When does a bulkhead need replacing?
Replace when problems run along most of the wall, or when the parts that hold it up have failed. Before you design, check whether local and state rules allow a new vertical wall on your shoreline at all.
Repair makes sense when damage is local: one cracked cap section, one open joint, one failed tieback. Replacement makes sense when panels, anchors and toe are failing together, or when an old timber wall has reached the end of its life.
An engineer’s assessment should make that call, with evidence. The repair-or-replace guide walks through the decision.
What does bulkhead replacement involve?
Most jobs follow this order. Ask each bidder to walk you through it.
- Survey: a boundary and elevation survey showing the existing wall and mean high water (MHW), the average high-tide line.
- Design: an engineer picks the wall type, depth, anchor system and cap height for your site.
- Permits: local, state and federal approvals, in the order your jurisdiction requires.
- Old wall: it is pulled out, cut down, or left in place with the new wall set just in front.
- New wall: sheet piles or panels go in from a barge or from land, depending on access.
- Anchors and cap: tie rods and anchors are set, then the cap is poured or fastened.
- Backfill and drainage: filter fabric, clean fill and weep holes go in behind the wall.
- Restoration: lawn, pavers, irrigation and dock connections are put back.
Engineering guidance treats seawalls, bulkheads and revetments as site-specific designs. USACE EM 1110-2-1614 A price per foot cannot replace that design.
Which bulkhead material fits my site?
The design matters more than the material. Use this table to frame questions, not to pick a winner, and get price and service life in writing.
| Material | How it is built | Ask about |
|---|---|---|
Vinyl sheet pile | Interlocking plastic sheets driven into the bottom, usually with tiebacks and a cap | Section strength for your wall height, how deep the sheets go, and sun exposure above the cap |
Concrete | Precast panels or concrete sheet piles tied to a poured cap | Steel cover inside the concrete, joint seals and filter fabric between panels |
Steel sheet pile | Interlocking steel sheets, often used for taller walls or heavier loads | Coatings, corrosion allowance in salt water and future inspection |
Aluminum sheet pile | Lighter interlocking metal sheets, often corrugated | Corrosion protection where it meets other metals, and section strength |
Timber | Treated wood piles and boards, often with wood wales and steel tie rods | Treatment type, fastener corrosion, marine borers and upkeep |
Composite (fiberglass) | Fiber-reinforced plastic sheets or caps | Product testing, section strength and the maker’s installation limits |
Matching the old wall can steer the choice. When Destin rebuilt the Clement Taylor Park seawall, the bid committee favored vinyl. FEMA’s cost proposal called for corrugated aluminum to match the existing wall, and the council chose aluminum. Destin council minutes Ask every bidder to price the same section, depth and anchor system.
What does bulkhead replacement cost in Destin?
There is no honest average for a private lot. Public bids give the best local reference, with their limits stated.
| Project | Price | What it covered |
|---|---|---|
Clement Taylor Park, Destin (2019 low bids, 325 feet) | $210,752 vinyl; $232,852 aluminum. About $648 and $716 per foot Destin RFB 19-17-REC | Tiebacks, deadman anchors, cap, backfill and removal of the old wall |
Kellogg Bayside Park, Walton (2019 award) | $305,000 Walton BCC minutes | Seawall replacement; length not stated |
Legion Park, Walton (2019 award) | Up to $388,228 Walton BCC minutes | Seawall and drainage work; length not stated |
The second Clement Taylor bidder came in at $294,000 and $384,000 on the same plans, so get several itemized bids. All of these predate Isaias. Add permit fees, survey and engineering, then build the full budget in the cost guide.
Can I build a new vertical wall on the bay?
