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Miami Beach · Miami-Dade County

What are the boat lift rules in Miami Beach?

Allowed; 7.5 ft side setbackseaward side yard setback for davits

Miami Beach has no stand-alone boat lift section; its code treats davits and hoists as marine structures. In single-family districts a davit or any marine structure must keep a 7.5-foot seaward side yard setback, and how far it may reach is set by the projection limits in the city's marine-structures chapter - 10% of the canal width, 15% (up to 40 feet) where the waterway is wider than 100 feet.

Source: City of Miami Beach Code of Ordinances Secs. 66-4, 66-113 (Supp. 98); Resiliency Code (Gridics rev. 24 Sep 2026) 7.2.2.3, 7.2.21.5, 7.5.3.2; Miami-Dade Code Secs. 24-48, 24-48.2 (Supp. 136); s. 403.813(1)(s), F.S. (2026); 33 CFR 322.3(a) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

AllowedThe city's definition of marine structure includes docks, seawalls, piles, davits, hoists and similar structures - Code Sec. 66-4
Side setbackSeaward side yard setbacks for boat slips, decks, wharves, dolphin poles, mooring piles, davits or structures of any kind may not be less than 7 feet 6 inches, for new and enlarged structures; no boat may be moored so that it projects into that setback, and no mooring is allowed along either side of the walkway from the seawall to a dock - Resiliency Code 7.2.2.3 (RS districts), item 12; 7.5.3.2 for other districts
ProjectionStructures of any kind may not extend more than 10% of the canal or waterway width from the seawall; where the waterway is wider than 100 feet, 15% up to 40 feet. Residential lots on Biscayne Bay or waterways over 1,000 feet wide may go to 125 feet with state and county approval. A moored boat may not project beyond these limits - Code Sec. 66-113(a)
Over 40 feetA marine structure or equipment, attached to a dock or not, that projects more than 40 feet or beyond Sec. 66-113 needs state and county review; next to the WD-1 or WD-2 district it also needs planning board conditional use approval - Resiliency Code 7.2.2.3 item 12; 7.2.21.5; Code Sec. 66-113(a)
County sets the reachThe maximum projection of a marine structure is determined by the county environmental resources department - Resiliency Code 7.2.2.3 item 12
PermitPermits come from the building department, the state internal improvement fund or any other agency with jurisdiction, and Army Corps approval where the structure abuts navigable streams - Code Sec. 66-113(b)
Not in the codeNo lift height, raised-boat height, canopy rule or per-lot count appears in the city code or Resiliency Code text reviewed
Miami-Dade CountyAny work in, on or over tidal waters needs a county permit from the Department (DERM). A single-family boat lift, davit or floating dock that protrudes no more than 25% of the waterway width may use the short-form application, as may installing a boat lift or davit on a dock, seawall or bulkhead - Miami-Dade Code Secs. 24-48(1)(d), 24-48.2(I)(A)(2), (8), (20).
State and federalFloating boat lifts and floating vessel platforms that meet s. 403.813(1)(s), F.S. (they float at all times, hold the vessel out of the water, and either sit inside a previously permitted slip or total no more than 500 sq ft - 200 sq ft in Outstanding Florida Waters - beside a qualifying dock or bulkhead) need no state permit; a local government may then ask only for a one-time registration unless the platform is attached to a bulkhead with no dock. Structures in navigable waters otherwise need Army Corps authorization unless exempt or under a general permit - 33 CFR 322.3(a).

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The county rule behind this

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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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