Wants to add or upgrade. Start with the rule for your own city, then the checklist.
The rule where you are, with the code section and the date we checked it.
Fort Lauderdale caps a dock at 25% of the waterway's width or 25 ft from the property line, whichever is less. Mooring piles may reach 30% or 25 ft, a
Fort Lauderdale · BrowardFort Lauderdale lets you put davits, hoists and boat lifts on a seawall or dock, but counts them: one mooring device for each 100 feet of lot width, p
Miami Beach · Miami-DadeIn Miami Beach no dock, pile or other structure may reach more than 10% of a canal's width from the seawall. On waterways wider than 100 ft the limit
Miami Beach · Miami-DadeMiami 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 ma
Boca Raton · Palm BeachA Boca Raton dock may project only 6 ft into a canal or waterway narrower than 100 ft, or 8 ft into a wider one, measured from the property line, seaw
Boca Raton · Palm BeachBoca Raton has its own boat lift section. A lift is allowed in any waterway except the Boca Raton Inlet, may reach 25% of the canal width or 20 feet -
Pompano Beach · BrowardOn a waterway wider than 50 ft, a Pompano Beach dock may reach 10% of the width or 8 ft, whichever is less; on a waterway 50 ft wide or narrower the l
Pompano Beach · BrowardPompano Beach treats davits, hoists, vessel lifts and jet ski platforms as mooring structures, which need both a City Engineer engineering permit and
Key West · MonroeKey West's land development regulations set no length, width or side setback for a private dock. What they do require is depth: a dock, pier or wharf
Key West · MonroeKey West's code does not regulate boat lifts by name. It treats boat davits as a structure that needs a building permit - the fee schedule prices dock
Delray Beach · Palm BeachDelray Beach rewrote its dock rules in January 2026. A dock may now extend no more than 8 ft from the seawall, wet face or property line, and must sta
Delray Beach · Palm BeachDelray Beach rewrote its mooring rules in January 2026. A single-family lot may have one boat lift, it needs a City permit after the agency with autho
Jupiter · Palm BeachOn Jupiter's natural waterways, a dock, mooring space or pile may reach no more than 50 ft from the mean high water line or 20% of the waterway's widt
Jupiter · Palm BeachIn Jupiter's single-family and duplex districts each dock may carry one boat lift and one personal watercraft lift. The jet ski lift is limited to 3,0
Coral Gables · Miami-DadeCoral Gables keeps canal docks tight: no dock or wharf may reach more than 5 ft out from the bank or seawall, and open water of 75 ft must stay clear
Coral Gables · Miami-DadeCoral Gables permits davits, watercraft lifts and floating watercraft lifts as residential accessories after an administrative site plan approval and
Key Biscayne · Miami-DadeKey Biscayne sets dock reach by location. A canal dock may project 10 ft or 10% of the waterway width, whichever is less; in Hurricane Harbor and Smug
Key Biscayne · Miami-DadeKey Biscayne caps how high a lifted boat can sit: the bottom of a watercraft on a boatlift may be no more than six inches above the mean high water ma
Deerfield Beach · BrowardOn Deerfield Beach's seawalled canals a dock may reach 10% of the water body's width, and the dock, any mooring structure and the boat together may ne
Deerfield Beach · BrowardDeerfield Beach ties the number of lifts to water frontage: one boat lift on a lot with less than 100 feet, set back 10 feet from the bisecting lines,
Dania Beach · BrowardIn Dania Beach a dock may reach only 5 ft past the property line unless the waterway is wider than 50 ft; then it may reach 10% of the width or 20 ft,
Dania Beach · BrowardDania Beach caps how far a submersible boat-lifting device may extend: 25% of the waterway width and never more than 15 feet, unless the planning and
Hallandale Beach · BrowardHallandale Beach ties dock length to lot width. On a lot more than 40 ft wide at the water a dock may project only 5 ft from the seawall and must stay
Hallandale Beach · BrowardHallandale Beach's zoning code regulates davits rather than lifts by name. On lots wider than 40 feet at the water, davits must stay 10 feet from the
