WallDockDeck
Hollywood · Broward County

How high does a seawall have to be in Hollywood?

5.0ft NAVD88 (4.0 if applied for before 2035)

Hollywood's minimum is 5 ft NAVD88. An application filed before 1 January 2035 may be permitted at 4 ft NAVD88, but only if the barrier is designed and built to reach 5 ft NAVD88 by 1 January 2050. The rule is in the city's own code, Sec. 150.30, adopted by Ordinance O-2022-01 on 2 February 2022, and follows Broward County Code Sec. 39-407.

Source: City of Hollywood Code of Ordinances Secs. 150.23 and 150.30, Resiliency Standards for Tidal Flood Barriers (Ord. O-2022-01, passed 2-2-22; American Legal Publishing); Broward County Code Ch. 39, Art. XXV, Sec. 39-407 (Ord. No. 2020-11) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

Minimum5 ft NAVD88 for new, substantially repaired or substantially rehabilitated tidal flood barriers. Hollywood Code Sec. 150.30(D)(1).
The 2035 allowanceApplications submitted before 1 January 2035 may be permitted at 4 ft NAVD88 if designed and constructed to accommodate 5 ft NAVD88 by 1 January 2050. The code says may, so it is not an entitlement. Sec. 150.30(D)(1).
What counts as substantialOne complete project that modifies more than 50% of the property's shoreline, or work on an attached structure such as a dock costing more than 50% of a new tidal flood barrier along the shoreline, as determined by the City Engineer. Sec. 150.30(C).
The whole shoreline, with returnsA substantially repaired barrier must run along the property's entire tidally influenced shoreline. Where it cannot adjoin the neighbours' barriers, return structures are required to stop flanking. Sec. 150.30(D)(5)-(6).
Riprap by the yardAt least one cubic yard per linear foot of natural limerock riprap, or other approved habitat enhancement, at the waterward face. Sec. 150.30(D)(7).
Living shorelines countProvided the landside edge is substantially impermeable and built to the minimum elevation. Sec. 150.30(C), (D)(8).
The repair clockAfter a citation, 60 days to show progress and 365 days to complete. Sec. 150.30(D)(2)-(3).
A review date in the codeThe city must re-evaluate the 5 ft standard in 2034 or before, against updated sea level projections. Sec. 150.30(A)(3).
Disclosure when you sellSale contracts for property in a tidally influenced area must carry the tidal flood barrier disclosure in capitalised bold type of at least 14 point. Sec. 150.30(E).
No permit without itNo building permit to build, rebuild, structurally alter or repair a waterfront retaining wall unless the subchapter is met. Sec. 150.23.
Where it does not applyOceanfront beaches and shorelines seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line. Sec. 150.30(B).

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.

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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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