Boat davits in Miami

Who davits suit

Owners of tenders, small boats and jet skis with a sound seawall or dock and limited room for a lift slip.

The 25% waterway rule on the county short form

Miami-Dade DERM handles a single-family dock, davit, boat lift or mooring pile on its short form only if the structure does not protrude more than 25% of the waterway width. On the narrower canals off the Miami River and Little River, that width test is often what decides how far a dock or lift can reach.

Davits count as mooring structures, so the same reach and setback rules apply.[1]

Two seawall heights split by the Rickenbacker Causeway

The City code text that File 7338 set out to replace puts seawall tops at +5.00 ft NGVD north of the Rickenbacker Causeway and +6.00 ft NGVD south of it, so the same job can have a different minimum depending on which side of the causeway the lot sits. The 2020 proposal would have moved every wall east of US-1 to 6 ft NAVD 88, with the Miami River left to its own section of the code.

Davits bolt to the seawall cap, so the wall's height and condition come first.[2]

The tide at the Miamarina gauge

NOAA's Miami Miamarina station on Biscayne Bay records a mean tidal range of 2.17 ft and a great diurnal range of 2.37 ft, with mean higher high water about 0.26 ft above NAVD 88 (1983 to 2001 tidal epoch). Those numbers set how far a lift has to travel, how far a floating dock rises and falls, and how much freeboard a seawall cap really has.

Davit reach and lift height are set from the tide range.[3]

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][4][5]

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.[2]

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.

Before we mount a davit

1. Check the seawall cap or dock framing can carry the load
2. Confirm the reach against the 25% waterway rule
3. Permit with DERM and the city
4. Mount, wire and test

Frequently asked questions