Verified · October 2026
Town of Manalapan (ZIP 33462)
Entry price range: $3M+
Every claim below links to a dated public source.
The community in brief
Manalapan at a glance.
Manalapan is one of Florida's smallest and most exclusive towns: roughly 400 to 500 residents on a barrier island between Palm Beach and Boca Raton, incorporated in 1931 by Commodore Harold Vanderbilt. There are no shops, restaurants, or offices in town, almost no rental units, and no hotels beyond the Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa. What exists is oceanfront scale: estates that often run from the Atlantic across A1A to the Intracoastal, some of the largest single-family homes in South Florida.
Real-time availability is confirmed directly with Kelby: listings portals lag, and the best addresses in Manalapan move before they are published.
Location & boundaries
Barrier island between Palm Beach and Boca Raton
Manalapan occupies about 2.4 square miles of barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Worth Lagoon, ZIP 33462, roughly halfway between Palm Beach to the north and Boca Raton to the south. A1A and State Road A1A run the island's spine; Lantana Road and Boynton Beach Boulevard reach the mainland and I-95. Ocean Ridge borders the town on the south.
Sources · verified October 2026
Architecture & character
Vanderbilt's island, estates across the dunes
Commodore Harold Vanderbilt founded the town in 1931, and its low-density, R1-zoned character has barely changed: about 4 percent of the land is zoned for club or commercial use, exterior changes require Architectural Commission approval, and the housing stock is dominated by grand oceanfront and ocean-to-Intracoastal estates, some with private beach access structures. The Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa, approved in 1988 and now the town's anchor hotel, hosts the private La Coquille Club.
Sources · verified October 2026
Market positioning & pricing
Entry above $3 million, medians into the tens of millions
Active listings and closed sales, 2024 to October 2026
Single-family homes generally start above $3 million, with condos from around $599,000. Mid-2024 data showed listings up to $80 million with a median asking around $16.8 million, and one luxury-listings sample showed a median near $69 million; a reliable Zillow home-value estimate put the typical home near $4.3 million in 2024, one of the highest in any American ZIP. These are dated figures from different sources and snapshots, not guarantees; confirm the current market with Kelby.
Sources · verified October 2026
Amenities
Eau Palm Beach and nothing else, by design
- The Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa, the town's oceanfront hotel anchor
- La Coquille Club, a private club available to Manalapan residents
- Direct oceanfront and Intracoastal estate land
- No shops, restaurants, or offices inside town limits
- Palm Beach and Boca Raton amenities minutes away
Sources · verified October 2026
Schools
County district by address
Manalapan public schools run through The School District of Palm Beach County, with assignments set per address; no single school zone was uniformly confirmed in this research, so verify current boundaries with the district before relying on any assignment.
School boundaries change and are set by address, never by community name: verify current boundaries with The School District of Palm Beach County before relying on any assignment.
Sources · verified October 2026
Access & commute
A1A spine, Lantana and Boynton bridges west
A1A runs the island; the bridges at Lantana Road and Boynton Beach Boulevard reach Federal Highway, U.S. 1, and I-95. West Palm Beach is about 25 minutes north, Boca Raton about 20 minutes south, and Palm Beach International Airport roughly 30 minutes north in normal traffic.
Sources · verified October 2026
HOA, club & restrictions
Town zoning is the gatekeeper
Manalapan is predominantly non-HOA, low-density R1 residential, with the town's Architectural Commission reviewing exterior changes and the zoning code keeping out most commercial and rental use. Very few rental units exist townwide. Exact covenant and dock rules are per property; the town permit file comes with every offer.
Sources · verified October 2026
Waterfront, flood zone & insurance
Ocean-to-Intracoastal means maximum exposure
Nearly every estate touches the Atlantic or the Intracoastal, and the town sits within FEMA-mapped coastal high-hazard and flood zones. Flood insurance is required for federally backed mortgages in Special Flood Hazard Areas, and premiums scale with elevation and coverage. Verify each property with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and a specialist insurer before offering.
Sources · verified October 2026
New construction & pre-construction
Estate rebuilds behind the dunes
Unverified
The island is built out, so new construction means large estate rebuilds, which surface regularly in this market. Current rebuild inventory was not verified in this research; confirm opportunities directly with Kelby.
Sources · verified October 2026
Investment & rental considerations
Short-term rentals are legal under state preemption
Florida statute 509.032 prohibits local bans on vacation rentals and limits local regulation of duration and frequency, and no pre-2011 Manalapan rental ban was documented in research, so short-term rentals are legal in town; whole-unit rentals more than three times a year for stays under 30 days require a state DBPR vacation rental license and tax registrations. The town reports very few rental units and R1 zoning constrains density. Confirm current rules before underwriting.
Sources · verified October 2026
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about Manalapan.
Who founded Manalapan and when?
Commodore Harold Vanderbilt incorporated the town in 1931, and its deliberately low-density, residential-only character has changed little since.
Is Manalapan in Palm Beach or Boca Raton?
Neither. Manalapan is its own incorporated town on the barrier island between Palm Beach and Boca Raton, with a 33462 ZIP.
What does a home cost in Manalapan?
Single-family homes generally start above $3 million and condos around $599,000, with 2024 listings running to $80 million and a median asking near $16.8 million. Confirm the current market with Kelby.
Are short-term rentals allowed in Manalapan?
Florida's statute 509.032 typically preempts local vacation rental bans, and no Manalapan ban was documented, so short-term rentals are legal subject to state licensing and tax rules; the town nonetheless holds very few rental units.
Nearby communities
Compare Manalapan with the communities around it.
Provenance
Information reviewed October 2026.
Every claim on this page is drawn from public research and linked to its dated source below. Figures such as asking prices, dues, and school assignments change; where a field could not be verified it reads “Contact for current information” and the answer is one call away. Nothing on this page is a guarantee of price, availability, or school assignment.
- Source
Town of Manalapan history
Incorporation, low-density zoning, and character
- Source
Town of Manalapan Eau Palm Beach
Resort anchor history
- Source
Town of Manalapan La Coquille Club
Private club for residents
- Source
Mansion Global Manalapan
Estate scale and market context
- Source
Fortune Manalapan
Median asking and top listings, 2024
- Source
Lang Realty Manalapan
Entry pricing tiers
- Source
Cindy Trocciola Manalapan
Area profile
- Source
Miami Beach Brokers Manalapan
Zoning and Architectural Commission rules
- Source
Florida Statute 509.032
State vacation rental preemption
Each source above verified October 2026
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