HomeMy WebLinkAboutO-13315City of Miami
Legislation
Ordinance: 13315
City Hall
3500 Pan American
Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
File Number: 12-00072 Final Action Date: 3/8/2012
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AMENDING CHAPTER
29/ARTICLE III OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED,
ENTITLED "LANDFILLS AND WATERFRONT IMPROVEMENTS/BULKHEADS,
SEAWALLS, PIERS, DOCKS, GROINS, MARINE RAILWAYS AND OTHER SIMILAR
STRUCTURES," BY ASSIGNING ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SAID
ARTICLE TO THE CITY OF MIAMI BUILDING DEPARTMENT; CONTAINING A
SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING FOR AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE
DATE.
WHEREAS, the City Commission, after careful consideration of this matter, deems it advisable
and in the best interest of the general welfare of the City of Miami and its citizens to amend the Code
of the City of Miami, Florida, as amended ("City Code"), to assign administrative responsibility for
bulkheads, seawalls, piers, docks, groins, marine railways and other similar private structures,
including the issuance and regulation of building permits to the City of Miami Building Department;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI,
FLORIDA:
Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Ordinance are adopted by
reference and incorporated as fully set forth in this Section.
Section 2. Chapter 29/Article III of the City Code entitled "Landfills and Waterfront
Improvements/Bulkheads, Seawalls, Piers, Docks, Groins, Marine Railways and other similar
structures" is amended in the following particulars: {1}
"CHAPTER 29
LANDFILLS AND WATERFRONT IMPROVEMENTS
ARTICLE III. BULKHEADS, SEAWALLS, PIERS, DOCKS, GROINS, MARINE RAILWAYS AND
OTHER SIMILAR STRUCTURES.
Sec. 29-81. Definitions.
Building Code: The South Florida Building Code.
City of Miami
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File Number: 12-00072 Enactment Number: 13315
Department: The public works building department of the city, or the director of such department,
used interchangeably.
Engineer: A professional engineer certified competent and registered licensed by the state.
Sec. 29-82. Purpose of article.
The purpose of this article is to protect the public's health, welfare and safety by setting minimum
standards to be used in the design, construction and maintenance of waterfront structures; further to
accomplish this purpose by requiring such design, construction and maintenance to be accomplished
in all respects and particulars to the public works building department; and lastly, to ascertain that all
physical improvements included herein are subject to and admit of rational analysis in accordance
with established principles of mechanics and accepted engineering practices. This article shall be
deemed to supplement the provisions of the South Florida Building Code.
Sec. 29-83. Permits for waterfront improvements - Required.
No waterfront improvement shall be constructed, reconstructed or repaired until a permit
authorizing such construction, reconstruction or repair has been obtained from the public works
building department. No such permit shall be issued for any improvement or repair to an existing
improvement which is deemed substandard by the director of the public works building department.
Sec. 29-84. Same -Application.
(a) Generally. Permits required by this article shall be applied for either by the owner -builder or by a
licensed contractor certified in a proper category and having a bona fide contract with the owner to
perform such work. Application shall be made upon a suitable form provided by the public works
building department.
(b) For improvements of $5, 000.00 or more. For new construction or repairs amounting to $5000.00
or more in value, three copies of the plans shall be submitted with the application, which plans shall
include the following information, except as to any item which may be waived in writing by the
department:
(4) The type and character of the soil substrata which will bear the improvement or structure.
When required by the public works building department, core borings shall be taken to a depth ten
feet deeper than the proposed base of construction or to a depth below the deepest piling, and the
findings of the same shall be made a part of the permit application.
(5) Soundings and pertinent elevations of the proposed structures shall be shown referred to
mean low water, City of Miami datum National Geodetic Vertical Datum, as defined in Section 20-1 of
the City Code ("NGVD").
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(9) The engineer's design computations, when required by the public works building department.
(c) For improvements less than $5,000.00. For construction or repairs less than $5,000.00 in value,
three copies of the plans shall be submitted with the application, which plans shall include the
following information, except as to any item which may be waived in writing by the department:
(5) The signature and seal of the engineer designing the improvement, where required by the
public works building department.
