Martin County, FL Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Code of Ordinances § 21.252; LDR § 3.202
- Permit required
- plan review before dock construction
- Design standard
- Florida Building Code
- Other approvals
- outside agency sign-off required before permit
- Prohibited materials
- glass, spikes, barbed wire, electrical elements
- Setback treatment
- docks exempt from standard yard setbacks
Summary
Martin County requires detailed construction drawings for any residential or commercial dock, built to Florida Building Code standards, to be submitted to the County for review and approved before a permit issues. The Land Development Regulations separately bar hazardous materials, like broken glass, spikes or barbed wire, from any dock or piling.
Detailed construction drawings of the design of any residential or commercial dock prepared in accordance with the Florida Building Code shall be submitted to the County for review and approval. The proposed dock shall adhere to the construction and design requirements of the Florida Building Code, as may be amended. No permit(s) shall be issued by Martin County, unless all required approvals from other governmental agencies with applicable jurisdiction have been obtained. ... No docks or pilings shall be erected, constructed, installed or maintained with broken glass, spikes, nails, barbed wire, electrical elements, or other hazardous material intended to impede or otherwise inflict injury to wildlife or humans.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 62 | Land Development Regulations: Supplement 62).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 252 of the Martin County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 21, Article 25 (Dock Building Code), governs the permitting side: detailed construction drawings for any residential or commercial dock, prepared in accordance with the Florida Building Code, must be submitted to the County for review and approval, and the dock must adhere to the Florida Building Code's construction and design requirements as amended. The County will not issue a dock permit until every other required approval from other governmental agencies with applicable jurisdiction has been obtained, so a dock permit application effectively waits on outside agency sign-off first.
Separately, the Land Development Regulations address dock siting and construction materials. Sec. 202, in Article 3 (Zoning Districts), prohibits any dock or piling built or maintained with broken glass, spikes, nails, barbed wire, electrical elements, or other hazardous material intended to impede or injure wildlife or people. The LDR also treats docks as an exception to standard zoning setbacks: Sec. B lists docks among the improvements, alongside driveways, fences and wells, that may sit within a required front, side or rear setback rather than being pushed back to the district's setback line.
Violations & Fines
Building or maintaining a dock without the County's plan review and approval under Sec. 21.252, or rigging one with prohibited hazardous material under Sec. 3.202, is a code violation subject to Martin County's standard code-enforcement process: a citation from a code inspector, referral to the Code Enforcement Special Magistrate if uncorrected, and fines that can run up to $1,000 per day for a first violation and $5,000 per day for a repeat one under Sec. 1.97.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build a dock in Martin County?
Can I install spikes or barbed wire on my dock to deter trespassers?
Does my dock have to meet the same setback as my house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Martin County
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