WallDockDeck
Cutler Bay · Miami-Dade County

How big a dock can I build in Cutler Bay?

6 ft on canals; 20 ft on lakeswaterward of the lot line

Cutler Bay puts all of its waters in a Water Use (WU) zoning district. A dock there may reach no more than 6 ft waterward of the lot line on a canal or 20 ft on a lake, one per lot, at least 4 ft wide, and set back 10 ft from side lines and 20 ft from neighbouring docks. Every dock needs site plan approval and must look like those on adjoining lots.

Source: Town of Cutler Bay Code Ch. 3 (Land Development Regulations) Sec. 3-64 (through Ord. 20-06, 7-15-2020); Miami-Dade County Code Secs. 24-48.1(1)(a), 24-48.3(1)(j),(3); Fla. Stat. 403.813(1)(b) (2026); 33 CFR 322.3(a) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

ProjectionRamps, docks and piers may extend no more than 20 ft waterward of the lot line on lakes and no more than 6 ft on canals - Town Code 3-64(2)
Number and widthOne per lot, minimum 4 ft wide - 3-64(2)
SetbacksAt least 10 ft from side property lines and 20 ft from adjoining docks - 3-64(2)
DesignDocks must be similar in design, height and appearance to those on adjoining lots - 3-64(2)
ApprovalDocks and piers incidental to residential use are permitted in the WU water use district, and site plan approval is required for all uses - 3-64(1)b
ShorelinesNatural and nature-based features are required where shoreline stabilization is needed unless the director approves another method - 3-64(2)
What the district coversAll designated waters - basins, canals, lakes, waterways and public or privately owned submerged lands - are in the WU district, adopted to protect the water areas the town's economy depends on - 3-64
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)

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