Docks and boat lifts.
Plan them with the wall behind them.

What do I need to rebuild or add a dock?

Docks and bulkheads share loads. Gangways and lift beams often bolt to the cap, and dock piles stand a few feet off the wall. Driving new piles, or hanging a heavier lift, can affect the wall.

So plan the two together. If the bulkhead needs work soon, doing it before the new dock goes in can save tearing the dock out later.

Is there a deadline to rebuild a storm-damaged dock?

Yes, in four cities. Each lets an owner rebuild a damaged dock at the same or smaller size. The owner must file the permit application within six months of the damage. In Destin, Mary Esther and Cinco Bayou, that rebuild is excused from today’s length and slip limits.

Isaias made landfall on October 9, 2026. NWS Isaias report Six months from that date is about April 9, 2027, so confirm the start date with your city.

Destin also announced a 60-day exemption on October 13, 2026. It covers only board-for-board repair, in the same spot, of docks first built under a permit. City of Destin notice Piers on Choctawhatchee Bay have been lost before: NWS reported several damaged and destroyed in Hurricane Michael in 2018. NWS Michael report

What changed for Destin docks in 2026?

Ordinance 26-13-LC, adopted April 2, 2026, moved single-family dock review to city staff. It removed Harbor and Waterways Board and City Council review for those docks. Destin Ord. 26-13-LC The online code still shows the old process, so confirm the steps with Planning.

• Boat lifts: adding or changing a lift inside an existing legal slip skips board review. The permit file needs the Corps and DEP permits and any HOA approval. Destin LDC 11.05.01.B
• Length: a pier is capped at 20% of the waterway width or 200 feet, except in Choctawhatchee Bay. A dock may be no longer than the lot is wide at mean high water, or 1.5 times that on the bay. Lots under 50 feet of waterfront get shore-parallel docks only. Destin LDC 11.05.01
• Neighbors and lights: written notice is required before a dock or boat sits within 25 feet of a side line. Docks 100 feet or longer need a dusk-to-dawn light. Destin LDC 11.05.01
• Destin Harbor: docks and piers in the harbor and its canals owe a Net Positive Environmental Benefit charge of 25% of construction cost before the permit issues. Destin LDC 11.05.02.N

See the Destin Harbor and Joe’s Bayou guides for local detail.

What about Okaloosa County, Okaloosa Island and Rocky Bayou?

Unincorporated Okaloosa County uses a residential dock application. It asks for proof of ownership, two sets of plans and a scaled site plan showing property lines extended into the water. It also needs copies of the DEP and Corps permits, or the DEP self-certification.

• No structure may cross the extended property line without the neighbor’s ink-signed permission.
• Covered boathouses need engineered drawings.
• Lifts, lights and outlets need separate electrical permits. Okaloosa dock application

On Okaloosa Island, single-family docks and seawalls go to the Okaloosa Island Leaseholders Association review committee and county staff before a permit. Okaloosa LDC 3.01.04 The island covenants also call for County Commission approval for structures below the high-water line. Island covenants Ask Growth Management which route applies.

Rocky Bayou east of the State Road 20 bridge is the county’s only aquatic preserve. There, DEP self-certification is limited to docks of 500 square feet or less, not 1,000. Okaloosa dock form Preserve rules cap a private dock’s terminal platform at 160 square feet. Rule 18-20.004(5) See the Okaloosa Island and Bluewater Bay and Rocky Bayou guides.

What are the rules for South Walton bay and dune lake docks?

On Choctawhatchee Bay in South Walton, a dock in the shoreline buffer may not sit over seagrass. The exception is the length needed to reach water one foot deeper than the boat’s lowest point at mean low tide. Walton LDC 4.03.03.B.3

Docks are allowed on the 30A coastal dune lakes. Within 100 feet of the lake, no other building or clearing is allowed. The only exception is one 10-foot access path. Walton LDC 4.02.03 Dock lights must go off after 10 p.m. or when not in use, and must be full-cutoff, low-pressure sodium or LED. Walton LDC 5.09.03

Lake Powell, with Phillips Inlet and its tributaries, is an Outstanding Florida Water. Rule 62-302.700 The state dock exemption there is 500 square feet, not 1,000. s. 403.813(1)(b) See the 30A dune lakes guide and the Walton County guide.

How big can a dock be without a full state permit?

A state exemption is not a federal permit. USACE guidance Federal review for Okaloosa and Walton runs through the Corps’ Pensacola Permits Section, at (850) 470-9824. USACE Pensacola Section

What to ask before you sign

• Who draws the plans, and do they show pile spacing, lumber spans and how the dock ties to the wall?
• Will new piles or a lift put load on my bulkhead cap?
• Which permits are included: city or county, DEP, Corps, electrical, HOA?
• Has anyone checked for seagrass in front of the lot?
• Is the lift rated for my boat’s weight, with margin?
• What happens to the schedule if a permit takes longer than expected?
• Is your license right for dock work? Florida’s marine rules include dock and pile driving specialties. Rule 61G4-15.100

Budget with the cost guide and check the full route in the permit guide.