Dock pilings in Miami

Signs a piling needs replacing

Check at low tide.

• Wood worn thin at the waterline (an hourglass shape)
• Deep splits or a piling that moves when you push it
• A dock that sags between pilings

Old piles and wrecked docks

DERM exempts removing old piles and dilapidated docks, lifts and davits, and repairing dock decking or handrails to their original size. In older Miami neighbourhoods along the river many jobs start with that clean-out, so it can begin before the permit for the new structure is issued.

Piling material and wraps are chosen to meet that rule before the order goes in.[1]

Manatee zones in Miami-Dade waters

Miami-Dade's manatee protection zones are set in state rule 68C-22.025, with boating restricted areas under 68D-24.013. For in-water work that means slow-speed zones for work boats and the full state manatee conditions: everything stops if a manatee comes within 50 ft, and turbidity curtains must not trap one.

Pile driving is in-water work, so the manatee rules set the pace.[2][3]

Bayfront lots sit on Outstanding Florida Waters

The Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve covers 64,607 acres from the Oleta River to Card Sound and is treated as Outstanding Florida Waters. On open bay frontage that halves the state dock exemption to 500 sq ft of over-water area, against 1,000 sq ft on an artificial canal, and seagrass damage in the preserve can bring a fine of up to $1,000.

New piles are placed to avoid grass beds.[4][5][6]

What makes Miami waterfront work different

Most of Biscayne Bay and its natural tributaries, including the Miami River and Little River, are state-owned submerged lands, so docks over them need the state's consent alongside the DERM permit. The Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve is listed by DERM as a permitting contact, and FDEP's free online dock self-certification is not available in aquatic preserves. The federal seagrass range used in dock design reaches central Biscayne Bay.[1][6][7]

City of Miami seawall height

In 2020 the City considered an ordinance (File 7338) to set a 6 ft NAVD 88 minimum for new and rebuilt seawalls east of US-1, outside the Miami River. We have not confirmed that it was adopted, so for every Miami seawall job we confirm the current height rule with the City before design.[8]

Permits in Miami

• Miami-Dade DERM, Coastal Resources Section: Class I permit for any work in, on or over tidal water, the Miami River included, with exempt, expedited and short-form routes for small jobs. Phone (305) 372-6575.
• City of Miami Building Department: Structural and zoning approval for seawalls, docks and lifts inside city limits.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption, and consent to use the state-owned bottom of Biscayne Bay, the Miami River and Little River, which DERM grants for most of the bay on the state's behalf.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal sign-off for work in the bay and the river. SPGP VI, the small-project route, passed its stated 27 July 2026 expiry, so we confirm the current route for each job.

How pilings go in

Pilings are driven or jetted into the bottom from a barge or the dock. Federal SPGP VI did not authorise impact-hammer installation of metal pipe or metal sheet piles, so steel work takes a different federal route. All in-water work follows the state manatee conditions: work stops if a manatee comes within 50 ft.[7][3]

Frequently asked questions