Boat lift service and maintenance in Key Largo

Who this is for

Every lift owner, and anyone whose lift has gone more than a year without a service.

Ocean side tide at Rock Harbor

NOAA's Rock Harbor station on the Atlantic side of Key Largo records a 2.09 ft mean range and a 2.37 ft great diurnal range, with mean higher high water about 0.25 ft above NAVD 88 (1983 to 2001 epoch). There is no NOAA datum station on the bay side near Key Largo, so for bay side lots we measure the water on site.

The tide range decides how much of the cables and cradle sit in salt water, which drives the service schedule.[1]

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.

Regular service keeps an existing lift working, which avoids the permit a replacement would need.[2]

10% of the water, 25% with the boat

Monroe County Code 118-12(m) keeps a Key Largo dock to 10% of the waterbody width, measured mean low water to mean low water, and the dock together with the moored boat and any lift to 25% of the navigable width. On a 50 ft canal that is a 5 ft dock.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4][5]

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.

What a service visit covers

• Cables: fraying, corrosion, kinks, flattening, tension
• Pulleys and gearbox: lubrication and wear
• Sacrificial zinc anodes: replace as needed
• Motor, switch and wiring checks
• Bunks and cradle: wear and alignment

Frequently asked questions