A range, not just a floor
Most Broward cities set only a minimum. Pompano Beach sets both ends, so a new or substantially repaired barrier has to land between 5 feet and 5 feet 10 inches NAVD88. The city's flyer states the 5 foot minimum without the 4 foot allowance before 2035 that some other cities use; ask the City Engineer if you were counting on it (city flyer).
What counts as a tidal flood barrier
Section 151.01(B), as quoted by the city, defines a tidal flood barrier as any structure or shoreline feature that keeps tidal water from flowing onto adjacent property or the right-of-way, including banks, berms, green-grey infrastructure, seawalls, seawall caps and upland stem walls. It does not include rip-rap, derelict erosion control structures or permeable earthen mounds that do not form an impermeable barrier (city flyer).
Engineering and footprint rules
- Plans are prepared by a Florida licensed engineer, show your wall and the adjacent walls in NAVD88, and are approved by the City Engineer (Sec. 151.05).
- A new cap may extend no more than 36 inches seaward of the existing wet face.
- A rebuilt wall generally stays within 12 inches of the old wet face unless the City Engineer approves more.
- Barriers need natural limerock rip-rap or another approved habitat feature on the water side.
What NAVD88 means for a Pompano wall
The city's flyer describes NAVD88 as a calculated reference, not something you can see or measure from the water. Your contractor's surveyor ties the top of your wall to it, and that number goes on the plans the City Engineer reviews.
For when you must raise, see the Pompano Beach raise deadline, and for the two permits a seawall job needs, Pompano Beach seawall permits.