Bulkheads in Key Largo

Who this is for

Owners and associations with a bulkhead that leaks, leans or sits below the local height standard.

Where a seawall is allowed at all

Monroe County allows vertical seawalls only to stabilise severely eroding shorelines on man-made canals, channels or basins, and never on open water. Lawfully existing walls may be repaired or replaced on the same footprint, the yard behind must sit at least 6 in below the top of the wall, and riprap goes at the toe wherever feasible.

Bulkheads meet the same height rule as seawalls.[1]

Mangrove fringes shape the design

Where a Key Largo shoreline has a mangrove fringe 10 ft wide or more, a T or L dock with a walkway perpendicular to the shore is the primary design. Riprap and walls go landward of existing mangroves wherever feasible, and a walkway through mangroves is limited to 4 ft.

Bulkheads go landward of mangroves where possible.[1]

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.[1][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.[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.

Where state exemptions stop

Florida exempts restoring a seawall at its previous location or within 18 inches waterward, and allows seawalls in artificial waterways. The exemption does not cover new vertical seawalls in estuaries or lagoons unless they sit inside an existing manmade canal already lined with seawalls.[8]

Frequently asked questions