Bulkhead inspection in Destin.
Find out what is failing first.

What does a bulkhead assessment cover?

A bulkhead, or seawall, is a system with four main parts:

• Cap: the concrete beam along the top.
• Panels or sheet piles: the face of the wall.
• Tie rods and anchors: steel rods that run back to buried anchors and hold the top.
• Toe: the bottom of the wall, below the mud line.

A walk-around looks at the cap, joints and yard. A full assessment may add probing behind the wall, digging at a tieback or checking the toe from the water. Ask in writing which of these the visit includes.

Home inspectors are not required to inspect seawalls, docks or boat lifts under Florida’s standards. Rule 61-30.810 For structural questions, use a Florida-licensed engineer, and look up the license on MyFloridaLicense. FBPE license lookup

Which records should I pull before the visit?

Old permits and surveys show what was built and when. They save the assessor time and you money.

• City of Destin permits: search the property on the MyGovernmentOnline portal. Questions go to 850.654.1119 or Permits@cityofdestin.com. Destin MGO process
• Okaloosa County permits: the county portal lets you search permits on a property. Permits issued through April 2025 sit in the older system. Okaloosa CSS portal
• Walton County permits: the county EnerGov portal holds building permits and planning files. Walton EnerGov portal
• Deeds, easements and recorded surveys: use the Okaloosa Clerk’s Official Records search. Okaloosa Clerk
• Flood zone and elevation certificates: Destin and Okaloosa County both run Forerunner flood portals with property-level data. Destin flood portal Okaloosa flood tools
• Your own file: repair invoices, dated photos and any earlier engineer’s letter.

Ask that survey elevations be given in NAVD 88 by a Florida-registered surveyor. NOAA notes that NGVD 29 is no longer supported and that neither datum equals mean sea level. NOAA datum definitions The permit guide and the Okaloosa and Walton county guides list the offices.

What do cracks, spalling and rust stains mean?

Cracks are what most owners notice first. Where a crack sits matters more than how wide it is.

Ask the assessor to mark each crack on a simple plan, so later photos can be matched to it. The cap and panel repair guide covers the options.

Why is the ground sinking behind my seawall?

A sinkhole or soft spot behind the cap usually means sand is leaving through the wall. Water moves in and out with waves, wind and rain. Each time, it can carry fine sand through an open joint, torn filter fabric or a gap around a pipe.

Filter fabric is the cloth behind the wall that lets water out and keeps sand in. Drainage and filtration are designed together to relieve water pressure while holding soil in place. Coastal engineering guidance

• Mark the edge of each low spot with a stake, and photograph it weekly.
• Note whether it grows after rain, after high water or after a storm.
• On a calm, low-water day, look at the water side for sand fans or open joints.
• Keep cars, boat trailers and heavy planters off the soft area.

The soil loss and drainage guide explains why filling the hole is not the fix.

Is my bulkhead leaning or bulging?

Lean is harder to see than cracks. Sight down the cap from one end, or stretch a string between two fixed points. A cap that bows toward the water, or a growing gap between the cap and your patio, means the wall has moved.

• Measure from a fixed object, such as a house corner, to the back of the cap at marked spots.
• Repeat the same measurements every month and after storms.
• Photograph from the same spots each time.
• Keep people, vehicles and equipment well back from a wall that is moving.

A moving wall points to the tiebacks, the anchors or the toe. These are buried, so an engineer may need to dig at one tieback or check the toe from the water. Engineering guidance treats bulkheads as site-specific designs, so a photo cannot settle the cause. USACE EM 1110-2-1614 See the tiebacks and anchors guide.

What should I check after Hurricane Isaias?

Storm water rises fast and drains slowly, and that is hard on a wall. During Isaias, new state gauges read about 4 feet above mean higher high water at Old Pass Lagoon and 3.7 feet at East Pass. Fort Walton Beach reached about 2.9 feet and Cinco Bayou 2.3. NWS Isaias water levels Walton County bay gauges peaked between about 2 and 2.6 feet. NWS Tallahassee Isaias report

The normal daily tide range in the bay is only about half a foot. NOAA tide datums So Isaias put several feet of extra water against walls built for calm days. Damage can show up weeks later as new sinkholes or lean.

• Photograph and video the wall, cap, yard and dock before cleanup. Keep damaged pieces if it is safe. NFIP documentation guidance
• Note the date you first saw each change.
• Check for new soft spots after the next heavy rain.
• Call your insurer before repairs. Standard NFIP flood policies exclude seawalls, bulkheads and docks, with a narrow exception for walls that are part of the building’s foundation. NFIP policy guidance

Destin’s 60-day storm exemption covers board-for-board dock and fence repairs. It does not mention seawalls, so plan on a permit for wall work. City of Destin notice The storm guide has the full checklist.

What should the written report tell me?

The report is what you hand to contractors. Ask for one that lets each bidder price the same work.

• Which parts of the wall were checked, and how: by eye, probing, digging or from the water.
• What was found, with photos tied to marked spots on a plan.
• The likely cause of each problem, not just the symptom.
• What could not be checked, and what it would take to check it.
• Repair options, and what finding would push the job toward replacement.
• Whether permits, an engineer’s drawings or a survey will be needed.

Then compare paths in the repair-or-replace guide and price the scope in the cost guide.

What to ask before you book an assessment

• Who will do the visit, and are they a Florida-licensed engineer?
• Does the fee cover digging at a tieback, probing, or a look at the toe from the water?
• Will the report be written, and when will I get it?
• Are you also bidding on the repair? If so, how is that handled?
• Can I share the report with other contractors and my insurer?

An assessor who also sells repairs is not a problem in itself, but you should know up front. Ask for findings that stand on their own.

What to look at first in your area

The water in front of your wall decides where damage starts. These guides show what to check first.

• Destin Harbor & Holiday Isle: boats wear a wall down more than waves do, so start at the toe and the panel joints.
• Kelly Plantation & Regatta Bay: open-bay waves make toe rock, sheet pile length and tiebacks matter more.
• Joe's Bayou: one city outfall drains more than 200 lots, so stormwater is part of most wall problems.
• Valparaiso & Toms Bayou: the city code bars boat wakes that damage seawalls.