Boat lifts in Jupiter

Showing the lift on the survey

The Town's dock checklist asks for any existing boat lift, with all existing and proposed dimensions, on the signed and sealed survey.[1]

When a lift needs a waiver

A lift that cannot be parallel, or that would narrow the open channel, needs a waiver; where 50% cannot be kept clear, the Director can approve alternatives that keep a 15 ft channel.[2]

Inlet tide on the Loxahatchee

NOAA's Jupiter Inlet south jetty station records a 2.39 ft mean range and a 2.75 ft great diurnal range, with mean higher high water about 0.19 ft above NAVD 88 (1983 to 2001 epoch). Lift travel and floating dock gangways near the inlet are planned from this gauge.

Lift travel is set from that tide range plus your boat's draft.[4]

What makes Jupiter different

Town Code 27-2626 keeps half of every waterway clear: a centreline channel of 50% of the waterway width must stay unobstructed, or at least a 15 ft channel where that cannot be met. Only rectangular, T and L shaped docks are allowed unless the Planning and Zoning Director approves another shape.[2]

Who approves what

The Town's checklists ask for FDEP self-certification or exemption verification, Army Corps approval if not included in the DEP decision, and SFWMD approval for structures on submerged lands or in natural waterways such as the Loxahatchee River, the Intracoastal Waterway and Sawfish Bay.[5][1]

Permits for boat lifts in Jupiter

• Town of Jupiter Building and Planning and Zoning: Marine structure permits; dock waivers under Town Code 27-2626.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: FDEP self-certification or exemption verification for canal docks; SFWMD approval for structures in the Loxahatchee River, the Intracoastal and Sawfish Bay.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Army Corps approval where the FDEP decision does not include it, as the Town checklists note.

Lift permits in South Florida

In Miami-Dade a boat lift on a new or existing dock, seawall or bulkhead is a short-form DERM permit, and a single-family lift may not protrude more than 25% of the waterway width. Palm Beach County treats lifts as Type 8 marine structures and asks for signed and sealed lift drawings with pile details. Under SPGP VI, lifts could go in existing boat slips without a seagrass survey, and two uncovered lifts were allowed.[7][8][9]

How long should a boat lift last?

Manufacturers we checked do not publish a fixed lifespan. What they do publish is upkeep: rinse after each use, inspect at least once a season, have it serviced at least once a year (more often in salt water), replace worn cables at once and change sacrificial zinc anodes regularly.[10]

Frequently asked questions