The short answer
On March 23, 2023, Fort Lauderdale adopted Section 47-19.13 of its Unified Land Development Regulations, matching Broward County's regional tidal flood barrier standard (city legislation). New seawalls and substantially repaired seawalls must have a top elevation of at least 5 feet NAVD88. Applications submitted before January 1, 2035 may be permitted at 4 feet NAVD88 if the wall is designed so it can be raised to 5 feet by January 1, 2050 (ordinance text and staff summary).
The rule did not make every existing wall illegal overnight. The city lists three situations where an owner has to raise a seawall (city resiliency page):
- when building a new seawall,
- when a seawall is in significant disrepair (damage to more than 50 percent of the structure), or
- when the owner has been cited because tidal water is breaching the seawall and reaching a neighboring property or the right-of-way.
What counts as a "substantial repair"
The ordinance defines substantial repair or substantial rehabilitation as either of these (ordinance text):
- any modification to the shoreline or a shoreline structure along more than 50 percent of the length of the property's shoreline, or
- any modification or alteration of an existing shoreline structure that costs more than 50 percent of its fair market replacement cost.
For this test, docks, finger piers, piles and separate concrete footers are excluded, but a concrete dock poured monolithically with the seawall cap is included. If your project crosses the line, the tidal flood barrier has to be built along the property's entire shoreline, not just the damaged section.
What NAVD88 means for your wall
NAVD88 (the North American Vertical Datum of 1988) is the reference point surveyors use for elevations. It is not the height of the wall above the water or above your lawn. To know where your wall stands against the 4 and 5 foot numbers, you need a survey or an engineer's measurement tied to NAVD88. That number belongs in your contractor's plans and quote.
Maximum heights, docks and waivers
- Maximum height. The ordinance also sets a maximum tidal barrier elevation tied to the property's FEMA base flood elevation, so a wall does not end up higher than the house can drain around (staff summary).
- Docks. Docks may sit up to 12 inches above the associated tidal barrier or shoreline structure, under the conditions in the ordinance.
- Waivers. The City Engineer may grant a waiver for a property whose habitable finished floor is below 4.0 feet NAVD88, so a new wall does not trap water against a low house. A waiver lasts up to three years and ends when the property is sold.
Maintenance, citations and design rules
The rule comes from Broward County's regional standard, which the county required tidally influenced cities to adopt (as summarized by the City of Hollywood). Fort Lauderdale's adopted ordinance also says (Ordinance C-23-05):
- Owners must keep tidal flood barriers in good repair. A barrier is presumed to be in disrepair if it lets tidal water flow through it onto a neighbor's property or the public right-of-way, and failing to maintain it is a citable offense.
- After a citation, an owner must show progress within 60 days and complete repairs within 365 days. If the needed repair is substantial, the improved wall must be designed, permitted, built and pass final inspection at the required elevation within that same 365 days.
- Letting tidal water trespass onto a neighbor or the public right-of-way is declared a public nuisance. A barrier already built to the ordinance's standards that is overtopped is not treated as a nuisance.
- Barriers must stop tidal water while still relieving hydrostatic pressure from the land side, and should tie into neighboring barriers where practicable to close gaps.
- A cap added to an existing seawall must be at least as wide as the existing cap. New walls in marine waters where no seawall existed before need natural limerock rip-rap or another approved habitat feature on the water side.
The regional standard does not apply to oceanfront beaches or shorelines seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line (regional standard summary).
Buying or selling a waterfront home
Fort Lauderdale's ordinance requires the county-wide tidal flood barrier standard to be disclosed in contracts for the sale of real estate executed after December 31, 2022 (staff summary). In practice, buyers and lenders increasingly ask about seawall condition and elevation. A written seawall inspection before you list or before your inspection period ends gives both sides facts to negotiate with.
Permits for seawall work in Fort Lauderdale
The city's Building Division seawall checklist lists a building permit with building, zoning and engineering review, plus these minimum submittals (city checklist, rev. 2016):
- two sets of dredge approval from Broward County and/or the Florida Department of Environmental Protection,
- a site plan,
- signed and sealed surveys showing existing and proposed elevations,
- signed and sealed seawall and pile plans by a Florida licensed engineer or architect,
- a special inspector form for pile installation, and a final survey after completion,
- a recorded Notice of Commencement for larger jobs.
Broward County also requires a license before any work in, on, over or under county waters, including seawall and dock repair (Broward 311). Depending on the waterway and scope, state or federal review can apply too. The checklist is from 2016, so confirm current requirements with the city's Development Services Department at 954-828-6520 (city contact). A licensed contractor normally handles all of this.
Who can do the work
Seawall construction in Florida is licensed work. Florida's Construction Industry Licensing Board certifies general contractors and several marine specialty categories, including marine seawall work (Florida Administrative Code Rule 61G4-15.100). Before you hire, look up the license on MyFloridaLicense.com and ask for a certificate of insurance.
King tide season is the best time to check your wall
Fort Lauderdale usually sees its highest tides in September, October and November. The city's predicted 2026 king tide windows include October 24 to 31, November 5 to 11, November 22 to 28 and December 24 to 25 (city king tide page). If water comes over or through your wall during these windows, photograph it with the date and time. The city says it cites owners whose seawalls contribute to roadway tidal flooding and encourages owners whose walls overtop to raise them to the 5 foot standard.
Other Broward cities apply the same regional standard with their own details. See seawall height rules by city.