WallDockDeck
Fort Lauderdale · Broward County

What are the deck setback and railing rules in Fort Lauderdale?

10 ftfrom the waterway for shade structures, screen enclosures and tall planters; decks per height

Fort Lauderdale measures every waterway yard from the wet face of the seawall. A deck at or below the ground-floor level needs no setback at all, a raised deck must stay 5 ft from property lines and no more than 2.5 ft above the finished floor, and gazebos, tiki huts, trellises and pool screen enclosures must stay 10 ft back from the water.

Source: City of Fort Lauderdale ULDR Sec. 47-19.2 (G, P, BB) and Sec. 47-2.2.S (ULDR Supp. 58 Update 2); Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Ed. (2023) R312.1.1-R312.1.3 (ICC Digital Codes) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

Where the yard is measuredA yard along a waterway is measured from the face of the seawall in contact with the water (the wet face), or from the edge of the waterway where there is no seawall. ULDR Sec. 47-2.2.S.
At-grade decksAllowed in front, rear and side yards with no required setback, but not higher than the finished floor elevation of the ground floor. ULDR Sec. 47-19.2.G.1.
Above-grade decksAllowed in required yards no closer than 5 ft to any property line and no more than 2.5 ft above the ground-floor finished floor elevation; a visible vertical edge must be finished to match the deck. Sec. 47-19.2.G.2.
Gazebos, tiki huts, trellisesIn the rear yard, 10 ft from the waterway; open on all sides, max 12 ft tall, max 200 sq ft in the yard, one per plot. Sec. 47-19.2.P.
Pools and screen enclosuresSingle-family pools 5 ft from any property line and not above the ground-floor finished floor; setback measured from the outer edge of coping. Screen enclosures 10 ft from a property line abutting a waterway, max 12 ft tall in the rear yard, and no more than 5% of required pervious area may sit inside them. Sec. 47-19.2.BB.
PlantersOn a waterway, planters taller than 2.5 ft above grade stay 10 ft from the waterway. Sec. 47-19.2.
Sheds and tanksUtility sheds on a waterway lot must meet the district yard for that side (otherwise 5 ft from lines), max 10 ft tall, 12 ft per side and 100 sq ft, one per development site; satellite dishes stay 10 ft from the property line abutting the waterway. Sec. 47-19.2 (EE, satellite dish antennas).
Where it livesUnified Land Development Regulations Sec. 47-19.2 'Accessory buildings, structures and equipment, general' and Sec. 47-2.2 'Measurements'.
Guards (state rule)Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023), Sec. R312.1.1-R312.1.3: a guard is required on open sides of a walking surface located more than 30 inches above the floor or grade below at any point within 24 inches of the open edge; it must be at least 36 inches high; openings must not let a 4-inch sphere pass. No local guard amendment was found in this city's code.

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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

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