Jacksonville Beach · Your waterfront project

Jacksonville Beach seawall and bulkhead planning

Jacksonville Beach is its own city with its own building division. Intracoastal lots and oceanfront lots face different water and different rules.

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Land: U.S. Census Bureau county geometry minus Census TIGER water. Place markers: USGS Geographic Names Information System. Snapshot: October 24, 2026. General reference only; not a survey, flood map or service-availability boundary.

Get to know your waterfront

Jacksonville Beach is a separate city inside Duval County, with Intracoastal Waterway frontage on its west side and the Atlantic on its east. Census counts about 7.3 square miles of land and 14.6 square miles of water inside the city limits. Its Intracoastal walls see ocean-type tide range and salinity, while oceanfront property falls under Florida’s coastal construction rules and the federally authorized Duval County shore protection project.

2024 Census Gazetteer: Florida places · St. Augustine Beach and ICWW station datums (8720587, 8720494, 8720398, 8720305, 8720267) · USACE awards $32.4M Florida beach re-nourishment contract

Two shorelines, two kinds of assessment

On the Intracoastal side, ask the assessor to check the splash zone and the band just below low water, where steel and reinforcing bar corrode fastest, and to sound any timber for borers. The Intracoastal near Palm Valley and Pablo Creek keeps a daily tide range of roughly 4–5 feet. St. Augustine Beach and ICWW station datums (8720587, 8720494, 8720398, 8720305, 8720267) · UFM 4-150-07 Waterfront Facilities: Operation and Maintenance

On the ocean side, a wall or revetment is coastal armoring. Eligibility, design storm and the 250-foot gap rule decide what can be permanent; see the oceanfront armoring guide. Rule 62B-33.0051, F.A.C. – Coastal Armoring and Related Structures

Local records worth pulling

The city’s Planning and Development office keeps Elevation Certificates received since 1989.
FEMA’s updated Duval County flood maps took effect November 2, 2018.
The city says permits are needed before development in the special flood hazard area, including bringing fill onto a property.

Flood Protection Information (flyer)

What could the work cost?

Price Intracoastal and oceanfront work separately. Oceanfront armoring is a different scale of project; a Jacksonville-area contractor has put private oceanfront walls at $150,000 or more.

Published prices are attributed planning context from contractors’ own pages, not a measured Jacksonville average or this website’s quote. Ranges differ about five-fold between publishers; your written, itemized scope decides the real number.

Compare quotes and plan a budget →

Find the relevant permits and records

Jacksonville Beach researched starting points
Starting point	What to resolve	Prepare and look up
Jacksonville Beach Building Division	Building permit, inspections and flood-zone requirements inside city limits.	Address, survey with elevations, engineered drawings and contractor license. 11 N Third Street; 904-247-6235. Building Inspection Division · Flood Protection Information (flyer)
Florida DEP Northeast District (Jacksonville)	State environmental resource permit or exemption, and state-lands consent for work at or below the high-water line. DEP handles single-family docks and shore protection not tied to a larger development.	Survey with the existing wall face and high-water line, the proposed alignment and photos. DEP Northeast District: 904-256-1700. Northeast District · Operating Agreements ERP Permitting: DEP District Offices and the Water Management District Offices · Operating Agreement Concerning Regulation Under Part IV, Ch. 373, F.S., Between SJRWMD and DEP (eff. 07/01/07)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District	Federal authorization for work in tidal and navigable waters, often verified by DEP through the state programmatic general permit or covered by a nationwide permit.	Ask DEP whether its review includes federal verification for your scope, or which nationwide permit applies. Federal Permits and Coordination Agreements Between DEP, WMDs, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · SPGP VI – 1. Shoreline Stabilization, Activity description · Reissuance and Modification of Nationwide Permits (91 FR 768, Jan. 8, 2026)
Florida DEP Coastal Construction Control Line program	Oceanfront walls and coastal armoring seaward of the control line, including eligibility and emergency rules.	Survey showing the control line, dune and structure; ask a coastal engineer about eligibility. Program line: 850-245-8570. Coastal Construction Control Line Program · Chapter 62B-26, F.A.C. – Coastal Construction Control Lines · Rule 62B-33.0051, F.A.C. – Coastal Armoring and Related Structures

Prepare the questions for the responsible office.

A Jacksonville Beach records checklist

Gather these before asking for quotes so every bidder prices the same wall.

Ask for your Elevation Certificate
Planning and Development keeps certificates received since 1989 (904-247-6231). It tells the designer your finished-floor and grade elevations in a known datum.
Flood Protection Information (flyer)
Confirm your flood zone on the 2018 maps
Duval County’s FEMA maps updated in 2018 apply. Ask whether your lot is in a coastal zone before choosing a wall height.
Flood Protection Information (flyer)
Check the CRS discount on your flood policy
FEMA lists Jacksonville Beach at Community Rating System class 6, a 20% NFIP discount.
CRS Eligible Communities, October 1, 2026 Effective Date
Separate the beach project from your wall
The 2024 federal renourishment of about 10 miles of Duval beaches is a public project. It does not repair or permit private armoring.
USACE awards $32.4M Florida beach re-nourishment contract

Start with what you know

Plan your Jacksonville Beach seawall project

Tell us where your Jacksonville Beach property is, what you have noticed and what you want to decide. We will help you plan the next step.

Local guidance. A clearer plan for your waterfront.

Getting your form ready…

Jacksonville Beach project questions

Do I get my seawall permit from the City of Jacksonville?

No. Jacksonville Beach issues its own building permits. State and federal environmental approvals still apply to work at the water.

Building Inspection Division

Can I build a wall on the oceanfront after a storm?

Temporary armoring has strict 30- and 60-day timelines, and permanent armoring requires an eligible, vulnerable structure or a qualifying gap of 250 feet or less.

s. 161.085(3)-(6), F.S. (2026) · Rule 62B-33.0051, F.A.C. – Coastal Armoring and Related Structures

Is beach renourishment going to protect my wall?

Renourishment widens the public beach. It is not a structural repair or a guarantee for private property, so assess your wall on its own merits.

USACE awards $32.4M Florida beach re-nourishment contract