Concrete seawall and angled support piles at the waterline, with a band of barnacles

Fort Lauderdale, FL · Broward County

Seawall Cleaning & Dock Piling Cleaning in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Our divers clean seawalls and dock pilings in the water, at private docks and marinas across Fort Lauderdale. This is our home base.

Get a Free Quote (954) 459-8803

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Seawall and piling cleaning on Fort Lauderdale's canals

Seawall cleaning in Fort Lauderdale is done from the water. A diver works along the wall and around each piling and takes off the barnacles, oysters and algae that build up at the waterline and below it. Then the diver checks the surface for damage or erosion.

The City of Fort Lauderdale tells waterfront owners to inspect their seawalls and keep them maintained. A wall under a thick band of growth cannot be inspected. Cleaning shows the concrete again, so you, or the engineer or contractor you hire, can see what is there.

We are a Fort Lauderdale dive crew, and more of our seawall and piling customers are here than in any other city. We also wrap dock pilings. Raising a wall or repairing its structure is separate work for a marine contractor.

Concrete pilings and a seawall under a dock, with barnacles and green algae at the waterline

Seawall rule: ULDR Section 47-19.3, updated March 23, 2023.
New seawalls in the city must reach a top elevation of at least 5 feet.
Highest tides here usually come in September, October and November.

Local notes for Fort Lauderdale

The City's seawall rule: when a wall has to be raised

Fort Lauderdale updated its seawall ordinance on March 23, 2023 to set a minimum top elevation for seawalls. The City lists three cases where an owner must raise one: when building a new seawall, when more than 50% of the structure is damaged, and when the owner is cited because tidal water gets past the wall onto a neighbor's property or the street. Cleaning does not raise a wall. It shows the people who decide what condition the wall is in.

City of Fort Lauderdale, Climate Resiliency

King tides: what the City asks owners to do

Fort Lauderdale's highest tides usually come in September, October and November, the City says, and it publishes the predicted king tide dates each year. Its advice to owners is short: inspect your seawall and provide regular maintenance, and if the tide comes over the top, raise the wall to the City's current 5-foot standard. Owners whose seawalls add to flooding on the street get cited, the City says.

City of Fort Lauderdale, King Tides and High Tides

Seawall & Dock Cleaning questions in Fort Lauderdale

Does the City of Fort Lauderdale expect owners to maintain their seawalls?

Yes. The City of Fort Lauderdale tells owners to inspect their seawalls and provide regular maintenance, and it says it cites owners whose seawalls add to tidal flooding on the street. The rule is ULDR Section 47-19.3. Cleaning is part of that upkeep: it takes the growth off so the wall can be inspected.

Will cleaning my seawall bring it up to Fort Lauderdale's 5-foot standard?

No. Cleaning a seawall does not change its height. Fort Lauderdale's 5-foot minimum top elevation applies to new seawalls and to walls that have to be raised, and that is construction work for a marine contractor. Cleaning comes first when the growth hides the wall, because nobody can judge a wall they cannot see.

Do you clean dock pilings as well as seawalls in Fort Lauderdale?

Yes. We clean dock pilings and seawalls in Fort Lauderdale, at docks behind homes and in marinas, and we wrap dock pilings too. In the city our divers work in Marina Bay, Bahia Mar and Yacht Haven. Tell us how long the wall is and how many pilings the dock has when you call.

Which Fort Lauderdale waters do you work on?

We work on the New River, the Intracoastal Waterway and the canals that run off them, at private docks and at marina slips. Fort Lauderdale is where our crew is based, so this is the city we are in most.