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea · BrowardOn Lauderdale-By-The-Sea's canals (100 ft wide or less) a dock may reach 10% of the waterway's width or 8 ft from the recorded property line, whicheve
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea · BrowardLauderdale-By-The-Sea measures boat lifts in the fully raised position. In waterways 100 feet wide or less a lift may reach 25% of the width; on the I
Miami · Miami-DadeUnder Miami 21, a dock on a canal, river or other waterway may extend 10 ft or 10% of the waterway's width by right, whichever is less. Into Biscayne
Miami · Miami-DadeUnder Miami 21 a boat lift is part of the dock, so it takes the dock's limits: on Biscayne Bay up to 65 feet from mean high water by right, and on oth
Surfside · Miami-DadeSurfside sets dock reach by waterway. On Point Lake and the North and South Canals a dock, pier or mooring structure may project 10% of the waterway w
Surfside · Miami-DadeSurfside's code does not mention boat lifts. Its rules cover 'marine structures' - a dock, pier or mooring structure - which must sit 10 feet from the
Aventura · Miami-DadeAventura leaves dock reach largely discretionary: there is no fixed length for private waterways. The Community Development Department sizes each dock
Sunny Isles Beach · Miami-DadeIn Sunny Isles Beach a pier or dock may protrude no more than 20% of the canal's width or half the length of the rear property line, whichever is less
Sunny Isles Beach · Miami-DadeSunny Isles Beach has no boat lift section. Its dock rules place piers and docks in the middle half of the water frontage with 10 feet on each side, c
Bay Harbor Islands · Miami-DadeIn Bay Harbor Islands a dock may extend no more than 25 ft beyond the outside face of the seawall cap, or 15 ft on the Bay Harbor Waterway between the
Bay Harbor Islands · Miami-DadeBay Harbor Islands has a dedicated boat lift and davit rule. No part of a lift may extend more than 25 feet beyond the outside face of the seawall cap
Bal Harbour · Miami-DadeBal Harbour allows no dock, wharf or other structure to extend more than 8 ft beyond the seawall or rise more than 3.5 ft above mean high tide. Docks
Bal Harbour · Miami-DadeBal Harbour's code does not name boat lifts. Outside the Business district, no dock, wharf or structure of any kind may extend more than 8 feet beyond
West Palm Beach · Palm BeachWest Palm Beach caps a dock at the shortest length the state DEP, the Army Corps or the water management district approves for mooring depth and clear
West Palm Beach · Palm BeachWest Palm Beach requires boat lifts to be designed by a registered professional engineer and installed in the middle one-third of the lot as extended
North Palm Beach · Palm BeachNorth 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. Pi
North Palm Beach · Palm BeachNorth Palm Beach requires a building permit for boat davits and other boat-lifting devices, and only the adjacent upland owner may build one. Floating
Palm Beach · Palm BeachOn Lake Worth, the Town of Palm Beach allows one pier or landing dock per lot, reaching no more than 150 ft from land or the mean high water line and
Palm Beach · Palm BeachOn Lake Worth the Town of Palm Beach allows one pier or landing dock per lot with its appurtenances, set back at least 25 feet from the side property
Palm Beach Gardens · Palm BeachIn Palm Beach Gardens a dock may extend no more than 50 ft from the high-water shoreline or 10% of the waterway's width, whichever is less, and may be
Palm Beach Gardens · Palm BeachPalm Beach Gardens does not regulate boat lifts by name. Its residential dock standards keep docks, mooring pilings, davits, dolphins and other moorin
Boynton Beach · Palm BeachBoynton Beach's land development rules give one size limit for docks: no dock, mooring pile, dolphin or similar structure may reach farther into the w
Boynton Beach · Palm BeachBoynton Beach's land development regulations do not mention boat lifts or davits. Docks and piers need a Development Department permit, docks, mooring
