Boat lift installation in Jupiter

Which lift suits you

The right lift depends on how you moor.

• Four-post lift: on its own pilings in a slip beside the dock
• Elevator lift: mounted on the seawall face, good where pilings are hard to place
• Floating lift: for jet skis and small boats, no pilings

Lifts sit parallel to the bulkhead

Town Code 27-2626(b)(11) requires docks, boat lifts and personal watercraft lifts in canals to sit parallel to the bulkhead. A lift set at right angles to the wall is not allowed on a Jupiter canal without a dock waiver.

We choose the lift type and position to that rule before anything is ordered.[1]

A survey less than six months old

Jupiter dock permits need a signed and sealed survey made within 6 months of the application, showing setbacks, the mean high water line in NAVD88 and the waterway width (Code 27-2626). An older survey from the house purchase usually has to be redone.

New lifts need drawings, and often new piles, so the permit comes first.[2]

Half the waterway stays open

Jupiter keeps a centreline channel of 50% of the waterway width unobstructed, or at least 15 ft where that is impossible, and allows only rectangular, T and L docks unless the Director approves another shape. Piles for docks and lifts are laid out against that channel line first.

Most new lifts need new piles, so the piling rules apply too.[1]

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.[1]

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.[3][2]

Permits 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.

Permits for a new lift

Miami-Dade issues a short-form DERM permit for a lift on a new or existing dock, seawall or bulkhead, as long as a single-family lift does not protrude more than 25% of the waterway width. Florida exempts floating boat lifts and floating platforms up to 500 sq ft combined (200 sq ft in Outstanding Florida Waters). In aquatic preserves, a roof may not overhang more than 1 ft beyond the lift and boat.[6][7][8]

Relocating a lift

Moving a lift to a new slip or a new home is a new installation in the eyes of the permit office, so we plan pilings and permits for the new spot. Removing the old lift and old piles is DERM-exempt in Miami-Dade.[6]

Frequently asked questions