Boat lift service and maintenance in Fort Lauderdale

Who this is for

Every lift owner, and anyone whose lift has gone more than a year without a service.

River tide and inlet tide

NOAA's South Port Everglades gauge shows a 2.79 ft great diurnal range, while the Andrews Avenue bridge gauge up the New River shows 2.28 ft, with mean higher high water about 0.45 to 0.57 ft above NAVD 88 (1983 to 2001 epoch). Lifts and floating docks near the inlet need more travel than those up the river.

The tide range decides how much of the cables and cradle sit in salt water, which drives the service schedule.[1][2]

Going past the limit

The City Commission can waive the projection limit on a finding of extraordinary circumstances. The application fee is $1,500, and the Marine Advisory Board looks at it first: in May 2026 it backed, 12 to 0, a boat lift reaching 27 ft 8 in at 1614 Brickell Drive.

Regular service keeps an existing lift working, which avoids the permit a replacement would need.[3]

The 25% or 25 ft limit

ULDR 47-19.3(c) limits docks, lifts and other mooring structures to 25% of the waterway width or 25 ft, whichever is less, measured from the property line. On a 60 ft canal that is 15 ft; on the wide New River reaches the 25 ft cap takes over.

Small boats may suit davits instead, under the same rules.[3]

What makes Fort Lauderdale different

The City treats seawalls as tidal barriers. It presumes a wall is in disrepair if it lets upland soil erode, lets material pass through it, or lets tidal water flow unimpeded onto neighbours or the street, and gives owners 60 days to show progress and 365 days to finish. The City also spends $1.5 million a year on its own seawalls.[4][5]

The county layer

Broward County requires a license before any work in, on, over or under its waters, including repairing or replacing a dock or seawall. Broward's regional policy is a consistent top elevation of 5 ft NAVD for seawalls, banks and berms.[6][4]

Permits in Fort Lauderdale

• Broward County environmental licensing: A county license before any work in, on, over or under Broward County waters, including dock and seawall repair.
• City of Fort Lauderdale: Building permits; waivers of the dock and lift projection limit go to the City Commission with a Marine Advisory Board recommendation.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption for docks and walls on the New River and the Intracoastal, on top of the Broward County license.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal authorisation for work in the Intracoastal Waterway and other navigable waters.

What a service visit covers

• Cables: fraying, corrosion, kinks, flattening, tension
• Pulleys and gearbox: lubrication and wear
• Sacrificial zinc anodes: replace as needed
• Motor, switch and wiring checks
• Bunks and cradle: wear and alignment

Frequently asked questions