Highland Beach · Palm BeachHighland Beach treats every dock as a special exception heard by the Planning Board. On regulated waterways other than the Intracoastal, a dock may re
Highland Beach · Palm BeachEvery boat lift in Highland Beach needs a special exception, normally decided by the planning board, which must find it protects neighbours and does n
Marathon · MonroeIn Marathon a dock's length must suit the parcel's shoreline and may not exceed 100 ft from the mean low water line or 10% of the water body's width,
Marathon · MonroeMarathon limits the frame of a boat lift beside a dock or seawall to 5 feet above the dock's highest walking surface or the seawall cap, not counting
Islamorada · MonroeIslamorada allows only T-shaped and similar docks perpendicular to the shore, and no dock may exceed 10% of the water body's width, measured mean low
Islamorada · MonroeIslamorada allows lifts and davits as water-dependent structures in the shoreline setback, but an open-sided covered boat lift may only go over a cut-
Wilton Manors · BrowardWilton Manors' mooring-structure section caps mooring pilings at 25% of the waterway's width or 25 ft, and boats at 25% of the width, but it sets no s
Wilton Manors · BrowardWilton Manors counts davits, hoists and boat lifts, including submersible lifts, as mooring devices. They need a building permit from Community Develo
Hillsboro Beach · BrowardHillsboro Beach bans docks and piers along the Atlantic Ocean; they may be built only on the Intracoastal Waterway. The town sets no projection figure
Hillsboro Beach · BrowardHillsboro Beach allows docks, piers and boat davits along the Intracoastal Waterway but none on the Atlantic Ocean side. Docks and piers may not rise
Oakland Park · BrowardOakland Park flatly forbids docks on any waterway narrower than 50 ft. On wider waterways a dock may reach 10% of the width or 15 ft, whichever is les
Oakland Park · BrowardOakland Park lists boat davits, hoists, boat lifts and floating platforms as mooring structures, and davits must meet the zoning side setbacks. Boat l
Sea Ranch Lakes · BrowardSea Ranch Lakes has no boat lift provision. On Intracoastal lots, docks, piers and mooring posts may be built only to plans approved by the Army Corps
North Bay Village · Miami-DadeNorth Bay Village caps docks, piers, piles and boat lifts at 50 ft perpendicular from the seawall or shoreline, not counting rip-rap, with a 7.5 ft se
North Bay Village · Miami-DadeNorth Bay Village limits docks, pilings and boat lifts to 50 feet out from the seawall, with a 7.5-foot setback from each side lot line and a Village
Golden Beach · Miami-DadeGolden Beach limits a dock to 6 ft past the lot's property line on an inside waterway (100 ft wide or less) and 10 ft on an outside waterway. Everythi
Golden Beach · Miami-DadeGolden Beach caps a lifted boat at the seawall: the keel of a raised vessel may be no higher than the seawall cap and never more than 4 feet above mea
Palmetto Bay · Miami-DadePalmetto Bay's zoning code sets no dock length, width or setback figures. Docks, davits and boat lifts are exempt from site plan review and are handle
Palmetto Bay · Miami-DadePalmetto Bay's code mentions boat lifts only in its approvals list: docks, davits and boat-lifts are exempt from site plan review and handled administ
Cutler Bay · Miami-DadeCutler Bay puts all of its waters in a Water Use (WU) zoning district. A dock there may reach no more than 6 ft waterward of the lot line on a canal o
Cutler Bay · Miami-DadeCutler Bay's land development rules say boat lifts and davits may be placed within the required setback, as long as nothing goes into a recorded easem
Miami Shores · Miami-DadeMiami Shores' zoning ordinance sets no dock length, width or setback numbers. Instead, docks, davits and boat lifts are on the list of items that need
Miami Shores · Miami-DadeMiami Shores sends every dock, davit and boat lift to the planning and zoning board for site plan review and approval, in residential and apartment di
Ocean Ridge · Palm BeachOcean Ridge allows a dock to project no more than 5 ft into the waterway or past the established bulkhead line, measured to the edge of the walking su
