Riprap and toe protection in Fort Lauderdale

Signs the toe needs work

Look for these at low tide.

• A gap or hollow under the base of the wall
• Wall tipping toward the water
• Soil loss behind the wall with no visible crack
• Strong wakes or currents along the lot

King tides and street flooding

The City tells owners to inspect and maintain their seawalls, says walls overtopped by king tides should be raised to the 5 ft standard, and can cite owners whose walls let tidal water reach the street. A low spot or a leaking joint is a code issue here, not only a maintenance one.

Knowing where that line sits lets you choose between a repair now and a full raise later with your eyes open.[1][2]

What the City's contractor survey found

When Fort Lauderdale surveyed seawall contractors in 2016, quotes ran from $650 to $2,000 per linear foot depending on waterway depth and where the wall sits, plus $2,000 to $5,000 per job for engineering and permitting. The deep finger isle canals sit at the expensive end because panels and piles are longer.

Use those figures as a starting point and expect a quote based on your wall's length, depth and access.[3]

The Broward County license comes first

Broward County requires its own license before any work in, on, over or under county waters, and that includes repairing or replacing a dock or seawall. Pile replacement, lift repairs that touch the pilings and seawall work all need that county license before work starts, on top of the City permit.

Toe protection usually costs a fraction of a new wall and fits that permit route.[4]

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.[2][1]

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.[4][2]

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 riprap does

Riprap is a sloped layer of large rock at the base of a seawall. It breaks wave energy and stops the water from scouring sand out from under the toe. Red mangroves can grow between the rocks, which is the idea behind living shorelines.

Riprap limits and permits

Under SPGP VI, new riprap may extend no more than 10 ft waterward of the mean high water line, and repair or replacement no more than 18 inches beyond the previous footprint. Miami-Dade allows natural limerock boulder riprap on a 2:1 slope up to 10 ft waterward through an expedited authorisation after inspection.[9][8]

Frequently asked questions