WallDockDeck
Boca Raton · Palm Beach County

How big a dock can I build in Boca Raton?

6 ft into the waterwaycanals under 100 ft wide; 8 ft on wider waterways

A Boca Raton dock may project only 6 ft into a canal or waterway narrower than 100 ft, or 8 ft into a wider one, measured from the property line, seawall or bulkhead, whichever is nearest the water. Longer reach comes from finger piers, which are allowed only in artificial coves, the Hillsboro and C-15 canals, the Intracoastal and Lakes Boca Raton, Wyman and Rogers. Docks are banned in the Boca Raton Inlet.

Source: City of Boca Raton Code of Ordinances Ch. 22 Art. III, Secs. 22-57 to 22-69 (22-58 through Ord. 5566, 2-9-21; 22-63 through Ord. 5598, 10-13-21); Fla. Stat. 403.813(1)(b) (2026); 33 CFR 322.3(a) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

Dock projectionWaterways under 100 ft wide: no more than 6 ft; 100 ft or wider: no more than 8 ft, excluding dock pilings, from the property line, seawall or bulkhead, whichever is nearest the water - City Code 22-58(1)
Width measuredSeawall to seawall; to the property line or mean high water line (whichever is closer to the channel) on an unimproved bank - 22-57
Side setbackAt least 10 ft from the adjacent plot's property line; only one dock where water frontage is 100 ft or less - 22-58(2)-(3)
Finger piersOnly in artificial coves, the Hillsboro and C-15 canals, the Intracoastal Waterway and Lakes Boca Raton, Wyman and Rogers; no wider than 6 ft; no more than 15% of the waterway width and never more than 60 ft; side setback equal to the projection, minimum 10 ft - 22-62(1),(2),(6),(7)
BoatsA moored boat may not block more than one-third of the waterway width; boats over 16 ft must lie parallel to the seawall except at approved finger piers, lifts and slips; no part of a boat beyond the side property line projected into a canal; personal watercraft may sit perpendicular up to 16 ft or 25% of the canal width - 22-59(2)
DolphinsNot in the Inlet, not in canals 80 ft wide or less, not in the center 50% of a canal, and in the Intracoastal only with Army Corps approval; otherwise 25% of the width or 25 ft (up to 60 ft on water over 500 ft wide that includes the Intracoastal); 10 ft from the extended property line; 6-10 ft above mean high tide; no concrete dolphins - 22-61
Boat liftsFully raised, 25% of the width or 20 ft, whichever is less, with only wood pilings beyond 20% of the width; 10 ft side setback - 22-63
InletDocks prohibited in the Boca Raton Inlet except a passenger-loading dock approved by the Army Corps and the City Council - 22-58(6)(d)
Hillsboro and C-15 canalsA valid South Florida Water Management District permit for the identical structure satisfies the city's projection limits; finger piers still need a 10 ft side setback - 22-69
PermitNo city permit until the Army Corps, state DEP, South Florida Water Management District and Lake Worth Drainage District approvals are in hand; engineer-designed plans - 22-58(8), 22-64
VariancesPlanning and Zoning Board, after review by the Marine Advisory Board - 22-68
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)

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Palm Beach CountySeawall requirements county-wide

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