WallDockDeck
Golden Beach · Miami-Dade County

How big a dock can I build in Golden Beach?

6 ft past the lot lineinside waterways (100 ft or less); 10 ft on wider waterways

Golden Beach limits a dock to 6 ft past the lot's property line on an inside waterway (100 ft wide or less) and 10 ft on an outside waterway. Everything on the water, including a raised boat, must also fit inside a 45-degree triangle drawn from points 5 ft in from each side line, never more than 25 ft out. New docks are built between 3.425 and 4.425 ft NAVD88, and no dock is allowed on a vacant lot.

Source: Town of Golden Beach Code Ch. 46, Secs. 46-55, 46-77, 46-84, 46-85 (through Ord. 600.22, 6-14-22), 46-87 (through Ord. 553.11); 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

ProjectionNo dock may extend more than 6 ft outside the lot property line into an inside waterway (width 100 ft or less) or more than 10 ft into an outside waterway (wider than 100 ft) - Town Code 46-84
TriangleNo dock, lift, hydrohoist, mooring or dolphin pile, davit or raised boat may protrude into the waterway unless it sits inside a triangle whose base is the waterfront line set 5 ft in from each side property line, with sides at 45 degrees, never more than 25 ft into the waterway; elevated boats and docks may never enter the side setback - 46-87(b)
Side setbackNo part of a dock or other structure within 10 ft of the projected side lines - 46-87(a)
HeightNew and replacement docks at least 3.425 ft and no more than 4.425 ft NAVD88 (seawalls are built at 4.425 ft); finish material no thicker than 3 inches; no covers. Beside a legal nonconforming seawall, a dock may sit up to 1 ft below its cap - 46-85
Raised boatsThe keel of a lifted vessel no higher than the seawall cap and never more than 4 ft above mean sea level - 46-87(c)
Moored boats and floating docksNo more than 25 ft into the waterway from the seawall face and at least 10 ft from the projected side lines - 46-55
Vacant lotsNo dock, lift, piles or moored boat on a vacant lot; permits issue only after a house permit, with the final inspection at the house's final - 46-87(d)
Nonconforming docksSpending more than 50% of a dock's value on repair triggers full compliance; a dock may stay after the house is demolished only with a rebuild within two years and a bond of 120% of dock-demolition cost - 46-87(e)
PermitA Town building permit plus other applicable jurisdictions - 46-77
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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The county rule behind this

What applies across Miami-Dade County, and where each city departs from it.

Miami-Dade CountySeawall requirements county-wide

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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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