Often not as a plain vertical wall. Local codes along Choctawhatchee Bay push owners toward riprap facing, revetments or plants.
| Where | The rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
City of Destin bay shoreline zone: Choctawhatchee Bay, Joe’s, Marler and Indian bayous | Bulkheads allowed for redevelopment only, with riprap placed waterward of the wall Destin LDC 11.01.10 | Plan for rock on the water side of a new wall |
Destin marsh areas around Joe’s, Marler and Indian bayous and Norriego Point | No seawall in coastal marsh; the fallback is an upland retaining wall at least 5 feet back, with a 150-foot infill exception Destin LDC 11.01.06 | Map the marsh before design |
Unincorporated South Walton bay | No new vertical seawall unless the lot is between two walled lots and the wall is 150 feet or less Walton LDC 4.03.03.B.4 | Most lots need riprap, a revetment or plants |
Walton coastal dune lakes | No seawalls, bulkheads, revetments or riprap within 300 feet Walton LDC 4.02.03 | Work is limited to docks, paths and plantings |
City of Freeport | New riprap up to 50 feet may be a special use; seawalls and bulkheads are left out Freeport LDC 4.01.04 | Ask the city early about a variance |
Walton’s rule speaks of new walls. Ask county Planning, at (850) 267-1955, how it treats a full replacement of an existing wall, and get the answer in writing. Walton Planning See the Walton County guide and the Miramar Beach guide.
How far can a replacement wall move?
State law gives a clear lane for restoring a wall where it stands. Moving it out into the water is where permits get hard.
- The 18-inch rule: Florida exempts restoring a seawall at its old location, landward of it, or within 18 inches waterward, from state environmental permitting. Coastal Chapter 161 rules still apply separately. s. 403.813(1)(e)
- Restoration, not new land: the state handbook treats restoring a failing wall differently from gaining yard. The reason for the work and the backfill both matter. ERP handbook
- Estuaries: if a replacement needs a state permit, DEP will generally require the wall to be faced with riprap or replaced with riprap, unless an exception applies. s. 373.414(5)
- State-owned bottom: a new or replacement wall reaching up to 3 feet waterward of mean high water needs a letter of consent; bigger ones need a lease or easement. Rule 18-21.005
- Rocky Bayou east of State Road 20: in the aquatic preserve, restoring a wall on its old line, upland, or within one foot waterward needs no consent application. The statute allows up to 18 inches. Rule 18-20.004 s. 258.42
- Gulf front: the coastal repair exemption excludes seawalls, so Gulf-side wall work needs a DEP coastal permit. s. 161.053(11)
Federal review is separate from all of this. A state exemption does not remove the need for Army Corps authorization. USACE guidance Rocky Bayou owners can read the Bluewater Bay and Rocky Bayou guide.
Which offices approve a replacement?
Expect three layers: local, state and federal. The order matters. Destin will not issue its permit until state and federal approvals are in hand. Destin LDC 11.05
| Office | Covers | Contact |
|---|---|---|
City of Destin Building Division | Lots inside Destin city limits | (850) 654-1119, option 2 Destin Building Division |
Okaloosa County Growth Management | Unincorporated Okaloosa, including Okaloosa Island, plus Shalimar and Cinco Bayou | (850) 651-7180 Okaloosa Growth Management |
Walton County Building Division | Unincorporated Walton County | (850) 892-8160 Walton Building Division |
FDEP Northwest District | State permits, exemptions and state-land consent for single-family walls | |
Army Corps, Pensacola Permits Section | Federal authorization in Okaloosa and Walton | (850) 470-9824 USACE Pensacola Section |
Destin’s permit fee is $16.30 per $1,000 of construction cost, plus a $33 planning fee and a $77 processing fee. Destin Resolution 25-10 Walton prices seawall permits on contract cost: for example, $215 for the first $50,000, plus $3 per added $1,000 up to $100,000. Walton Resolution 2025-70
In flood Zone V, Destin requires a design professional’s analysis showing a seawall will not push floodwater or waves onto neighbors. Okaloosa and Walton apply the same test in Zone V and Coastal A zones. Destin LDC 11.04.17 Okaloosa LDC 3.06.16 Walton LDC 4.09.16 The permit guide and Okaloosa County guide have the full route.
How long does a bulkhead replacement take?
No one can promise a date, and permits are usually the longest stage. Public projects nearby show how long federal review can run.
