WallDockDeck
Key Biscayne · Miami-Dade County

What are the deck setback and railing rules in Key Biscayne?

0 ftrear setback for decks on waterfront lots

Key Biscayne's single-family code sets decks 5 ft from any lot line but allows a zero rear setback on waterfront properties. The 25 ft strip along any body of water is the Waterfront Zone, where fill can rise no more than 6 inches above the bulkhead.

Source: Village of Key Biscayne Code Sec. 30-100 (Supp. 51 Update 1); Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Ed. (2023) R312.1.1-R312.1.3 (ICC Digital Codes) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

DecksDecks shall provide a minimum 5-ft setback to any lot line; zero feet rear yard setback for waterfront properties. Code Sec. 30-100 (Single Family and Two-Family districts).
Deck heightDecks may not exceed the height allowed for the Maximum Lot Elevation; outside the required yard they may not exceed finished floor elevation. Sec. 30-100.
Waterfront ZoneThe entire area within 25 ft of any body of water; when a lot is filled, this zone may not be filled more than 6 inches above the bulkhead. Sec. 30-100.
PoolsWaterfront lots may provide a zero setback, measured from the water's edge; the pool wall/fence requirement does not apply to the rear line adjacent to the water. Sec. 30-100.
View corridor and pervious areaNo structure inside a 25 ft isosceles triangle at the intersection of the rear and side lot lines; single-family minimum pervious area 30% of the lot. Sec. 30-100.
Docks and pilesMooring piles max 13 ft above NGVD; canal docks project at most 10 ft or 10% of the waterway width; a boat on a lift may sit no more than 6 inches above the mean high water mark; fender piles within 18 inches of the bulkhead where a dock will not fit. Sec. 30-100.
UnderstoryNon-air-conditioned understory areas must be pervious or semi-pervious, such as wood deck, gravel or pavers set in sand. Sec. 30-100.
Where it livesChapter 30 Zoning, Sec. 30-100 'Single Family and Two-Family districts', which also carries the Village Waterfront Property Map dock categories (canal, Hurricane Harbor and Smuggler's Cove, bayfront).
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 Miami-Dade County, and where each city departs from it.

Miami-Dade CountySeawall requirements county-wide

The same question, nearby

The rule changes at the city line, not the county line.

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