Dock repair in Key Largo

Signs your dock needs repair

Fix these early. Salt water and sun speed up every one.

• Soft, split or loose boards
• Wobbly handrails or cleats pulling out
• Pilings with deep cracks or worn at the waterline
• Sagging framing between pilings

Pier docks: 4 ft wide, 100 ft long

Pier docks in unincorporated Monroe County may be no wider than 4 ft and no longer than twice the lot's shoreline frontage or 100 ft, whichever is less. Reaching deeper water takes a Dock Length Special Exception, which costs $1,450 plus $3 per shoreline owner within 300 ft.

A repair that changes the footprint has to meet today's limit, not the one the old dock was built to.[1][2]

No leaching piles

Every dock piling in unincorporated Monroe County must be non-CCA-leaching, such as recycled plastic or concrete, or be wrapped in an impermeable sleeve at least 30 mil thick from 6 in below the bottom to 2 ft above mean high water. That changes the piling order before a Key Largo job starts.

Most dock repairs start with the pilings, so the piling rules shape the repair.[1]

The Sanctuary starts at high water

The shoreward boundary of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is the mean high water mark, so once work steps into Key Largo's water it is inside the Sanctuary. Monroe County lists boating restricted areas under rule 68D-24.144, and County approvals wait on state and federal permits before a Notice to Proceed.

Grass and hard bottom decide where the dock can go and how high it sits.[3][4][1]

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.[2]

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.[5][6]

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.

Which dock repairs need a permit?

Miami-Dade DERM exempts replacing decking or handrails to the original dimensions, removing old piles and dilapidated docks, and replacing fender or mooring piles in the same spot when a contractor with a certificate of competency gives DERM 24 hours' notice. Anything that changes the footprint needs a permit. Your city may still need a building permit.[9]

Repair or rebuild?

If the pilings are sound, new decking and framing are usually good value. If many pilings are failing, a rebuild within 5 ft of the old footprint keeps the state exemption and is often the better long-term choice.[10]

Frequently asked questions