- Fort Walton Beach got its state permit for the Landing seawall in May 2018, but its Army Corps permit only in May 2022. The city said the single bid came in over the estimate mainly because of that wait. FWB staff report
- In 2026 the same city dropped a boat launch from a park contract because the Corps permit did not arrive in time. FWB Liza Jackson award
- Destin’s Clement Taylor Park contract could not start until FEMA funding was obligated and the Corps permit issued. Destin council minutes
A single-family wall is a smaller file. The Corps’ Nationwide Permit 13 covers bank stabilization, including bulkheads, up to 500 feet long within fill limits. NWP 13 (2026) Still, start the applications early. These factors drive your timeline:
- Is your lot inside a city, a town or the county?
- Is it on a bayou, the open bay, Rocky Bayou, Destin Harbor or the Gulf?
- Is there seagrass or marsh in front of the wall?
- Does the new wall stay on the old line?
- Can equipment reach from land, or is a barge needed?
- Do neighbors’ walls tie into yours?
What to ask before you sign
- Is the bid based on an engineer’s drawings? Whose?
- Does the new wall stay on the old line, or move out? By how much?
- Which permits are in the price, and who files them?
- What happens to the old wall: removed, cut down or left behind the new one?
- What license do you hold? Florida’s marine specialty license covers seawalls, bulkheads and docks; ask how yours matches this scope. Rule 61G4-15.100
- Are you registered with the City of Destin? State-licensed contractors must register with the city. Destin Code 13-71
- How big is the deposit? If you pay more than 10% up front, Florida law expects permits applied for within 30 days, unless you agree otherwise in writing. s. 489.126
Then check the license with the contractor check guide.
Show sourcesHide sources
- Design of Coastal Revetments, Seawalls, and BulkheadsSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- City of Destin, Minutes of January 6, 2020 Regular City Council Meeting, Consent Agenda item 6CSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- City of Destin, January 6, 2020 City Council Meeting Packet, Item 2019-2043: Approval to award bid, RFB 19-17-REC Clement Taylor Park Replacement of Existing Seawall (bid comparison and bid forms)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Walton County BCC Regular Meeting Minutes, June 10, 2019 (estimate from April 23, 2019 minutes)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Walton County BCC Regular Meeting Minutes, March 12, 2019Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Destin LDC Sec. 11.01.10 Bay shoreline protection zoneSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Walton County LDC Chapter IV Resource Protection Standards, Sec. 4.03.03 (Municode, Supp. 70 Update 1)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- City of Freeport Land Development Code Article 4 (August 9, 2022)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Planning and Development ServicesSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- 2026 Florida Statutes section 403.813Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Florida ERP Applicant Handbook Volume I, June 28 2024Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- 2026 Florida Statutes s. 373.414Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- 18-21.005 Forms of AuthorizationSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Rule 18-20.004, F.A.C., Management Policies, Standards and CriteriaSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Florida Statutes s. 258.42, Maintenance of preserves (2026 Florida Statutes)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- 161.053 Coastal construction and excavation; regulation on county basis (The 2026 Florida Statutes)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- USACE South Atlantic Division Florida regulatory guidanceSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Destin LDC Sec. 11.05.00 Marina sitingSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Building DivisionSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Growth ManagementSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Building DivisionSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Northwest DistrictSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Operating Agreement Concerning Regulation Under Part IV, Chapter 373, F.S., Between NWFWMD and DEPSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Jacksonville District Regulatory Office LocationsSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Resolution 25-10, Schedule of Fees, Section 2: Building Permits and Developer FeesSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Resolution 2025-70 Permit FeesSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Destin LDC Sec. 11.04.17 Flood resistant development - Other developmentSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Okaloosa County LDC Chapter 3 Overlay Zones, 3.06.16 Other developmentSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- City of Fort Walton Beach City Council Regular Meeting, February 14, 2023, Item: Award of ITB 23-002 - Fort Walton Beach Landing Improvements - Phase I (agenda and minutes)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- City of Fort Walton Beach City Council Regular Meeting, March 24, 2026, Item: Award of ITB 25-010 Liza Jackson Park Improvements (agenda and minutes)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Reissuance and Modification of Nationwide Permits (full text), NWP 13Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Rule 61G4-15.100, F.A.C., Certified Specialty ContractorsSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Destin Code of Ordinances Ch. 13, Art. IV Local Licensing of ContractorsSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Section 489.126, Florida Statutes (2026), Moneys received by contractorsSource reviewed 2026-10-27