The short answer
Yes, in practice. Installing, replacing or making a major repair to a seawall needs a building permit from your city. Fort Lauderdale's Building Division lists a building permit with building, zoning and engineering review (Fort Lauderdale checklist), and Hollywood says the installation, replacement or major repair of a seawall, residential or commercial, requires a building permit (Hollywood checklist). On top of the city permit, Broward County requires a license before any work in, on, over or under county waters, including seawall and dock repair (Broward 311).
None of the city checklists we reviewed lists seawall work that is exempt, so ask the city's building department before anything structural starts.
What goes in a typical permit package
The checklists differ by city, but most ask for the same core items:
- A Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application, usually from a licensed contractor.
- Signed and sealed seawall and pile plans by a Florida licensed engineer or architect.
- Signed and sealed surveys showing existing and proposed elevations, and often a final survey after the work.
- Broward County environmental approval or license, plus state or federal approvals where they apply.
- A special inspector form when piles are installed.
- A recorded Notice of Commencement on larger jobs (Hollywood and Oakland Park set the line at $5,000).
If the job is a substantial repair, the plans also have to meet your city's tidal flood barrier elevation. See the Broward County height requirement.
City by city: what is asked and who to call
| City | Notable checklist items | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | Dredge approval from Broward County and/or FDEP, sealed surveys with existing and proposed elevations, sealed seawall and pile plans, special inspector form, final survey (checklist, rev. 2016) | Development Services, 954-828-6520 |
| Hollywood | Application from a licensed general contractor, Broward Environmental Resource General License, contract or schedule of values, sealed plans, NOC over $5,000 (checklist, May 2023) | Building Division, 954-921-3335, ePermits@hollywoodfl.org |
| Dania Beach | Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application, electronic plan submittal (Building Division) | Building Division, 954-924-6805, permitting@daniabeachfl.gov |
| Hallandale Beach | Structural, zoning and engineering review, digital submittal, sealed survey with existing and proposed elevations, sealed seawall and pile plans, special inspector form, final survey, Army Corps, SFWMD, Broward and FDEP permits or no-objection letters (checklist, Aug. 2024) | Building Division, (954) 457-2220 option 2, bldgpermitsupport@cohb.org |
| Wilton Manors | Sealed survey under two years old, sealed engineering, Broward environmental review and General License, state, Army Corps and SFWMD where needed, HOA approval where required (checklist, May 2024) | Community Development Services, 954-390-2180 |
| Lighthouse Point | Outside agency approvals, two sets of sealed plans, zoning affidavit if the survey is over a year old, NOC, Longshore insurance where required, updated survey showing wall height before final (checklist) | Building Department, 954-943-6509 |
| Oakland Park | Engineering, structural and zoning review, sealed plans and surveys, special inspector form, final survey, NOC over $5,000, property appraiser valuation (checklist) | Building and Permitting, 954-630-4350, building@oaklandparkfl.gov |
| Pompano Beach | Engineer-prepared plans showing your wall and the neighbors' in NAVD88, approved by the City Engineer; cost analysis for dock work on walls below 5 ft (Sec. 151.05, city flyer) | docksandseawalls@copbfl.com |
Checklists change. Each city notes that additional items may be required depending on scope, so confirm with the building department before you submit.
Who usually pulls the permit
For most seawall jobs, the licensed contractor and the engineer put the package together and the contractor applies. Hollywood's checklist, for example, expects the application to come from a licensed general contractor (Hollywood checklist). Seawall construction in Florida is licensed work, and you can check any contractor's license on MyFloridaLicense.com. When you compare quotes, ask each contractor to list permits, engineering, surveys and the county license as separate line items. Our cost guide shows typical published figures for those items.
We connect Fort Lauderdale and South Broward owners with licensed, insured local seawall contractors who handle permitting as part of the job. Request a free quote.