Minimum5 ft NAVD88 for a new or modified tidal flood barrier. ULDR 47-19.13.D(1).
MaximumThe base flood elevation on the FEMA FIRM, or 6 ft NAVD88, whichever is lower. In an X zone the cap is the natural ground elevation. Where the maximum would conflict with the 5 ft minimum, the minimum governs. ULDR 47-19.13.D(12).
The 2035 routeAn application before 1 January 2035 may be permitted at 4 ft NAVD88, provided the barrier is designed to accommodate 5 ft NAVD88 by 1 January 2050. ULDR 47-19.13.D(1).
The waiver most people never hear aboutIf the principal structure has a habitable finished floor below 4.0 ft NAVD88, the city engineer may waive the minimum. It runs three years at most, it becomes void the moment the property changes hands, and the city can rescind it on fifteen days' notice if the wall is overtopped or fails to perform. The request fee is $186.
The 3.9 figure is deadBefore 23 March 2023 the minimum was 3.9 ft NAVD88 for properties with a base flood elevation of 4.0 ft, with a 5.0 ft maximum. Ordinance C-23-05 deleted it. Many existing walls were built to it, so an older wall that met code when it went in can now sit below the current minimum.
What counts as substantialEither test triggers it - work along more than 50% of the shoreline length, or work exceeding 50% of the fair market replacement cost of the existing structure. Note it is replacement cost of the structure, not property value. ULDR 47-19.13.C(12).
The trap in that definitionDocks, finger piers, piles and ancillary footers are excluded from the calculation - but a concrete dock poured monolithically with the seawall cap is counted in.
The whole shorelineA barrier undergoing substantial repair must be built along the property's entire shoreline. ULDR 47-19.13.D(7). To the extent practicable it must also adjoin the neighbours' barriers to close gaps. D(6).
The clock, and it is a citable offence60 days to show progress after a citation, 365 days to complete. Letting tidal water trespass onto a neighbour or the right-of-way is declared a public nuisance. A wall built to the standard that is simply overtopped is not. ULDR 47-19.13.D(2) and (3).
What it costs to ignoreUp to $500 per violation, and each day a violation continues is a separate offence. Code of Ordinances Sec. 1-6(c). The city may also repair a seawall itself and place a lien for the cost. Sec. 2-155(2).
Riprap on new wallsA vertical seawall built in marine waters where none existed before must carry natural limerock riprap, or approved habitat enhancement, at the waterward face. ULDR 47-19.13.D(8). Riprap on its own does not count as a barrier. C(13).
CapsA cap added to an existing wall must be at least as wide as the existing cap. D(5).
Your dock follows the wallOn a new or reconstructed barrier a dock may sit up to 12 inches above the maximum elevation allowed. On an existing structure, up to 12 inches above that structure's top. ULDR 47-19.3(f).
Disclosure when you sellContracts executed after 23 March 2023 for property in a tidally influenced area must carry a tidal flood barrier disclosure in capitalised bold-faced type of at least 14 point. ULDR 47-19.13.E.
Where it does not applyOceanfront beaches and shorelines seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line. ULDR 47-19.13.B.
PermitsDevelopment Services, through the LauderBuild portal. Signed and sealed plans for the seawall and piles by a Florida licensed engineer or architect, a special inspector form for pile installation, and dredge approval from Broward County and/or FDEP. The single-family engineering permit fee is $244, adjusted annually for CPI without a hearing. Code Sec. 9-54.