Santa Rosa County Seawall Permits & Coastal Review

What is the county starting point?

Santa Rosa County says seawall and retaining-wall construction requires zoning approval and a building permit. The coastal application includes seawall replacement and asks for a scaled plan, dimensions, property lines, waterfront structures and a vicinity map.

Santa Rosa coastal construction · Santa Rosa coastal construction application

What does Shoreline Protection Zone 2 describe?

The county identifies Escambia Bay, Blackwater Bay, East Bay, their basins and bayous within Zone 2, extending from mean high water to five feet landward. Have Planning identify the applicable district and measurement at the parcel; a small online map is not a survey.

Santa Rosa coastal construction

Why does waterfront access matter?

Santa Rosa protects public waterfront access along specified bay and sound areas. Discuss existing access when a new wall, return or other structure crosses that route. Do not assume a property-line drawing alone answers every waterfront-access question.

Santa Rosa coastal construction

What is the coastal review charge?

The county fee schedule adopted September 11, 2025 lists a $100 Coastal Construction review fee. This is one review charge, not a full seawall permit total. Ask for building fees and any other local, state or federal charges for the actual scope.

Santa Rosa Planning and Zoning fee schedule, adopted September 11 2025

What if the address says Gulf Breeze?

Gulf Breeze city offers its own Marine Construction Application and city department contacts. Nearby soundside neighborhoods with a Gulf Breeze mailing address may be outside the municipal boundary. Inside Gulf Breeze, confirm city marine and planning approval and the separate Santa Rosa County building permit. Outside the city, use the county route. Resolve the parcel first.

Gulf Breeze permits and applications · Gulf Breeze official staff directory · Gulf Breeze permitting FAQ

Keep plan revisions in step

For a Gulf Breeze city property, imagine that city review changes the dock arrangement while the county still has an earlier wall plan. Before work proceeds, ask the project team to reconcile the two versions. City approval and county building review are separate parts of the local route. Gulf Breeze permitting FAQ

• Give each drawing a clear revision date and identify what changed.
• Ask which reviewers need the revision and who will submit it.
• Update the contractor’s scope if quantities or access changed.
• Keep superseded drawings identifiable so they are not used on site.

Santa Rosa uses My Government Online for supporting documents and revisions. Save the submitted version and the office response together; an uploaded file and an approved revision are different project records. Santa Rosa Development Services

Choose a guide by the shoreline you own

• Gulf Breeze city: municipal marine review and peninsula shorelines.
• Oriole Beach and Tiger Point: county soundside and access logistics.
• Navarre mainland and Navarre Beach: different sides of the barrier-island setting.
• Pace and Floridatown: northern Escambia Bay.
• Milton and Bagdad: riverfront and tidal transitions.
• Garcon Point and East Bay: exposed edges and wetland context.

How do you prepare one complete application?

Use a common project drawing for wall alignment, temporary access, erosion controls, drainage and related dock work. Santa Rosa uses My Government Online for supporting documents and revisions. Keep the local review, DEP and USACE files together so a change in one scope is not missed in the others.

Santa Rosa Development Services · Santa Rosa coastal construction application · USACE South Atlantic Division Florida regulatory guidance