Boat lift installation in Miami Beach

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

Narrow island canals and the 25% rule

On the narrower Miami Beach canals, DERM's short form allows a dock, lift or davit to reach no more than 25% of the waterway width. DERM also uses a D-5 boundary to protect a neighbour's view and access, so it may ask for a letter of consent from the lot next door.

We choose the lift type and position to that rule before anything is ordered.[1]

Manatee season in the bay

Miami Beach waters are inside Miami-Dade's manatee protection zones under rule 68C-22.025, and the aquatic preserve notes manatees moving into the bay for warmer water in cooler months. Winter pile driving and seawall jobs plan for more 50 ft shutdowns and keep turbidity curtains non-entangling.

Most new lifts need new piles, so the piling rules apply too.[2][3][4]

Two permits, one elevation certificate

A Miami Beach seawall or dock job needs a City building permit with a site plan, structural plans and an elevation certification, plus Miami-Dade DERM Coastal Resources approval. FDEP and the Army Corps come in where the work reaches state or federal waters, which on the island canals is common.

New lifts need drawings, and often new piles, so the permit comes first.[5]

What makes Miami Beach different

The city has about 55 miles of seawall, of which only about 5 miles are publicly owned, so most of it is the responsibility of private owners. Its seawall ordinance dates from Resolution R2016-4009 in May 2016, was strengthened in January 2021 and amended again in July 2025.[5][7]

Groundwater and flooding

The city notes that groundwater rises through the porous bedrock under Miami Beach, so a seawall alone cannot stop flooding. A raised wall stops tidal overtopping; drainage and flood protection handle the rest.[8]

Permits in Miami Beach

• City of Miami Beach Building Department: Building permit with a site plan, structural plans and an elevation certification.
• Miami-Dade DERM, Coastal Resources Section: Class I permit or exemption for seawalls, docks and lifts on the island canals and the bay, issued alongside the City permit. Phone (305) 372-6575.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State review where a dock or wall reaches open Biscayne Bay, part of the aquatic preserve, where FDEP's free online self-certification is not available.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal authorisation for work in Biscayne Bay and Indian Creek; we confirm the small-project route since SPGP VI's stated July 2026 expiry.

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.[1][11][12]

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.[1]

Frequently asked questions