WallDockDeck
Miami Beach · Miami-Dade County

How high does a seawall have to be in Miami Beach?

5.7ft NAVD88

Required for a new seawall, or an existing one undergoing substantial improvement. A wall being repaired below that threshold may be built to 4.0 ft NAVD88, but only if it is designed and constructed to accommodate a future 5.7 ft.

Source: City of Miami Beach Code Sec. 54-62(a); Ordinance 2025-4754, adopted 23 July 2025; City of Miami Beach maintenance and enforcement provisions · Verified 2026-10

The detail

Interim elevation4.0 ft NAVD88, allowed only for repairs that are less than substantial, and only if the wall is built to accommodate a future 5.7 ft.
What counts as substantialRepairs costing $500 or more per linear foot. Sec. 54-61, as amended by Ordinance 2025-4754 in July 2025.
DatumNAVD88 — the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. A figure quoted in MLW is not the same number.
Current ordinance2025-4754, adopted 23 July 2025, amending Chapter 54, Article III.
The maintenance clock60 days to show progress, 6 months to file permit applications with both the city and the county, 730 days to complete.
The fines$250 for a first offence, then $500 per day.
Two permits, not oneCity applications and Miami-Dade RER-DERM both have to be filed.

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.

Available for the cities whose rule we have verified and sourced.

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The county rule behind this

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

The same question, nearby

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

Other questions about Miami Beach

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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