Boat davits in Key Largo
Boat davits in Key Largo, where docks with lifts or davits need storm tie-down points.
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We mount davits on seawalls and docks, check the wall can carry the load and handle the permit.
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- Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and the Keys
The short answer
Key Largo davits sit at least 5 ft from the side line, and every dock with a lift or davit needs storm tie-down points. In Key Largo an elevator lift sits 7.5 ft from the side line, and a four-post lift needs a 70 ft lot on a canal at least 60 ft wide.
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Who davits suit
Owners of tenders, small boats and jet skis with a sound seawall or dock and limited room for a lift slip.
Davits and tie-downs
Davits in unincorporated Monroe County sit back from the side line by the principal building setback or 5 ft, whichever is greater, though one support may be closer if the arm swings inward. Any dock with a lift or davit also needs cleats or rings to tie the boat down out of the water in high winds.
Davits are placed to that rule before the mounting plates are drilled.[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.
Davits count as mooring structures, so the same reach and setback rules apply.[1]
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.[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.[3][4]
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.
Before we mount a davit
- Check the seawall cap or dock framing can carry the load
- Confirm the reach against the 25% waterway rule
- Permit with DERM and the city
- Mount, wire and test
Frequently asked questions
What are the davit rules in Key Largo?
Davits keep the principal building setback or 5 ft from the side line, one support may be closer if the arm swings inward, and the dock needs tie-down points for storms.
Can I put a four-post boat lift on my Key Largo canal?
Only if the lot is at least 70 ft wide and the man-made waterway at least 60 ft wide, with 7.5 ft side setbacks. Elevator lifts need 7.5 ft and small PWC lifts 5 ft.
How wide can a dock be in Key Largo?
No more than 10% of the waterbody width, and the dock plus the moored vessel and lift no more than 25% of the navigable portion (Monroe County Code 118-12(m)).
Sources
- Monroe County Land Development Code, Sec. 118-12 Shoreline Setback, subsections (k) Bulkheads, seawalls and riprap and (m) Docking facilities (third-party code copy), Monroe County, Florida (text reproduced by Zoneomics; the official Municode copy blocked automated access). Accessed October 28, 2026.
- Dock Length Special Exception Application (Last revised August 2026), Monroe County Planning and Environmental Resources Department. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Department of the Army State Programmatic General Permit VI (SPGP VI), SAJ-2015-2575, State of Florida, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District (document hosted by Florida DEP). Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Standard Manatee Conditions for In-Water Work (2011), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Community Rating System (CRS), Monroe County, Florida. Accessed October 28, 2026.
- Class I Permit Application for Coastal Construction and Mangrove Trimming within Miami-Dade County (Revised May 2025), Miami-Dade County RER, Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), Coastal Resources Section. Accessed October 27, 2026.
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