WallDockDeck
Boca Raton · Palm Beach County

Do I need a permit to repair a seawall in Boca Raton?

Yespermit + staged inspections

Yes. Boca Raton requires a city permit to install or replace a seawall, and no bulkhead or retaining wall may be built in city waters until Development Services approves the plans. Before the cap is poured, a zoning location survey of the wall face, property line and piles must be inspected, and a final engineer's report with the cap elevation closes the job.

Source: City of Boca Raton Code Secs. 19-66, 22-31, 22-35 (Supp. 72 Upd. 1); Seawalls and Marine Structures page; s. 403.813(1)(e), 161.053, 553.79 F.S. (2026); r. 62-330.051, 18-21.005 F.A.C.; 33 CFR 322.3(a); PBC ERM Permitting and Regulation page · Verified 2026-10

The detail

CityPermits are required, beyond the Florida Building Code, to 'install or replace' docking facilities, groins, seawalls, jetties and piling - Code Sec. 19-66(4); no bulkhead or retaining wall in city waters or abutting land unless plans are approved by the Development Services Department for a permit - Sec. 22-31(4)
PlansSurvey with the existing wet face or bulkhead line, property line and piles; section with the finished top-of-cap elevation (city Seawalls and Marine Structures page)
InspectionsZoning location survey inspected before the cap is installed and approved before structural cap and piling inspections; final engineer report with cap elevation, compliance with permit drawings and photos (same page)
UpkeepLetting a canal seawall deteriorate to an injurious or dangerous condition is unlawful; after a special magistrate order the city may abate and charge the owner - Sec. 22-35
State (FDEP)Restoring a seawall in place or up to 18 in. waterward can be exempt from an Environmental Resource Permit where it was damaged within the last year by a discrete event or needs only minimal backfilling, and any chapter 161 permits are obtained (s. 403.813(1)(e) F.S.; r. 62-330.051(12)(b) F.A.C.); batter piles, king piles or a cap used only to stabilize and repair a wall are also exempt (r. 62-330.051(12)(d))
State-owned bottomExempt work on sovereign submerged land still needs separate authorization under chs. 253 and 258 F.S., which the Board of Trustees grants by rule for many exempt activities (r. 62-330.051 intro; r. 18-21.005(1)(b) F.A.C.)
CountyPalm Beach County ERM's Permitting and Regulation page lists no seawall or shoreline permit program among its topics (PBC ERM Permitting and Regulation page)
Ocean sideSeaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line a wall needs a separate state coastal construction permit; the chapter 161 repair exemption expressly excludes seawalls (s. 161.053(2)(a), (11)(a) F.S.)
Small-job exemptionThe state's under-$7,500 single-family permit exemption does not cover structural work or property in a flood hazard area (s. 553.79(1)(g)2. F.S.)
FederalA U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Department of the Army) authorization is required for structures or work in or affecting navigable waters, unless exempt or covered by a nationwide or regional general permit - 33 CFR 322.3(a) (Rivers and Harbors Act s. 10)

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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