Boat lift installation in Key Largo

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

Uncovered or covered?

SPGP VI allowed two uncovered boat lifts. Adding a canopy changes the over-water area that state rules count.[1][2]

Manatee watch during install

Setting pilings and the lift is in-water work, so it stops whenever a manatee comes within 50 ft and resumes once it has moved off or 30 minutes pass.[3]

Lift setbacks by type

Monroe County sets side setbacks by lift type: 7.5 ft for elevator lifts, 5 ft for personal watercraft lifts up to 1,500 lb, and 10 ft for a floating lift set along the shore. A four-post cradle lift is allowed only on a lot at least 70 ft wide on a man-made waterway at least 60 ft wide.

We choose the lift type and position to that rule before anything is ordered.[5]

Four feet of water, and more over grass

A Key Largo dock must end in at least 4 ft of water at mean low water. Over seagrass or hard bottom, the water must be 4 ft deep above the organisms, the deck at least 5 ft above mean high water, and the terminal platform no larger than 160 sq ft (8 by 20 ft), with a benthic survey to prove it.

Lift piles and floating lifts are kept off grass beds.[5]

What makes Key Largo different

The special exception application asks owners to describe the submerged lands the dock crosses, such as sand, seagrass or coral, and the minimum extra length needed to reach adequate water depth. The site plan must be prepared by a Florida registered architect, engineer or landscape architect and show the mean high water line and shoreline setbacks.[6]

Sanctuary, seagrass and manatees

Projects inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary needed prior Sanctuary approval under SPGP VI. The same permit let boat lifts and minor structures in Monroe County go into existing boat slips without a seagrass survey. All in-water work follows the state manatee conditions.[1][3]

Permits in Key Largo

• Monroe County Planning and Environmental Resources Department: Dock length special exceptions under County Code section 118-12(m)(15).
• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: The Sanctuary starts at mean high water, so Key Largo canal and bay work is inside it; SPGP VI required its prior approval.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption, which Monroe County needs to see before it issues a Notice to Proceed for docks, seawalls and ramps.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal permit, also required before the County's Notice to Proceed.

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.[8][9][2]

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.[8]

Frequently asked questions