Seawall inspection in the Keys.
Know what is failing before you price a fix.

What does a seawall assessment cover?

The common Key Colony Beach wall shows the parts an assessor checks. KCB Seawall Owner’s Manual

• Panels: 6-inch reinforced concrete panels, 5 to 8 feet wide and 10 to 16 feet long.
• Cap: the concrete beam along the top.
• Tie rods and deadman: steel rods running to a buried anchor about 10 to 12 feet back.
• Drains: weep holes and French drains that let water out.
• Toe: the bottom of the wall, below the mud line.

The same manual lists how these walls fail: joint separation and sinkholes, tie-back rod failure, toe and berm failure, and cracking at the waterline. KCB Seawall Owner’s Manual

Florida home inspectors do not have to inspect seawalls, docks or boat lifts. Rule 61-30.810 For structure, use a Florida-licensed engineer, and check the license on MyFloridaLicense. FBPE license lookup

When should I book a seawall inspection?

• A new soft spot or sinkhole behind the cap, or one that came back after fill.
• A crack that is getting longer or wider, or new rust stains.
• After storm surge topped the wall, even if nothing looks broken.
• Before you buy. Key Colony Beach’s manual tells buyers to have a Florida-registered engineer inspect the seawall first. KCB Seawall Owner’s Manual
• Before you add a lift. Key Colony Beach requires engineer certification for a lift attached to a cap or dock. KCB Code 5-43
• After a Key Colony Beach notice. The owner then has 60 days to submit a sealed engineer’s evaluation and repair plan. KCB Ord. 2026-509
• Before you sell. The Florida Realtors seller disclosure form asks whether the seawall is structurally sound. Seller disclosure law

Which records should I pull before the seawall inspection?

Old permits and surveys show what was built and when. Each local government keeps its own.

• Monroe County: permits applied for since October 1, 2022 are in the OPAL system. Older ones are paper files in the legacy system. Monroe County online permitting
• Key West: search or file through the eTRAKiT portal. Key West permit procedures
• Marathon: permits are filed, tracked and paid in the Viewpoint portal. Marathon permit information
• Key Colony Beach: the city’s Citizenserve portal handles permits. KCB Building Department
• Your canal: the county’s residential canals map gives each canal’s number, depth and water-quality ranking. Monroe canal restoration page
• Your own file: invoices, dated photos and any earlier engineer’s letter.

Ask for survey elevations in NAVD 88. NOAA says neither NAVD 88 nor the older NGVD 29 should be used as mean sea level. NOAA datum definitions That matters in Key Colony Beach, whose cap-height rule uses an older sea-level datum. KCB Code 5-51

What do seawall cracks, spalling and rust stains mean?

Where a crack sits matters more than how wide it looks. Salt water carries chloride into concrete, and chloride speeds rust on the steel inside.

Ask for each crack to be marked on a simple plan, so later photos match up. The cap repair guide covers the fixes.

Why is the ground sinking behind my seawall?

A sinkhole behind the cap usually means fill is leaving through the wall or under it. Each tide and each heavy rain can carry a little more out through an open joint, torn filter fabric or a gap around a pipe.

Drains and filters work as a pair: they relieve water pressure behind the wall while keeping soil in place. Coastal engineering guidance

• Stake the edge of each low spot and photograph it weekly.
• Watch it through king tide season. Monroe County expects king tides from September through December and asks for flood photos at greenkeys@monroecounty-fl.gov. Monroe County king tides
• At low tide, look on the water side for sand fans or open joints.
• Keep cars, trailers and heavy planters off soft ground.

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

Is my seawall leaning or bulging?

Sight down the cap from one end, or stretch a string between two fixed points. A cap that bows toward the water, or a widening gap at your patio, means the wall has moved.

• Measure from a fixed point, such as a house corner, to the back of the cap at marked spots.
• Repeat the same measurements monthly and after every storm.
• Take photos from the same spots each time.
• Keep people and vehicles well back from a wall that is moving.

Marathon’s inspection list for seawall permits has separate stages for footings, augered tiebacks and the wall or cantilever. Marathon inspection list Ask which system holds your wall. Engineering guidance treats each wall as a site-specific design, so a photo cannot settle the cause. USACE EM 1110-2-1614 See tiebacks and anchors.

What should I check on my seawall after a hurricane?

On Summerland Key, USGS photos show surge topping seawalls and moving sand both landward and seaward of them. USGS Summerland Key photos Helene and Milton in 2024 each brought 1 to 2 feet of inundation. Hurricane Center Helene report Hurricane Center Milton report Damage from smaller storms can show up weeks later as new sinkholes or lean.

• Before a storm, get your re-entry sticker. Out-of-county owners qualify with a property tax bill, and stickers stop once a state of emergency is declared. Monroe County re-entry stickers
• After it, photograph and video the wall, cap, yard and dock before cleanup. Keep damaged pieces if it is safe. NFIP documentation guidance
• Write down the date you first saw each change. The state’s storm restoration exemption for seawalls is tied to damage within the last year. Rule 62-330.051(12)
• Call your insurer before repairs. The federal flood policy excludes seawalls and docks, with a narrow foundation exception. FEMA flood policy commentary

In Marathon, emergency repairs may begin if the permit application arrives within 48 hours. Marathon Building Department The storm guide has the full checklist.

What should the engineer’s seawall report tell me?

The report is what you hand to contractors and the permit office. In Key Colony Beach, repair plans must be signed and sealed by a Florida-licensed engineer. KCB Code 6-45

• Which parts 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 which finding would push the job to replacement.
• Which permits, surveys and drawings the work will need.
• In V and Coastal A flood zones, whether the design needs the analysis Monroe County requires showing a wall will not push floodwater or waves onto neighbors. Monroe County code 122-31(d)

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

Where local rules change the seawall inspection

• Key Colony Beach: the city announced citywide marine structure inspections in December 2025 and asked owners of walls needing attention to call within 30 days. KCB inspection letter
• Key Haven and the south side of Stock Island: Key West addresses, county permits and records. Key West floodplain page
• Marathon: a permit stays active only with an approved inspection every 180 days. Marathon inspection list

What to ask before you book a seawall assessment

• Who will do the visit, and are they a Florida-licensed engineer?
• Florida does not license engineers by discipline, so what seawall work have you designed? FBPE engineering directory
• Does the fee include digging at a tie rod, probing, or a look at the toe from the water?
• Will I get a written report, and when?
• Are you also bidding on the repair?
• Can I share the report with other contractors and my insurer?

Some firms both assess and repair. That can work, but you should know it up front and get findings you can hand to anyone.

Seawall inspection questions

Does a home inspection cover the seawall?

Not by default. Florida’s home inspection standards say the inspector is not required to inspect seawalls, boat lifts or docks. Rule 61-30.810 Hire an engineer for the wall.

How often should a Keys seawall be inspected?

In March 2026 a Key Colony Beach commissioner recommended annual seawall inspections after the citywide review found some walls needing immediate attention. KCB commission minutes A yearly look, plus one after any storm surge, is a sensible habit anywhere in the Keys.

Who should inspect my seawall?

A Florida-licensed professional engineer with seawall experience. Check both the engineer and the firm on MyFloridaLicense. FBPE license lookup