Permitting
FDEP & Army Corps Permitting Assistance
Full-service permitting — FDEP, USACE, county ERM, and city.
Most South Florida dredging and shoreline work requires four layers of authorization: FDEP, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, county Environmental Resource Management, and city building. We package and submit all four together — because a permit application done wrong the first time costs six months, not six weeks.
What's included
- FDEP standard, general, and self-certification permits
- USACE Section 10 (navigable waters) and Section 404 (fill in waters of the U.S.)
- Palm Beach County ERM and Broward County EPGMD environmental permits
- City of Boca Raton, Delray Beach, WPB, Fort Lauderdale, and 15+ other municipal building permits
- Manatee protection plans and turbidity monitoring plans where required
How the project runs
- Step 1 — Jurisdictional review
We confirm which agencies have jurisdiction based on waterway status, connection to the ICW, and municipal boundary.
- Step 2 — Application package
Site plan, cross-sections, spoil disposal plan, and biological assessment prepared in one coherent package.
- Step 3 — Agency review
Typical timeline is 6 to 9 months for FDEP and USACE running in parallel. County and city usually finish faster.
- Step 4 — Conditions & monitoring
Turbidity thresholds, seasonal restrictions, manatee spotters — we run the compliance plan the permit requires.
FAQ
- How long does dredging permitting take in Florida?
- Plan for 6 to 9 months from complete-application to permit-in-hand. FDEP and USACE review in parallel. Complex projects (large volumes, sensitive habitat, contested applications) can run 12+ months.
- Can I dredge under a self-certification permit?
- Sometimes. Very small maintenance dredging in already-permitted basins may qualify for FDEP's 62-330.051 self-certification. Most residential projects still need a general or standard permit plus USACE. We tell you which lane you're in during the site survey.
- Do you handle manatee protection plans?
- Yes. Any in-water work between November and March in Palm Beach and Broward typically requires a manatee watch plan, and we include this in every permit package.
Related glossary
Get a free site survey
Tell us about your project and we'll schedule a no-cost on-water survey.