Dock pilings in Jupiter

Signs a piling needs replacing

Check at low tide.

• Wood worn thin at the waterline (an hourglass shape)
• Deep splits or a piling that moves when you push it
• A dock that sags between pilings

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.

That limit sets the size of the dock before any material choice.[1]

Manatee zones on the river

Jupiter's waters are in Palm Beach County's manatee protection zones under state rule 68C-22.009. Pile driving and seawall work on the Loxahatchee and the Intracoastal follow the 50 ft shutdown rule and use turbidity curtains that cannot entangle a manatee.

Pile driving is in-water work, so the manatee rules set the pace.[2][3]

Two aquatic preserves meet at Jupiter

The Loxahatchee River-Lake Worth Creek Aquatic Preserve (1,800 acres, 1970) borders Jupiter and Tequesta, and the Jensen Beach to Jupiter Inlet Aquatic Preserve (23,000 acres) has been Outstanding Florida Waters since 1979. On those waters the state dock exemption falls to 500 sq ft, and SFWMD approval is needed for structures in natural waterways.

New piles are placed to avoid grass beds.[4][5][6][7]

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.[7][8]

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.

How pilings go in

Pilings are driven or jetted into the bottom from a barge or the dock. Federal SPGP VI did not authorise impact-hammer installation of metal pipe or metal sheet piles, so steel work takes a different federal route. All in-water work follows the state manatee conditions: work stops if a manatee comes within 50 ft.[12][3]

Frequently asked questions