WallDockDeck
North Palm Beach · Palm Beach County

How big a dock can I build in North Palm Beach?

5 ft dock; piers 15-50 ft by waterwayfrom the rear property line

North Palm Beach separates docks, which run along the shore and may reach only 5 ft from the rear property line, from piers, which run out from it. Pier length depends on the water: 15 ft into lagoons, 20 ft into the North Palm Beach Waterway, 25 ft into West Lake, 40 ft into North Lake and Prosperity Harbor, and 50 ft into Lake Worth. No structure may take more than 25% of the width of the water on the inland waters.

Source: Village of North Palm Beach Code Ch. 5, Secs. 5-16 (Ord. 2018-04) and 5-81 to 5-85 (through Ord. 2019-07, 7-25-19); Fla. Stat. 403.813(1)(b) (2026); 33 CFR 322.3(a) · Verified 2026-10

The detail

DocksDocks may extend no more than 5 ft waterward from the rear property line; floating docks in the North Palm Beach Waterway may extend 10 ft, but boats may moor to them only to load or unload - Village Code 5-84(5)
Piers on inland watersUp to 15 ft into lagoons, 20 ft into the North Palm Beach Waterway, 25 ft into West Lake, 40 ft into North Lake and into Prosperity Harbor for Teal Way lots, and no more than 25% of the width of the Earman River; Earman River piers with L or T heads lose 12 ft of allowed length - 5-84(7)-(8)
Pier width and setbackPiers no wider than 6 ft and no closer to the extended side line than half their extension - 5-84(6)
Overall capNo structure may extend more than 25% of the width of the water - 5-84(14)
Dolphins and mooring posts20 ft in lagoons, 30 ft in the North Palm Beach Waterway, 25% of the width in the Earman River, 50 ft in West Lake, North Lake and along Teal Way - 5-84(9)-(12)
Dock side setbacks5 ft from the extended side line on lots with 50 ft or less of water frontage, 10 ft on wider lots; zero at a dead-end lagoon in R-1 when neighbours build matching docks together or record a deed restriction - 5-84(2)-(4)
Lake Worth and AtlanticPiers no more than 50 ft waterward of the rear property line, 6 to 10 ft wide, with L or T heads of 50 ft and finger piers up to 22 ft long; at least 20 ft from the projected side lines and 40 ft from any other pier; mooring buoys no more than 150 ft out, one boat only - 5-85
Deck heightMain deck at least 2.5 ft NAVD88 and no higher than the adjacent bulkhead or seawall cap - 5-83(b)
BoatsOutside lagoon ends, no moored vessel may extend more than 30% of the waterway width from the bulkhead or past the extended side lines - 5-16
PermitBuilding permits for docks, piers and lifts with plans sealed by a Florida engineer; the other agency's permit must come first - 5-82, 5-84(1), 5-85(1)
Private docksOnly in R-1 and R-2 districts and may not be rented - 5-81
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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