WallDockDeck
Bal Harbour · Miami-Dade County

What are the boat lift rules in Bal Harbour?

No lift-specific rule; structures 8 ft past seawalltemporary awnings only, 8 ft max

Bal Harbour's code does not name boat lifts. Outside the Business district, no dock, wharf or structure of any kind may extend more than 8 feet beyond the seawall or rise more than 3.5 feet above mean high tide, and the only cover allowed with a dock is a temporary boat awning no more than 8 feet above mean high tide.

Source: Village of Bal Harbour Code Sec. 21-359 (Supp. 93; Ord. 169); Miami-Dade Code Secs. 24-48, 24-48.2 (Supp. 136); s. 403.813(1)(s), F.S. (2026); 33 CFR 322.3(a) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

Reach and heightNo dock, wharf or structure of any kind more than 8 feet beyond the seawall or higher than 3.5 feet above mean high tide - Code Sec. 21-359(a)
CoversNo cover with any dock except temporary boat awnings no more than 8 feet above mean high tide - Sec. 21-359(a)
Business districtThese limits do not apply in the Business (B) District - Sec. 21-359(a)
Not in the codeNo boat lift or davit wording found (searched lift, boat lift, davit, hoist)
Boat basins and marinasNew boat basins are prohibited, and marinas or multi-slip docking facilities must use docks reaching water at least four feet deep at mean low tide - Code Sec. 21-436
Engineering permit feeDocks are among the works charged the village engineering permit fee: minimum $150, 2.0% of construction value up to $1,000,000 and 1.0% above - Code Sec. 6-36
GroinsGroins may reach no more than 300 feet seaward of the ocean bulkhead line, and the contractor must file a registered engineer's certificate of compliance with the building inspector - Sec. 21-359(b)
HistorySec. 21-359 comes from Ord. No. 169 (29 June 1974); Sec. 21-436 from Ord. No. 356 (13 November 1990) - Secs. 21-359, 21-436
Miami-Dade CountyAny work in, on or over tidal waters needs a county permit from the Department (DERM). A single-family boat lift, davit or floating dock that protrudes no more than 25% of the waterway width may use the short-form application, as may installing a boat lift or davit on a dock, seawall or bulkhead - Miami-Dade Code Secs. 24-48(1)(d), 24-48.2(I)(A)(2), (8), (20).
State and federalFloating boat lifts and floating vessel platforms that meet s. 403.813(1)(s), F.S. (they float at all times, hold the vessel out of the water, and either sit inside a previously permitted slip or total no more than 500 sq ft - 200 sq ft in Outstanding Florida Waters - beside a qualifying dock or bulkhead) need no state permit; a local government may then ask only for a one-time registration unless the platform is attached to a bulkhead with no dock. Structures in navigable waters otherwise need Army Corps authorization unless exempt or under a general permit - 33 CFR 322.3(a).

Your city's height sheet

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The county rule behind this

What applies across Miami-Dade County, and where each city departs from it.

Miami-Dade CountySeawall requirements county-wide

The same question, nearby

The rule changes at the city line, not the county line.

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Twelve signs a seawall is failing

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