Riprap and seawall toe protection
Stop scour at the base of your seawall with riprap or toe repair.
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When water scours under the toe of a wall, the wall starts to tip. Riprap and toe repairs stop that, and some are permit-exempt in Miami-Dade.
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The short answer
In Miami-Dade, riprap or gunite tubes under an undercut seawall and sand-cement bags at the toe are exempt from a DERM Class I permit if they extend no more than 2 ft waterward; limerock boulder riprap on a 2:1 slope up to 10 ft waterward gets an expedited authorisation after a DERM inspection costing $170 (Miami-Dade DERM, 2025).
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Signs the toe needs work
Look for these at low tide.
- A gap or hollow under the base of the wall
- Wall tipping toward the water
- Soil loss behind the wall with no visible crack
- Strong wakes or currents along the lot
Typical project sizes
Toe repairs often cover the worst few sections of wall; riprap revetments usually run the full frontage. The state general permit covers up to 100 linear feet of riprap at a slope no steeper than 2:1.
What riprap does
Riprap is a sloped layer of large rock at the base of a seawall. It breaks wave energy and stops the water from scouring sand out from under the toe. Red mangroves can grow between the rocks, which is the idea behind living shorelines.
Riprap limits and permits
Under SPGP VI, new riprap may extend no more than 10 ft waterward of the mean high water line, and repair or replacement no more than 18 inches beyond the previous footprint. Miami-Dade allows natural limerock boulder riprap on a 2:1 slope up to 10 ft waterward through an expedited authorisation after inspection.[2][1]
| Work | Rule | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Riprap or gunite tube under undercut wall, up to 2 ft waterward | DERM exempt | None from DERM |
| Sand-cement bags at toe, up to 2 ft waterward | DERM exempt | None from DERM |
| Limerock boulder riprap, 2:1 slope, up to 10 ft waterward | DERM expedited after inspection | $170 inspection |
| Up to 100 linear ft of riprap at 2:1 or flatter | State general permit (62-330.431) | Set by FDEP |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for riprap at my seawall?
Small toe repairs no more than 2 ft waterward are DERM-exempt in Miami-Dade. A full riprap revetment up to 10 ft waterward needs DERM's expedited authorisation after an inspection, and your city may need a permit too.
How far out can riprap go?
Under SPGP VI, new riprap may extend no more than 10 ft waterward of the mean high water line.
Sources
- 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.
- 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.
- Florida Statutes 2026, Section 403.813: Permits issued at district centers; exceptions, The Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine). Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Seawall FAQs (Miami Beach Rising Above, PDF dated 6.16.25), City of Miami Beach. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Seawalls and Sea Level Rise Induced Flooding (Florida Sea Grant compilation, includes City of Fort Lauderdale 'Frequently Asked Questions: Seawall Ordinance Implementation', 25 Jan 2017), Florida Sea Grant (reproducing City of Fort Lauderdale and Florida Bar ELULS material). Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Rising Above the Risk: Frequently Asked Questions (05/05/2017), City of Miami Beach. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- CAO 2022-007: Legal Opinion Regarding Scrivener's Error in Zoning Code 3-706 Bulkheads and Retaining Walls (17 Aug 2022), City of Coral Gables, City Attorney. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Staff Report, Planning and Zoning Board, 16 Nov 2022, Case UDP-T22010 (Tidal barrier / seawall ordinance amendment, ULDR 47-19.3), City of Fort Lauderdale. Accessed October 27, 2026.
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