breakdown of how these two ownership structures differ, see our condo vs. HOA violation guide.

Highland Beach's Two-Tier Code Enforcement System

Separately from whatever your association decides, the Town of Highland Beach runs its own municipal code enforcement, split into two tracks. Simpler matters — parking violations, trash and refuse issues, and landscaping complaints — go to the Town's Code Enforcement Board. More complex cases, including construction code violations, work performed without a required permit, and Florida Fire Prevention Code issues, go to a magistrate instead. That split means a building-wide issue like unpermitted balcony work can end up in front of a magistrate even while a simple parking complaint down the hall goes through the standard board process — and neither track is affected by what your condo association separately decides to do about the same underlying problem.

What Gets Cited Most in Highland Beach Buildings

• Balcony and exterior modifications. Unapproved glass or screen enclosures, visible storage items, or hanging plants and decorations that exceed what the building's rules allow.
• Hurricane shutters left up too long. A common seasonal citation in barrier-island buildings, where shutters need to come down within the window most declarations specify once storm season passes.
• Impact window and door installations without approval. Even when the work meets county permit requirements, skipping the building's architectural review process for a unit-facing change is a separate issue.
• Satellite dishes and window AC units. Older buildings especially tend to have strict rules about what can be mounted on an exterior wall or balcony rail.
• Parking and guest-space violations. With limited on-site parking in many older buildings, unauthorized use of another unit's assigned space or guest parking is a recurring complaint.

Why Seasonal Ownership Complicates Enforcement

With roughly 80% of Highland Beach residents retired and the population roughly doubling every winter, a meaningful share of units sit vacant for months at a time. A violation on an empty unit — a shutter left up, a balcony item blown loose, an expired parking sticker — is often first flagged by a property manager, a building engineer, or a neighbor rather than the owner, and by the time a mailed notice reaches an owner's off-season address, part of the cure window may already be gone. If you split time between Highland Beach and elsewhere, keeping a local property manager or a trusted neighbor on file with the association, and asking the building to also email rather than only mail notices, closes a lot of that gap before it turns into a missed deadline.

Steps to Take When You Get a Notice

1. Confirm whether the notice is from your condo association, the Town's Code Enforcement Board, a magistrate, or more than one of these.
2. Pull your building's declaration or bylaws to confirm the cited rule exists and applies to your specific violation.
3. If it's a physical fix — a balcony item, a shutter, a window unit — resolve it as early in the cure window as possible.
4. Photograph the fix and notify the association (and the Town, if separately involved) in writing the same day.
5. If you dispute the citation, request your hearing before the independent committee and bring documentation — prior approvals, photos, or evidence other units with the same setup weren't cited.

The Practical Bottom Line

Most violation notices in Highland Beach are condo matters governed by Fla. Stat. §718.303, not the HOA statute that applies to the rest of this site's coverage — the fine caps track closely, but the governing law and hearing procedure are technically different. Add in the Town's two-tier code enforcement system and a population that's often only half-present outside snowbird season, and the fastest way through a notice here is the same as anywhere else: confirm exactly who sent it, fix the underlying issue inside the cure window, and document it in writing before the deadline passes rather than after.

Frequently Asked Questions