WallDockDeck
Boca Raton · Palm Beach County

How high does a seawall have to be in Boca Raton?

4.0 – 6.0ft NAVD88

Boca Raton sets a band, not a single number. The city's Engineering Design Standards Manual requires any new or replaced seawall or dock to reach 4.0 ft NAVD88 and not exceed 6.0 ft NAVD88. The Code of Ordinances also carries its own bulkhead minimum, plus 5.00 feet with no datum stated (Sec. 22-31(5)), so ask the city in writing which figure and datum it will apply to your permit.

Source: City of Boca Raton Engineering Design Standards Manual § 7.7 and 7.7.1, Minimum Criteria for Waterway Features (updated January 2025); Code of Ordinances Ch. 22, Marine Structures, Sec. 22-31 (Supp. 72 Upd. 1) · Verified 2026-09

The detail

Minimum4.0 ft NAVD88, for any new or replaced seawall or dock, publicly or privately owned.
Maximum6.0 ft NAVD88.
Build for moreStandard 3 requires the wall to be designed and constructed so a further 12 to 18 inches can be added later and the wall stays structurally sound without altering it.
Match the neighboursThe wall must be designed and built to harmonize with the adjacent grades and seawalls. EDSM 7.7, Standard 2.
Two figures, two documentsThe manual states 4.0 to 6.0 ft NAVD88. Code Sec. 22-31(5) separately says no bulkhead may be built lower than plus 5.00 feet and names no datum. Get the city's answer on which governs, in writing.
Not past the property lineSeawalls and bulkheads may not be built beyond the property line; the wet face sits on the property line under Code Sec. 26-146. EDSM 7.7.1(4).
Where it is writtenEngineering Design Standards Manual section 7.7, Minimum Criteria for Waterway Features, updated January 2025; Code of Ordinances Ch. 22, Art. II, Sec. 22-31.
InspectionsA zoning location survey must be approved before the cap goes on, and a final engineer report with the cap elevation and photographs is required after construction.

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 Palm Beach County, and where each city departs from it.

Palm Beach 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.

A screening sheet for owners, not an engineering inspection.

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