Composite dock decking in Islamorada

Who re-decks

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

Tiki huts on canal docks

Islamorada allows non-enclosed gazebos and tiki huts up to 15 ft on docks that run parallel to the shoreline on canals or basins. So a marginal dock along a canal wall can double as a shaded deck, which changes how it is framed.

A redeck is the moment to check that the dock still fits the limit if you add width.[1]

The Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve

The 6,700 acre Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve lies inside the Village between Upper and Lower Matecumbe Keys, with seagrass meadows and three navigable channels between Florida Bay and the Atlantic. It is recognised as an outstanding water resource of the state, which brings the smaller 500 sq ft dock exemption used for Outstanding Florida Waters.

Over grass, deck height and plank spacing matter as much as the board colour.[2][3]

Sanctuary water from the high tide line

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary begins at the mean high water mark, so any dock, lift or pile work in Islamorada is Sanctuary work and needs the matching state and federal approvals. Monroe County waters carry FWC boating restricted areas under rule 68D-24.144 and the state manatee conditions.

New decking is only as good as the frame and piles under it, so we check them first.[4][5][6]

What makes Islamorada different

Principal buildings sit 20 ft from the mean high water line on altered shorelines such as canals, 30 ft on open water with conditions, and 50 ft on unaltered shorelines. Docks, lifts, davits, seawalls and riprap are water-dependent structures that may sit inside that setback under the Village's standards.[1]

Sanctuary and manatee layers

The federal small-project permit, SPGP VI, required Sanctuary sign-off before any Islamorada project in Keys waters, and crews follow the state manatee conditions on every in-water job.[7][6]

Permits in Islamorada

• Islamorada, Village of Islands, Planning and Development Services: Docks, lifts and shoreline structures under Village Code Chapter 30.
• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Sanctuary waters surround every Islamorada key from the mean high water mark; we confirm what Sanctuary approval each project needs.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption; part of the Village's water is the Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal authorisation for work in the Sanctuary waters around the Village.

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.[11][12]

Frequently asked questions