WallDockDeck
Bal Harbour · Miami-Dade County

How do I check a marine contractor in Bal Harbour?

Registered contractors onlylogin issued after the Village verifies

In Bal Harbour the public can search active permits and view their status without an account, but contractors need a registered account to manage permits - they call the Building Department, which verifies that the contractor is registered before issuing a login. The Village's code makes it unlawful to carry on a business that needs a local business tax receipt without one (Sec. 9-28).

Source: Village of Bal Harbour 'Building Department Launches New Building Permit Management Software'; Code Sec. 9-28; Miami-Dade RER Contractors & Building Trades, Building Specialty Licenses and Contractor Search pages; Warning Signs When Hiring Contractors page; F.S. 489.105, 489.126, 489.141, 489.1425, 489.143, 440.02, 440.05, 501.021, 501.025, 205.065 (2026); Fla. Admin. Code R. 61G4-15.100; DBPR Construction Industry page and Verify a Licensee; DFS Division of Workers' Compensation construction exemption page and data portal · Verified 2026-10

The detail

Contractor accessCall the Building Department, 305-865-7525, for login details; eligibility is checked first - Building Department software announcement
Past permitsPermit Management (eTRAKiT), balh-trk.aspgov.com/eTRAKiT - searchable without an account
Business taxSec. 9-28 (Ord. 2019-625): no business requiring a local business tax receipt may operate without one, and false applications are unlawful
County licenceMiami-Dade's Contractor Licensing Section in Regulatory and Economic Resources licenses contractors under County Code Ch. 10, with the Construction Trades Qualifying Board over licence scopes. The county Contractor Search takes a company name or licence number and also shows complaints - 786-315-2880
No county marine cardMiami-Dade's building-specialty licences (communications tower, demolition, drywall, precast erection, reinforcing steel, roofing, screen enclosure, structural steel, unit masonry, door, painting and waterproofing, gutters) have no marine, seawall or dock category, so check the state record
A tax number is not a licenceThe county lists a contractor showing only an occupational licence or business tax number as a warning sign
State licenceSearch the company and the qualifier on DBPR's Verify a Licensee (myfloridalicense.com). A licence number starting with C is a state certification valid anywhere in Florida; one starting with R is a registration, good only where the holder met local competency rules - F.S. 489.105(8),(10) and the DBPR licensing page
Who may build a seawall or dockA certified general contractor's scope is unlimited (489.105(3)(a)). The state also certifies five marine specialties: marine specialty, marine seawall work, marine bulkhead work, marine dock work and marine pile driving - Rule 61G4-15.100(1)(b)-(f)
Workers' compIn construction a single employee makes coverage mandatory (440.02(20)(b)2). Up to three officers or LLC members owning at least 10% may file exemptions (440.02(18)(b)2), and the exemption certificate itself says it is not a DBPR licence (440.05(4)). Check it on the DWC data portal's Coverage and Exemptions search (dwcdataportal.fldfs.com)
Recovery fundFor contracts signed on or after 1 July 2024 the Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund pays at most $100,000 per claim against a Division I contractor (general, building, residential) and $30,000 against a Division II contractor, which includes the marine specialties; the lifetime caps are $2 million and $600,000 per licensee - 489.143(3),(6). Nothing is paid if the contractor was unlicensed when you signed - 489.141(2)(d) - and residential contracts over $2,500 must print the fund notice - 489.1425
DepositsA contractor who takes more than 10% up front on residential work must apply for permits within 30 days and start within 90 days of the permits issuing, unless you agreed to longer in writing - 489.126(2)(a)
Three-day cancelIf the deal was a home solicitation sale over $25 - signed away from the seller's place of business and not the result of your own request for specific goods or services - you can cancel in writing until midnight of the third business day; Sundays and federal holidays don't count - 501.021, 501.025
Business tax is not a licenceA contractor pays business tax where its permanent office is, and no other city or county may levy a business tax or an equivalent registration fee for temporary work there - 205.065

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.

Available for the cities whose rule we have verified and sourced.

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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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Other questions about Bal Harbour

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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.

A screening sheet for owners, not an engineering inspection.

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