Dock Builders in Oakland Park, FL

Oakland Park is mostly an inland city, but it does have water, and dock builders are called to its homes along the North Fork of the Middle River. The city's original 1929 limits ran from the north fork of the river up to Prospect Road, and about 0.67 square miles of its 8.2 square miles is water. For owners on that frontage, a well-built dock opens the river and, through it, the Intracoastal.

Start with the site

A new dock in Oakland Park usually goes on a lot that has never had one, or replaces a small, tired platform. Before we draw anything, we look at:

• Water depth at low tide along your frontage
• The width of the river or canal and your neighbors' docks
• The condition and height of your seawall or bank
• Where power will come from if you want lights or a lift

Those four items decide the size, shape and type of dock that will work and get permitted.

Building it

Most new residential docks on this kind of water are fixed docks on pilings. Pilings are driven or jetted to depth, then capped with framing sized for the span and the deck. On narrow water, a marginal dock that runs parallel to the wall takes less room than a finger dock and is often easier to permit. For decking, owners choose between pressure-treated lumber and composite boards; composite costs more at the start but needs less upkeep.

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Slow water, manatee rules

The Middle River is a year-round slow speed zone under Florida's manatee rule for Broward County. That keeps boat traffic gentle past riverfront docks. It also means agencies look closely at in-water work, so construction plans include protection steps such as turbidity barriers and watching for manatees in the work area.

Seawalls and county rules

Broward County's tidal flood barrier policy requires tidally influenced cities to adopt seawall standards with a five foot NAVD88 minimum for new or substantially repaired walls. If your project includes a new seawall, or if dock work costs more than half of a full-shoreline wall, expect the height rule to come into play. The city's building department can confirm how it applies to your parcel.

A city shaped by an early hurricane

Oakland Park began as the Town of Floranada in 1925, a mix of Florida and Canada. After the 1926 hurricane the town went bankrupt, and it reincorporated as Oakland Park in 1929. Storms have been part of the city's story from the start, which is why we design docks with storm loads and surge in mind.

Small lifts and davits

For kayaks, paddleboards or a small skiff, a pair of davits or a compact lift may be all you need. They keep the boat out of the water and save you the work of hauling it up the bank after every trip.