ProjectionNo dock more than 25 ft beyond the outside face of the seawall cap - Town Code 23-12 (dock provisions, (a)(iii)). On the Bay Harbor Waterway between the east and west islands (Block 2 lots 1-12, Block 3 lots 1-32, Block 23 lots 1-28 and 96-104) no more than 15 ft - (a)(iv)
WidthA dock extending more than 8 ft beyond the seawall cap may be no more than 4 ft wide, with no obstructions - (a)(v)
Side setbackNo part of a dock nearer than 10 ft to the projected side lines (the code's wording is 'the sidelines of the dock') - (a)(vii)
HeightThe deck may be no higher than the seawall cap (or a retaining wall attached to it), except that a yard deck's material carried across the cap may reach 6.5 ft above mean sea level; the dock surface must be at least 5 ft above mean sea level unless Miami-Dade DERM or the Army Corps approves otherwise - (a)(i),(xi)
Seawall loadingNo dock may bear on the seawall or cap unless a licensed engineer certifies the added load is within the seawall's design - (a)(ii)
No coversNo boathouse, dock building or dock cover - (a), (a)(vi)
BoatsOn the Bay Harbor Waterway no part of a vessel may extend more than 30 ft beyond the seawall cap; the Town may regulate the size and type of boats moored along its waters - 23-12
Lifts and davitsAt least 10 ft from the projected side lines, no more than 25 ft beyond the seawall cap, self-supporting with no attachment to the seawall, no canopy, plans approved in writing by the town manager - 23-12(b)
Mooring pilesNo more than 40 ft beyond the seawall cap (30 ft on the Bay Harbor Waterway) and at least 7.5 ft from the projected side lot lines - 23-12(8)
Approval and variancesPlans approved in writing by the town manager; Miami-Dade DERM may require changes for Biscayne Bay and Bay Harbor Waterway conditions, and any departure needs a Town Council variance with a DERM environmental assessment - (a)(viii),(x)
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)