Dock Builders in Sea Ranch Lakes, FL

Sea Ranch Lakes is a tiny gated village of about 540 people, and dock builders working here need to know its rules before drawing anything. Residential lots border the Intracoastal Waterway and ring two artificial freshwater lakes. The village code treats those two shorelines very differently, and that decides whether a dock is possible at all.

Intracoastal lots versus lake lots

Under Section 6.01.05 of the village code, docks, piers and mooring posts on lots that abut the Intracoastal may be built only to plans approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and approved in writing by the village Committee. On lots that abut the interior waters, boat landings, docks, piers, mooring posts and boathouses are not allowed. Owners and occupants share an easement on the lakes for navigation, fishing and swimming.

In short, if you are on the lakes, a dock is not an option under the code. If you are on the Intracoastal, a dock is possible with the right approvals.

Seawall rules

Section 6.01.06 requires new or substantially repaired tidal flood barriers to reach five feet NAVD88, with a four foot option for applications filed before 2035 if the wall can be raised to five by 2050. Owners must keep walls in good repair, with 60 days to show progress and 365 days to finish after a violation notice. The section also bars building a wall on top of a seawall and limits walls over four feet between the water and the nearest setback line on waterfront lots.

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Mooring structures and substantial repair

The village code defines a mooring structure to include a dock, slip, davit, hoist, lift or floating platform. Installing or changing one counts as substantial repair of the seawall if its cost exceeds half the cost of a tidal flood barrier along the shoreline. That is an important threshold: a large dock or lift project on an older wall may require raising the wall too.

How we approach a village project

We start with your survey and the current wall height. Then we draw the dock, any lift and any wall work together so the Committee and the Army Corps see one clear plan. We also follow village rules on site, which include posting at least two no-trespassing signs on unoccupied property during construction.

A little history

The Sea Ranch Cabana Club opened in 1939 on 45 acres with 1,800 feet of seashore, followed by the Sea Ranch Hotel in 1940, which gave the village its name. The residential community was developed in 1956, and the village incorporated in 1959.