WallDockDeck
Dania Beach · Broward County

How high does a seawall have to be in Dania Beach?

5.0ft NAVD88

New, substantially repaired or substantially rehabilitated seawalls in Dania Beach must reach at least 5.0 ft NAVD88. Permit applications filed before 1 Jan 2035 can be approved at 4.0 ft NAVD88 if the wall is designed to be raised to 5.0 ft by 2050. The city code sets no maximum seawall height.

Source: Dania Beach Code of Ordinances Ch. 12, Art. XVII, Sec. 12-87 (Ord. No. 2021-027); LDC Sec. 240-30; Secs. 12-85 and 12-88; LDC Secs. 235-30, 240-20 · Verified 2026-10

The detail

Minimum5.0 ft NAVD88 - Code Sec. 12-87(a)
InterimApplications submitted before 1 Jan 2035 may be permitted at 4.0 ft NAVD88 if designed and constructed to accommodate 5.0 ft NAVD88 by 1 Jan 2050 - Sec. 12-87(a)
LDC cross-referencesame standard restated in LDC Sec. 240-30
Applies tonew tidal flood barriers and substantial repair/rehab; not oceanfront seaward of the CCCL - Sec. 12-85
Maintenancewalls must be kept in good repair; repairs due within 365 days of citation - Sec. 12-87(b)-(c)
Whole shorelinesubstantial repair/rehab must cover the property's entire shoreline - Sec. 12-87(f)
AdoptedOrd. No. 2021-027, 26 Oct 2021 - Sec. 12-84 to 12-88
Dock work countsThe article also applies when fixed infrastructure such as a dock, davit or lift is attached to the barrier - Sec. 12-85
Riprap on every barrierAll tidal flood barriers, not only walls on new shorelines, must carry natural limerock riprap or approved habitat enhancement at the waterward face - Sec. 12-87(g)
Fences at the waterWithin 10 ft of the waterway, measured from the outer face of the seawall, no hedge, wall or opaque fence may stand more than 5 ft above the seawall; a see-through fence may go to 6 ft - LDC Sec. 235-30(B)
Dock deckNo higher than 3 ft above mean high tide, unless the yard is higher, in which case it may match the average ground level abutting the seawall - LDC Sec. 240-20(D)
SellingSale contracts for property in a tidally influenced area signed after 31 Dec 2020 must include a tidal flood barrier disclosure in at least 14-point capitalized bold type - Sec. 12-88

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 Broward County, and where each city departs from it.

Broward 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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