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Miami, FL Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Permitting agency
City of Miami Building Department
Base permit fee
$300 flat + 2% of cost
Unpermitted work penalty
quadruple the fee
County step required first
Miami-Dade PERA approval
$5,000+ projects need
engineer-sealed plans

Summary

Miami requires a building department permit before constructing, reconstructing, or repairing any dock, pier, seawall, or bulkhead, with fees running $300 plus 2% of construction cost and quadruple penalties for unpermitted work.

No waterfront improvement or structure shall be constructed, reconstructed or repaired until a permit authorizing such construction, reconstruction or repair has been obtained from the building department. No such permit shall be issued for any new construction or improvement or repair to an existing improvement or structure which is deemed, by the director of the building department to be substandard or not in compliance with the department of resilience and public works' design and construction standards. If a property owner who is required to repair or replace a seawall, bulkhead, living shoreline, or other shoreline protection structure/element due to the existing structure being in disrepair or allowing tidal waters to flood the public right-of-way and/or neighboring properties can demonstrate an extreme financial hardship related to the costs associated with such work, then the city manager's designee may consider such hardship on a case-by-case basis and elect to waive a portion of or all fees associated with the permitting required by the city for such construction taking into account the following criteria:

(1)The property owner's income as evidenced by prior years' income tax returns for as many years as requested by the city manager's designee, and(2)The property owner's general ability to pay or finance the required improvements without causing an undue economic hardship.

Source: Miami-Dade Ch. 7 Boats/DocksView official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 | Ordinance 11000 (Previous Zoning Code): Supplement 22 | Miami 21 (Zoning Code): ?).

Full Breakdown

Chapter 29, Article III of the Miami Code requires a building department permit before any dock, pier, seawall, bulkhead, or other waterfront structure is built, rebuilt, or repaired, and the department can refuse permits for designs that miss the resilience and public works department's construction standards. Projects worth $5,000 or more need certified survey drawings, plot plans, soil data, and engineer-sealed plans (Sec. 29-84), and applicants must first get preliminary approval from Miami-Dade County's Department of Permitting, Environment and Regulatory Affairs (Sec. 29-85). The fee is a flat $300 plus 2% of construction cost; building without a permit first quadruples it (Sec. 29-86).

Violations & Fines

Building or repairing a dock, seawall, or bulkhead without a city permit exposes the owner to code enforcement action under Chapter 2, Article X, plus a quadrupled after-the-fact permit fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to build a dock in Miami?
Yes. Sec. 29-83 requires a building department permit before any dock, pier, seawall, or bulkhead is built, rebuilt, or repaired, and Miami-Dade County's PERA office must give preliminary approval first.
What does a dock permit cost in Miami?
A flat $300 plus 2% of the estimated construction cost; starting work without a permit first quadruples that fee under Sec. 29-86.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Miami

All Miami rules

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