Dock Builders in Pompano Beach, FL

We are dock builders working in Pompano Beach, Florida, on the residential canals, basins and Intracoastal frontage across the city. A dock here sits in salt water around the clock, takes summer storms and the occasional hurricane, and shares the waterline with a seawall that now has its own height rule. Every quote we write starts with those conditions, not with a catalog price per square foot.

What makes this stretch of water different

Pompano Beach sits beside Hillsboro Inlet, which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway. Owners who run offshore from the canals often want a lift rather than a boat that sits in salt water between trips. The same tidal connection means canal water rises and falls twice a day and climbs higher during seasonal high tides and storms. The city's Wikipedia entry cites a 2017 study that put 73,000 residents inside FEMA's coastal floodplain. That is why seawall height, deck height and lift capacity all come up in the first conversation.

The seawall rule every canal owner should know

The City of Pompano Beach treats seawalls, banks and berms as tidal flood barriers under section 151.05 of its code, last amended by Ordinance 2022-28. The key points:

• New seawalls, and walls that are substantially repaired or rehabilitated, need a minimum elevation of 5 feet NAVD88 and may not exceed 5 feet 10 inches NAVD88.
• Plans must be prepared by a Florida-licensed engineer, show elevations in NAVD 88, and be approved by the City Engineer.
• A wall that lets tidal water through or over it onto a neighbor or the street is presumed to be in disrepair and can be cited. The owner then has 60 days to show progress and 365 days to finish.
• If dock or mooring work attached to a low wall costs more than half of what the wall along your full shoreline is worth, the code calls for raising that wall to 5 feet.

The last item matters for dock projects. A big new dock on an old, low wall can trigger seawall work, so we check the wall's elevation before pricing the dock.

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The permit sequence

Broward County requires a license before any work in, on, over or under its waters. The county's technical bulletin lets a streamlined general license cover common residential jobs, such as repairing or replacing a dock that stays at or under 500 square feet of total over-water area, or repairing a seawall no more than one foot waterward of its original line. The county says that review usually takes 7 to 10 days. State and federal reviews may follow, and the city building permit comes after those approvals. We lay the order out in writing so you know which step you are waiting on.

What we build and fix

• New dock construction: fixed docks on pilings, finger piers, platforms and replacement docks sized for your slip and boat
• Boat lifts: elevator, four-post and other lifts matched to boat weight, water depth and seawall condition
• Seawalls: new walls, caps, repairs and raises to the city's tidal flood barrier elevation
• Dock repair: pilings, framing, boards, ladders and hardware
• Boat davits: seawall-mounted davits for smaller boats, tenders and personal watercraft
• Composite dock decking: replacing worn wood boards with composite on sound framing

Built for salt, sun and storms

Marine work fails at the connections first. We specify hardware rated for salt exposure, pressure-treated pilings rated for marine use, and framing that is spaced for the decking going on top of it. For lifts, the motor, gearbox and cables go where a typical storm tide will not reach them, and wiring follows the electrical permit. Rain is part of the plan too: the 1991 to 2020 normals for Pompano Beach Airpark show about 55.6 inches a year, with June alone averaging just over 8 inches, so summer schedules leave room for afternoon storms.

How pricing works

Every estimate is written and itemized. Each service page shows national cost ranges from published guides so you have a starting point, but the number that counts is the one on your written estimate after we see the site. If demolition uncovers something new, such as a rotted piling below the waterline or a void behind the wall, we stop and price the change before going on.

Call (954) 466-9096 or request a free estimate online.

Most of our work is in Pompano Beach, from its residential canals to the Intracoastal frontage near Hillsboro Inlet. We also build and repair docks, lifts and seawalls in Lighthouse Point, Hillsboro Beach, Deerfield Beach, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors in Broward County, and in Boca Raton and Delray Beach to the north in Palm Beach County, plus Hollywood to the south. Each city runs its own building permit on top of the county and state reviews. Lighthouse Point, for example, asks for an updated survey showing seawall height and dock length before the final inspection, and Wilton Manors wants a current survey and sealed drawings up front. Seawall height limits also vary from city to city, and many associations and HOAs add their own review. The town pages cover what is different in each place.