How Hollywood prices a seawall permit
Hollywood handles seawalls through one building permit from the Building Division rather than a separate city engineering permit, and the fee is a percentage of the value of the work. The Comprehensive Schedule of Fees sets the building permit fee on the value of work, labor and material (city fee schedule):
| Item | Published rate |
|---|---|
| Work valued up to $1,000 | 10 percent, with a $100 minimum permit fee |
| Work valued from $1,001 to $1,000,000 | 2.20 percent of the value in that tier |
| State surcharge | 1.5 percent of the permit fee to each of two state agencies, 3 percent in total |
| Broward County surcharge | $0.52 per $1,000 of the value of work, minimum $2 |
| Technology and education fees | 2 percent and 1 percent of the calculated permit fee |
| Re-inspection and change of contractor | $75 per discipline and $50 |
The county license is separate: the Environmental Resource General License form lists a $200 application fee (county form).
The 4 foot versus 5 foot decision is a Hollywood cost question
Section 150.30 requires new and substantially repaired walls to reach 5 feet NAVD88. Applications submitted before January 1, 2035 may be permitted at 4 feet if the wall is designed and built to accommodate 5 feet by January 1, 2050 (Sec. 150.30). The code also says the city will re-evaluate the 5 foot requirement in 2034 or before. That makes the choice a real pricing question: build to 5 feet now, or build to 4 feet with panels, piles and tiebacks sized to carry another foot. Ask for both options in writing, because the 4 foot design still has to be engineered for 5.
What Hollywood's checklist puts in the quote
- Sealed plans and a survey. Construction plans signed, sealed and dated by a design professional, plus a survey or site plan (city checklist).
- Wind load and uplift checks. Reviewers verify the seawall meets wind load specifications and that framing meets uplift and lateral forces, so the engineer's design carries those calculations.
- A special inspector when piles are driven. The Special Inspector Form must be signed and sealed by an engineer or architect, and at completion a certificate of compliance goes to the city. That is inspection time on the job, not a free extra.
- Outside agencies. Depending on scope, permits from Florida DEP, the South Florida Water Management District or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may also apply.
- Notice of Commencement. Required when the contract price is over $5,000. A missing one does not stop permit issuance but holds the first inspection.
Where Hollywood's setting changes the work
Hollywood's seawall rule applies to canal, Intracoastal and lake shorelines, not to oceanfront beaches or shorelines seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line (Sec. 150.30). It also covers fixed structures attached to a wall, such as docks and boat lifts, so dock projects can pull a wall into the budget. The ordinance makes room for living shorelines, a natural alternative to hard walls (City of Hollywood); whether one fits depends on space, water depth and boat access, which an engineer or marine contractor has to assess. Hollywood's 2019 voter-approved bond funds tidal flooding and seawall work on public shorelines only, so a private wall remains the owner's cost.
A worked example for a 100 foot Hollywood wall
The published new-wall range used in these examples is $250 to $400 per linear foot for an installed concrete panel wall (JKT Marine). It is arithmetic on published figures, not a quote, and it leaves out demolition, dock work and difficult access. For 100 feet that is $25,000 to $40,000 for the wall. Using the rates above for the value of work:
| Line | Low end | High end |
|---|---|---|
| New wall at $250 to $400 per foot | $25,000 | $40,000 |
| Building permit: $100 on the first $1,000, 2.20 percent above | $628 | $958 |
| State surcharge at 3 percent | $18.84 | $28.74 |
| Broward County surcharge at $0.52 per $1,000 | $13 | $20.80 |
| Technology and education fees at 3 percent combined | $18.84 | $28.74 |
| City fees subtotal | $678.68 | $1,036.28 |
City fees are a small share of a job this size; engineering, sealed plans, the special inspector and the contractor's own permitting time are larger. One South Florida contractor publishes $2,000 to $5,000 for engineering and $800 to $3,000 for permits on a typical project (JKT Marine), so ask which lines your quote includes. The schedule also lists a separate engineering permit fee of 5 percent of the value of work, minimum $50, for engineering permits; ask the Building Division whether your scope needs one, since it would change the total.
If the city cites your wall, Section 150.30 gives 60 days to show progress and 365 days to finish; a substantial repair has to be designed, permitted, built and inspected inside that year. See the Hollywood raise deadline page.
For the per-foot tables behind these ranges, see our Fort Lauderdale seawall repair cost guide. For the rules, see the Hollywood seawall height requirement, Hollywood seawall permits and the Hollywood seawall repair page.
We assess the wall on site and coordinate the repair with a licensed contractor; request a free quote.