Seawall repair in Fort Lauderdale

Signs you need seawall repair

Call us when you see any of these. Each one lets water and soil move through the wall, and the damage speeds up once it starts.

• Cracks, spalling or rust stains on the cap or face
• Open or leaking joints between panels
• Sinkholes or soft ground just behind the wall
• Water seeping through the wall at high tide
• A cap or panels leaning toward the water

Repairs that keep you out of trouble

Sealing open joints, rebuilding spalled caps and restoring fill behind the wall stop the three things the City looks for: erosion, material passing through and tidal water flowing through. The City's 2016 survey priced cap spall repair at about $60 per cubic foot of epoxy mortar and a new 12-inch cap at $75 to $125 per linear foot.[1][2]

Substantial repairs

New and substantially repaired tidal barriers must meet the 5 ft NAVD88 standard, so a large repair can turn into a raise. We check the scope against that rule before pricing.[1]

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.

Before we price a repair we check whether its cost or extent would trigger the full height rule.[4][1]

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.[1][4]

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.[3][1]

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.

How do you repair a seawall?

We start with a close inspection at low tide to find where water and soil are moving. Then the fix matches the fault: crack injection or patching for the face, rebuilt concrete for spalled caps, new tie rods and anchors where the wall is leaning, and compacted fill behind the wall once it is sealed.

1. Inspect the cap, face, joints and toe at low tide
2. Confirm the permit path (exempt, expedited or short form)
3. Seal joints and cracks, repair spalls
4. Replace tiebacks or the cap if needed
5. Backfill and restore the yard

Which seawall repairs need a permit?

Miami-Dade DERM lists as exempt: sealing cracks and spall repair on the cap or face, repair or sealing of pilasters, backfilling landward of an existing seawall, riprap or gunite tubes under an undercut wall no more than 2 ft waterward, and sand-cement bags at the toe no more than 2 ft waterward. Cap and tieback repair or replacement need structurally approved plans from the building department and an expedited DERM authorisation. Your city may still need a building permit.[8]

Repair or replace?

If the panels are sound and the wall is tall enough for local rules, repair is usually the better value. If repairs would cross a city's substantial repair line, such as $300 per linear foot in Miami Beach, you may have to raise the whole wall anyway, and replacement can make more sense.[9]

Frequently asked questions