Living shorelines in Boca Raton

Who this is for

Owners replacing a wall who want a softer edge, owners with mangroves along the shore, and Coral Gables owners who want the fee incentive.

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.

Marine construction is mostly in-water work, so the manatee rules set daily routines.[1][2]

A height band, not just a minimum

Boca Raton's Engineering Design Standards Manual sets any new or replaced seawall or dock between 4.0 ft and 6.0 ft NAVD88. The maximum is unusual among the cities we work in: a wall or dock cannot simply be built as high as the owner likes.

Living features can sit in front of a wall that still meets the height rule.[3]

Designed for 12 to 18 more inches

The same manual asks for seawalls designed to take an added 12 to 18 in of height later without alteration. That sizes the piles, panels and tiebacks today for a raise the owner may only pay for in ten or twenty years.[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.

Permits for living shorelines

Riprap follows the riprap rules: up to 10 ft waterward under SPGP VI and a state general permit for up to 100 linear feet at 2:1. In Miami-Dade, mangrove permits are valid for 3 years and limerock boulder riprap on a 2:1 slope gets an expedited authorisation after a DERM inspection.[2][8]

Frequently asked questions