South Florida cities now set minimum seawall heights: Miami Beach 5.7 ft NAVD (or 4 ft designed to reach 5.7 ft), Coral Gables 6 ft NGVD 1929 with a 7.5 ft design load, and Fort Lauderdale 5 ft NAVD88, matching Broward County's regional 5 ft policy, and Boca Raton 4.0 ft NAVD88. The rules usually apply when you build new, substantially repair or are cited for overtopping.
Minimum seawall height by city
| City or county | Minimum top elevation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Beach | 5.7 ft NAVD | Or 4 ft NAVD if designed to support a future 5.7 ft |
| Coral Gables | 6 ft NGVD 1929 | Structurally able to support 7.5 ft |
| Fort Lauderdale | 5 ft NAVD88 | Walls permitted before 1 Jan 2035 may be 4 ft if designed to reach 5 ft by 1 Jan 2050 |
| Broward County policy | 5 ft NAVD | Regionally consistent elevation for seawalls, banks and berms |
| City of Miami | Not confirmed | A 2020 proposal set 6 ft NAVD 88 east of US-1; adoption not confirmed |
| Boca Raton | 4.0 ft NAVD88 | New or replaced walls 4.0 to 6.0 ft NAVD88, designed to take 12 to 18 inches more |
| Jupiter | No minimum found; a maximum applies | Top of cap at or below the property's base flood elevation (Code 27-2624(8)) |
| Key Largo (Monroe County) | No height set | New vertical seawalls only on man-made canals and basins; yard at least 6 in below the top of the wall |
| Islamorada | No height set | Elevations shift about 1.5 ft between NGVD29 and NAVD88 in Monroe County |
What triggers the height rule?
- Miami Beach: new walls, new construction and substantial repairs, meaning $300 or more per linear foot, plus any wall cited for letting tidal water over or through it.[1]
- Fort Lauderdale: new or substantially repaired tidal barriers; a wall is presumed in disrepair if it lets soil erode, material pass through or tidal water flow onto neighbours or the street.[3]
- City of Miami: the 2020 proposal defined substantial repair as 50% of the wall's length or 50% of the cost of a new wall.[4]
NAVD or NGVD?
Cities do not all use the same vertical datum. Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale state their rules in NAVD 88; Coral Gables states its rule in NGVD 1929 after a 2022 correction.[1][2][3] Make sure the engineer's survey reports the height in the same datum as your city's rule.
Raising an existing wall
A cap raise only works if the wall can carry the weight, which a marine or structural engineer must assess.[6] Otherwise a new wall goes in front, within 18 inches of the old one.[7]
Help with the cost
Miami Beach's PPA grant reimburses 50% of costs up to $20,000; Coral Gables waives a fee for existing homes raising seawalls for sea level rise.[8][9]
See seawall raising, seawall raising in Miami Beach and seawall raising in Coral Gables.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the required seawall height in Miami Beach?
5.7 ft NAVD for new walls and substantial repairs, or 4 ft NAVD if the wall is designed to support a future 5.7 ft.
What is the seawall height in Fort Lauderdale?
At least 5 ft NAVD88. Walls permitted before 1 January 2035 may be built at 4 ft if designed to reach 5 ft by 1 January 2050.
Does the City of Miami have a seawall height rule?
A 2020 proposal would set 6 ft NAVD 88 east of US-1. We have not confirmed it was adopted, so check with the City.
Sources
- Seawall FAQs (Miami Beach Rising Above, PDF dated 6.16.25), City of Miami Beach. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- CAO 2022-007: Legal Opinion Regarding Scrivener's Error in Zoning Code 3-706 Bulkheads and Retaining Walls (17 Aug 2022), City of Coral Gables, City Attorney. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Staff Report, Planning and Zoning Board, 16 Nov 2022, Case UDP-T22010 (Tidal barrier / seawall ordinance amendment, ULDR 47-19.3), City of Fort Lauderdale. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- City of Miami File ID 7338 (Revision A): Ordinance amending Chapters 20, 29 and 54 to set seawall minimum heights (Second Reading, printed 5/19/2020), City of Miami. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Engineering Design Standards Manual, section 7.7 Minimum Criteria for Waterway Features (PDF modified 10 Apr 2025), City of Boca Raton. Accessed October 28, 2026.
- Seawalls and Sea Level Rise Induced Flooding (Florida Sea Grant compilation, includes City of Fort Lauderdale 'Frequently Asked Questions: Seawall Ordinance Implementation', 25 Jan 2017), Florida Sea Grant (reproducing City of Fort Lauderdale and Florida Bar ELULS material). Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 2026, Section 403.813: Permits issued at district centers; exceptions, The Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine). Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Private Property Adaptation (PPA) program, City of Miami Beach (Miami Beach Rising Above). Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Solar, Open Air Dining, and Other Permits, City of Coral Gables. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Marine Structure: Seawalls permit checklist (revised January 2021), Town of Jupiter Building Department. Accessed October 28, 2026.
- Monroe County Land Development Code, Sec. 118-12 Shoreline Setback, subsections (k) Bulkheads, seawalls and riprap and (m) Docking facilities (third-party code copy), Monroe County, Florida (text reproduced by Zoneomics; the official Municode copy blocked automated access). Accessed October 28, 2026.
- Floodplain Management, Islamorada, Village of Islands, Building Department. Accessed October 28, 2026.