Ocean Ridge · Palm BeachOcean Ridge lets davits and boat lifts attach to the seawall, bulkhead cap, dolphin piling or dock. Their base must meet the 10-foot side setbacks and
Gulf Stream · Palm BeachGulf Stream allows one wooden dock per single-family lot, no wider than 5 ft, parallel to the seawall, and only after site plan review. Everything - d
Gulf Stream · Palm BeachGulf Stream allows one dock and/or boat lift per single-family lot, with tight limits on type: low-profile piling lifts no more than 5 feet above the
Manalapan · Palm BeachManalapan 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
Manalapan · Palm BeachManalapan allows boat elevators, boatlifts, platforms and jet ski lifts on docks, but bans davits in several districts, including R1-D. No boat's keel
Tequesta · Palm BeachOn the Loxahatchee River and the Intracoastal, a Tequesta dock may reach no farther than the least of 75 ft, 10% of the waterway width, or the point w
Tequesta · Palm BeachTequesta defines davits, elevator, cradle and floating lifts as boatlifts and, since June 2026, prohibits roofed, covered or enclosed lifts unless the
Juno Beach · Palm BeachJuno Beach's code has no dock projection, width, setback or height rule. The zoning chapter only defines a dock, as a structure on pilings over water
Riviera Beach · Palm BeachRiviera Beach caps residential docks at 25% of the waterbody's width, with a lower fixed limit named for each canal: 21 ft in the Lake Park Marina Can
Riviera Beach · Palm BeachRiviera Beach treats boat lifts as residential marine facilities. They must stay 5 feet from the side lines, may not have walls, roofs or coverings, a
Lantana · Palm BeachLantana caps a residential dock at 1,000 sq ft in total, 25% of the water body's width, and 100 ft from the bulkhead or mean high water line, unless t
Lantana · Palm BeachLantana requires a building permit before a boat lift or boat lift cover is built, put up or structurally altered. The application needs a scaled surv
South Palm Beach · Palm BeachSouth Palm Beach's Marine Structures article has no dock rules at all: its general division is reserved, and what remains fixes a bulkhead line in Lak
South Palm Beach · Palm BeachSouth Palm Beach's code has no section regulating boat lifts, davits or docks. The only related wording is in its parking rules: the ban on keeping bo
Lake Worth Beach · Palm BeachLake Worth Beach's land development code sets no dock length, width or height. Its one number is a side setback: no dock may come within 10 ft of the
Lake Worth Beach · Palm BeachIn Lake Worth Beach's single-family residential district, boat docks and boat lifts are accessory uses allowed by right. Dockage facilities must be de
Key Colony Beach · MonroeIn most of Key Colony Beach a dock may extend only 5 ft into a canal or other waterway, though it may run the full length of the shoreline. Specific s
Key Colony Beach · MonroeKey Colony Beach regulates each kind of lift. Davits need a concrete base 5 feet from the property line and an engineer's certificate, and over 5,500
The rule that applies across the whole county, and where the cities inside it depart from it.
Broward is the only one of the four counties we cover with a countywide seawall standard, and the number most people quote is the wrong one.
Miami-Dade CountyMiami-Dade works the opposite way to Broward. The county runs the environmental permit through Chapter 24, but it sets no countywide seawall
Palm Beach CountyPalm Beach is the hardest of the four counties to get a straight answer in. Broward has a county standard its cities were required to adopt;
Monroe CountyMonroe is the only county of the four where we can say with certainty that no elevation standard exists, because we read every mention of se
Which agencies are involved, what they want, and the order they want it in.
Permits, agencies and the order they go in, for Broward.
Regional guidePermits, agencies and the order they go in, for Miami-Dade.
Regional guidePermits, agencies and the order they go in, for Palm Beach.
Regional guidePermits, agencies and the order they go in, for Florida Keys.
Which agencies are involved, what each one wants, and the order they want it in.
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