Canals, lakes and waterwaysNo dock, wharf or similar structure more than 5 ft outward from the bank or seawall, whichever is more restrictive, except specific properties and the Mahi Canal listed in Appendix A - Zoning Code 3-702(A)
Mooring pilesNo more than 25 ft from the bank - 3-702(B)
Open waterDocks and piles on both banks must leave a clear navigable width of 75 ft south of US-1 (excluding Block 92, Riviera Section 2), 45 ft north of US-1 (including Block 92), and 30 ft in the Mahi Canal - 3-702(C)
Side setbackThe same side setback as the main structure, extended into the water, unless Miami-Dade DERM and the Board of Architects allow otherwise - 3-702(D)
Narrow waterwaysWhere docks will not fit, fender piles may sit no more than 18 inches from the bank and must be Venetian type, painted and ornamentally capped - 3-702(F)
No coversNo dock may be covered above grade or built multi-level, including platforms or balconies - 3-702(G)
Biscayne BayNo dock more than 25 ft from the property line into the bay; piles and dolphins no more than 20 ft beyond the dock line; all at least 25 ft from the neighbour's lot line extended; nothing set until a Department of the Army permit is granted - Zoning Code 3-703; City Code 109-64 to 109-66
BoatsIn single-family districts boats must be moored parallel to the waterfront property line - 3-704
Lifts and davitsAdministrative site plan approval and certified engineering drawings; side setback as for the main structure; up to three davits or lifts per single-family home or duplex (four with 200 ft or more of waterfront); lifts no more than 25 ft from the bank, leaving 75 ft of navigable width - 3-705
Permit routeClass 2 permits for docks need City Commission approval after a public hearing, then a Public Works construction permit; the hearing is waived for mooring piles, for docks beside residential lots that meet the zoning code, and for repairs to original dimensions with state permits - City Code 109-42(c),(e),(f)
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)