WallDockDeck
Bal Harbour · Miami-Dade County

How big a dock can I build in Bal Harbour?

8 ft beyond the seawallmax; deck no higher than 3.5 ft above mean high tide

Bal Harbour allows no dock, wharf or other structure to extend more than 8 ft beyond the seawall or rise more than 3.5 ft above mean high tide. Docks may not be covered, except by temporary boat awnings no higher than 8 ft above mean high tide. These limits do not apply in the Business (B) District.

Source: Bal Harbour Village Code Ch. 21 (Zoning) Sec. 21-359 (Ord. 169, 6-29-74); Secs. 21-436, 21-437 (Ord. 356, 11-13-90); Miami-Dade County Code Secs. 24-48.1(1)(a), 24-48.3(1)(j),(3); Fla. Stat. 403.813(1)(b) (2026); 33 CFR 322.3(a) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

Projection and heightNo dock, wharf or structure of any kind may extend more than 8 ft beyond the seawall or be higher than 3.5 ft above mean high tide - Village Code 21-359(a)
CoversNo cover on a dock except temporary boat awnings no more than 8 ft above mean high tide - 21-359(a)
Business DistrictThe limits in 21-359(a) do not apply in the Business (B) District - 21-359(a)
GroinsOcean groins may reach no more than 300 ft seaward of the established ocean bulkhead line, with an engineer's certificate of compliance - 21-359(b)
Multi-slip docksNew boat basins are prohibited; marinas and multi-slip docking facilities must reach water at least 4 ft deep at mean low tide, and dredging is limited to narrow launching channels or fixing existing basins - Village Code 21-436
Where multi-slip docks may goPublic marinas only in the Business (B) district; non-public marinas or multi-slip docks only in residential districts and only for residents, with parking, sewage pumpout, upland-only dry storage, a hurricane plan approved by the Emergency Management/Building Inspector and fuel-spill containment - 21-437
Miami-Dade County Class I permitAny work in, on, over or upon tidal waters or bay bottom anywhere in Miami-Dade County, cities included, needs a county Class I permit - County Code 24-48.1(1)(a). New boat slips at docks in tidal waters need at least 4 ft of water at mean low water; the depth rule does not apply to docks in bulkheaded artificial canals bordered by uplands on both sides, to lifts, davits and piles in slips at existing permitted docks, or to repair of existing legal docks with at least 3 ft of water - 24-48.3(3). A dock proposed beyond the boundaries in Sec. D-5(03)(2)(a) of the county Public Works Manual gets extra review factors - 24-48.3(1)(j)
State exemptionA private, non-commercial dock on pilings with 1,000 sq ft or less of over-water surface (500 sq ft in Outstanding Florida Waters), and the only exempt dock along 65 ft of shoreline (or one per lot if the lot is narrower), needs no state environmental permit - Fla. Stat. 403.813(1)(b). The exemption does not grant permission to use state-owned submerged lands and does not override city or county rules - 403.813(1)
FederalStructures in navigable waters need a Department of the Army permit, general or individual - 33 CFR 322.3(a)

Your city's height sheet

The elevation your city requires, the datum it is measured in, and the section of code that says so. One page.

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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

What to look for, where to look for it, and what it means when you find it. Walk your wall in twenty minutes.

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