Composite dock decking in Boca Raton

Who re-decks

Owners with splintering or soft boards on sound framing, and owners building a new dock who want less upkeep.

Palm Beach County manatee zones

Boca Raton waters fall under Palm Beach County's manatee protection zones in state rule 68C-22.009, with boating restricted areas in 68D-24.017 and 68D-24.011. The federal Johnson's seagrass range used for dock design also covers these waters, so pile and dock layouts avoid grass beds.

New decking is only as good as the frame and piles under it, so we check them first.[1][2]

Docks that stop 6 to 8 ft out

Single-family freestanding docks in Boca Raton may protrude no more than 6 to 8 ft waterward of the seawall, depending on canal width (City Code 22-58). That is much tighter than the limits in the other cities we serve, so marginal docks along the wall and seawall-mounted lifts are the usual answer.

A redeck is the moment to check that the dock still fits the limit if you add width.[3]

The 45 degree side lines

Boca Raton structures must stay inside lines projected waterward at 45 degrees from the side property lines, and the seawall wet face sits on the property line (Sec. 26-146). On a pie-shaped lot at the end of a canal those lines can shrink the space for a lift or davit to a few feet.[3]

What makes Boca Raton different

Plan review needs a current-conditions survey showing the seawall wet face or bulkhead line, the property line and piles, section details with the finished cap elevation, and a proposed site plan. Inspections are staged: a location survey before the cap is poured and before the structural cap and piling inspections, a final engineer report on cap elevation with photos, and a final marine structure survey for docks and lifts.[4]

Agencies beyond the City

Palm Beach County's marine structure checklist for unincorporated areas lists the outside approvals agencies expect to see: FDEP, the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) and the Army Corps, as applicable. That checklist is dated 2005, so we confirm current requirements for each job. The federal seagrass range used in dock design covers Palm Beach County waters.[5][2]

Permits in Boca Raton

• City of Boca Raton Development Services: Marine structure permits under City Code Chapter 22, with staged survey and engineer inspections.
• Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND): May be involved for work along the Intracoastal Waterway.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption for docks, walls and lifts on Lake Boca Raton and the Intracoastal Waterway.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal authorisation along the Intracoastal, which the Palm Beach County checklist expects to see with the building permit.

What we check before re-decking

• Joists and stringers for rot
• Fasteners and hardware for corrosion
• Pilings at the waterline
• Board spacing rules for your waterway

Decking and permits

A like-for-like re-deck is DERM-exempt in Miami-Dade, but your city may still need a permit. Making the dock bigger changes the over-water area, which FDEP counts toward the 500 or 1,000 sq ft exemption limits, so it needs a permit review.[7][8]

Frequently asked questions