Seawall and Bulkhead Repair in Jacksonville, FL
A seawall holds your yard back from the water. If it is cracking, leaning or leaking soil, send a photo and a local marine builder calls back to look at it.
Around San Marco, Ortega and nearby
Calls are recorded for quality assurance.
Signs a seawall needs work
- Cracks, gaps or open joints in the wall.
- The top of the wall leaning toward the water.
- Sinkholes or low spots in the yard just behind the wall, which can mean soil is washing out through it.
- Rusted or broken tie-backs, or a cap that has split.
- Water seeping through the wall face at low tide.
Seawall and bulkhead mean much the same thing here: a wall at the shoreline that holds the soil behind it.
Restoring a wall in the same place
Florida law exempts the restoration of a seawall from a state environmental permit when it is rebuilt at its previous location, set back upland of it, or no more than 18 inches waterward of it. Many owners use that 18 inches to build a new wall just in front of the old one.
A city or county building permit may still apply, and the builder can tell you which one your address needs.
New walls and other options
New seawalls are treated more strictly. State law exempts seawalls in artificially created waterways, but not new vertical seawalls in estuaries or lagoons unless they are in an existing manmade canal already lined with seawalls. Outside those cases, a new wall needs state review.
The federal general permit used in Florida covers shoreline stabilization, including living shorelines, which use plants, oyster shell or rock in place of a vertical wall. Ask whether that fits your shore.
Questions to ask
- Can the wall be repaired, or does it need to be replaced?
- Will the new wall stay within 18 inches of the old one?
- What material is the new wall, and how is it tied back into the yard?
- How is the soil behind the wall kept from washing out again?
- Is the dock attached to the wall, and does it need work at the same time?
Seawall questions
Can the dock and the seawall be done together?
Often, and it can save a second trip for the crew and the equipment. Mention both when you call.
How long does a seawall last?
It depends on the material, the water and how well soil is kept from washing through it. The builder can judge an existing wall when looking at it.
Ready when you are
Call now, or send the form. A local pro calls you back, usually the same business day.
Calls are recorded for quality assurance.