When to raise a Miami Beach seawall

When do I need to raise my seawall?

Start with the work and condition, not the grant date. New seawalls and existing walls needing substantial improvements are subject to the 5.7 ft NAVD88 requirement. Existing-wall provisions, flooding conditions, and limited maintenance exceptions need project-specific review by the City and qualified professionals. NAVD88 is a surveyed elevation reference, not height above the yard or water.

Start with the City’s elevation tool

Explore the City of Miami Beach Seawall Elevation Tool as a starting point. It does not replace a site-specific survey or engineering evaluation. Address search has not been tested by this service.

• City of Miami Beach Seawall Elevation Tool↗Reviewed October 24, 2026

New walls, substantial work, and existing-wall provisions

Section 54-61 defines substantial improvements as work costing $500 or more per linear foot. Section 54-62(a) sets 5.7 ft NAVD88 for new and substantially improved walls. Less-than-substantial existing-wall work has a 4.0 ft provision only when designed and built for a future 5.7 ft elevation, with a limited-maintenance exception requiring an engineering report acceptable to the City. Ask the City and engineer which category applies.

Take these questions to your professional

• What survey and vertical datum establish the existing elevation?
• Does this scope trigger new construction or substantial improvement requirements?
• How will drainage, adjacent properties, and tidal overtopping be addressed?
• Which agencies must approve the design before construction?

If you have a notice

Applicable notice requirements generally include showing progress within 60 days, permit applications within six months, and a remedy within 730 days. Immediate mitigation may be required within three days or another City-specified period; a notice of violation has a ten-day appeal window. The actual notice and applicable provision control, not a blanket grace period.

Three different clocks

• Grant application: apply by November 30, 2026, before midnight Eastern, or earlier if program capacity is reached. This is not a universal wall-raising completion date.
• Construction and code: an upgrade requirement depends on the applicable project scope, existing conditions, and City requirements. A grant application does not itself authorize construction.
• City notice: verify the actual response, appeal, progress, permit, mitigation, and remedy dates with the issuing office. Do not substitute a blanket 730-day grace period.