Seawall inspections
Find out what your seawall needs before the city or the tide tells you.
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We inspect the cap, face, joints, tiebacks and toe at low tide and tell you plainly what to fix now, what can wait and what your city requires.
- Free, no-obligation quote
- Fast response from our team
- Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and the Keys
The short answer
A seawall inspection checks the cap, face, panel joints, tiebacks and toe for cracks, leaks and scour, ideally at low tide. It matters most after a city notice: in Miami Beach an owner cited for an overtopping or leaking wall has 60 days to show progress and 730 days to finish repairs, with fines of $250 and then $500 per day (City of Miami Beach, 2025).
Last updated
When to book an inspection
Book one when something changes, not only when something breaks.
- After a city citation or warning
- Before buying or selling a waterfront home
- After a hurricane or a run of king tides
- When you see new cracks, stains or sinkholes
What we check
We walk the full length of the wall from the land and the water.
- Cap: cracks, spalling, rust staining, height against the local standard
- Face and panels: cracks, open joints, lean
- Tiebacks and anchors: signs of movement
- Toe: scour or undercutting
- Land side: sinkholes, soft ground, weep holes
Who is responsible for a private seawall?
The property owner. Miami Beach requires owners to correct walls that let tidal water flow over or through them and can cite owners with no seawall at all. Fort Lauderdale presumes a wall is in disrepair if it lets upland soil erode, material pass through it, or tidal water flow onto neighbours or the street, and gives owners 60 days to show progress and 365 days to finish.[1][2]
| City | Show progress | Finish | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Beach | 60 days | 730 days | 10 days to appeal; fines $250 then $500 per day |
| Fort Lauderdale | 60 days | 365 days | Disrepair presumed if water or soil passes through |
Frequently asked questions
How often should a seawall be inspected?
No state schedule applies to private residential walls in our sources. We suggest a check after major storms and king tide seasons, and before any sale or dock project.
What should I do after a seawall citation?
Book an inspection quickly. In Miami Beach you have 10 days to appeal and 60 days to show progress, so the repair or raising plan and permit applications need to start straight away.
What is the typical lifespan of a seawall?
Fort Lauderdale's ordinance FAQ assumed about 50 years, and city engineers referred to 30 to 50 years for a wall built today.
Sources
- Seawall FAQs (Miami Beach Rising Above, PDF dated 6.16.25), City of Miami Beach. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Florida Statutes 2026, Section 403.813: Permits issued at district centers; exceptions, The Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine). 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.
- 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.
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