The three triggers
The city's Build It High flyer lists the scenarios that require a barrier below 5 feet NAVD88 to be raised or replaced (city flyer):
- tidal water flows unimpeded through or over the barrier onto adjacent property or a public right-of-way,
- the barrier is not maintained in good repair,
- the barrier is undergoing substantial repair or rehabilitation, in which case the new barrier runs along the property's entire shoreline.
Dock work can start the clock
Substantial repair includes modifying more than 50 percent of the length of your shoreline, and also modifying or installing attached structures, such as docks, when the cost exceeds 50 percent of the cost of a barrier along the whole shoreline, as determined by the City Engineer. The city adds that if your barrier is below 5 feet and you modify a dock, piling or boat lift, your contractor must submit a cost analysis that includes the estimated cost of raising the barrier to 5 feet (city flyer). A boat lift project is often the moment Pompano owners learn their wall is low.
The citation clock
The owner must show progress toward repairing the cited defect within 60 days of the citation. No later than 365 days after the citation, the owner must obtain permits, build, and get final inspection approval of improvements that meet the minimum elevation and design rules (city flyer). Section 151.05 treats a barrier that lets tidal water onto a neighbor or the right-of-way as a citable public nuisance (Sec. 151.05).
Fitting the work into a year
A Pompano seawall job needs two city permits, a building permit and an engineering permit from the City Engineer, plus the Broward County Environmental Resource General License. Each permit has its own inspections. See Pompano Beach seawall permits for the list, and email docksandseawalls@copbfl.com with questions.
For the elevation range itself, see the Pompano Beach seawall height requirement.