WallDockDeck
Manalapan · Palm Beach County

How big a dock can I build in Manalapan?

80 ft max in R1-Aand only as long as needed to reach 3 ft of water at low tide

Manalapan sets dock length district by district. In the R1-A district a dock is allowed only on the west side of Highway A1A, must be just long enough to reach 3 ft of water at mean low water (proven by three bathymetric surveys), and may never exceed 80 ft. The cap is 150 ft in R1-B, 35 ft in R1-C and 45 ft in R1-E, and docks are not allowed at all in R2-A or C2. State DEP and Army Corps permits come before the Town permit.

Source: Town of Manalapan Code Ch. 151 (Zoning) Secs. 151.063 (through Ord. 378, 7-23-21), 151.103, 151.143, 151.223, 151.303, 151.463; Fla. Stat. 403.813(1)(b) (2026); 33 CFR 322.3(a) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

R1-A lengthOnly on the west side of A1A; the minimum length needed, shown by three bathymetric surveys, to reach a terminus in 3 ft of water at mean low water, and never more than 80 ft from the lot or seawall - Town Code 151.063(B), (B)(1)
Other districtsMaximum dock length 150 ft in R1-B (151.103), 35 ft in R1-C (151.143) and 45 ft in R1-E (151.223); docks are not permitted in R2-A (151.303) or C2 (151.463)
R1-A width and heightDock surface 4 to 6 ft wide; no higher than the abutting seawall or 5.5 ft above mean sea level, whichever is higher - 151.063(B)(2),(8)
R1-A placementCentered (within 10 ft) and parallel to the side lot lines; at least 25 ft from other docks and from the side lot lines extended (50 ft on lots 300 ft or wider); no T or L terminus - 151.063(B)(12),(16),(17)
DolphinsNo more than four, all within 35 ft of the dock - 151.063(B)(3)
BoatsNo boat longer than 75% of the lot's bulkhead length; at least 25 ft from the side lot lines extended; a lifted hull no more than 12 inches above high tide; houseboats prohibited - 151.063(C)
Floating docks4 to 6 ft wide and no more than 14 ft long, with corner lights, counted with any fixed dock toward the length limit - 151.063(B)(9)
LightingA light at the terminus, white or yellow, no more than 480 lumens and 60 inches above the deck, one per 10 ft of dock - 151.063(B)(14)-(15)
PermitsDEP and Army Corps permits are required before the Town permit; one dock per lot; a dock on a vacant lot may stay only two years before the house is finished - 151.063(B), (B)(11)
BoathousesNot permitted - 151.063(A)
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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