(6) The engineer's design computations, when required by the public works building
department.
Sec. 29-85. Same -Certain title and permits to accompany application.
As part of a request for a permit under this article, the applicant shall obtain and present the following
title and permits, except for any such title proved not to be required:
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(1) The title to bay -bottom lands from the internal improvement fund.
(2) A permit from the United States army corps of engineers. Preliminary approval from
Miami -Dade County Department of Permitting, Environment and Regulatory Affairs (PERA).
{3) A permit from Dade County.
{A) A permit from the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District.
Sec. 29-86. Same -Fees.
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(c) The expense of any inspection by the public works building department will be included in the
cost of the permit fee shall be in accordance with Chapter 10 of the City Code.
(d) The fee required under this section may be waived by the director of public works building for
governmental entities and agencies.
Sec. 29-87. Same -Refund of fees; time limitations.
The public works building department shall be governed, in the matters of permit fee refunds and time
limitations of permits, by scction 303.5 Chapter 10 of the City Code and scction 304.3, respectively,
of the South Florida Building Code.
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Sec. 29-88. Same -Revocation.
Any permit issued under this article shall be revocable for good cause, which cause may include, but
is not limited to, failure, refusal or neglect by the owner, contractor or engineer to fulfill any of the
provisions of this article or the South Florida Building Code.
Sec. 29-89. Design.
(a) Design analysis. Responsibility for proper design rests with the engineer who prepares the plans.
Each improvement shall be designed to support all loads that may come upon it, to withstand the
forces of water, wind and usage; and to meet the specific requirements of the public works building
department for location, elevation, and construction.
(1) General. Any improvement, bulkhead, seawall, pier, wharf, dock, groin, cut, marine, railway
or other related structure included in this article shall admit of rational analysis in accordance
with well -established principles of mechanics and sound engineering practices, and without
exceeding the allowed stresses for the various materials as specified in the state Florida b
Buildings Code.
(4) Waterfront properties. For all waterfront properties east of US-1, except those fronting the
Miami River, the top elevation of new seawalls shall be set at +5.00 NGVD, if located north of
the Rickenbacker Causeway, and set at +6.00 NGVD if located south of the Rickenbacker
Causeway. The top elevation of new seawalls for those waterfront properties fronting the
Miami River shall be set in accordance with Section 54-46 of the City Code. This criteria
applies for new construction or when substantial improvements to a property are performed.
This subsection is not to be interpreted to impair the obligation of contracts, including without
limitation, restrictive covenants or deed restrictions, under the Constitution of the state.
(b) Lateral support from fills. No fill deposited as a berm on the water side of the bulkhead shall be
considered as offering any lateral support to the bulkhead, without approval by the public works
building department.
Sec. 29-90. Loads.
All improvements shall be proportioned for the following loads and forces:
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(2) Live load or surcharge including ordinary impact, except where loading involves unusual impact
requiring increased assumed loads. Live loads may consist of material, goods or equipment stored or
operated alongside the bulkhead, or any structure adjoining the same, the foundations of which may
exert pressure on the bulkhead, or sidewalks, highway or street traffic loads. A sidewalk live load shall
be taken as 100 pounds per square foot of sidewalk area, and the highway or street traffic loads shall
be in accordance with the Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges adopted by the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Unless otherwise indicated by field
conditions, the minimum highway or street traffic load shall consist of a two -axle truck of gross weight
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20 tons, designated as class H-20 loading in such standard specifications.
Sec. 29-91. Construction.
(b) Alignment. The alignment of bulkhead shall be closely controlled. The bulkhead shall be
constructed entirely on privately owned property unless otherwise approved by the public works
department entity or agency controlling the property upon which the bulkhead is to be constructed,
and the alignment shall not deviate more than two inches from the designated alignment. The face of
the bulkhead shall not in any case protrude beyond the established bulkhead line or the line shown
on the plan approved by the public works building department.
(c) Supporting piling. Supporting piles on any improvement constructed shall be driven to a bearing
capacity as shown on the plans. These bearing capacities shall be computed in accordance with the
driving load formula given in the South Florida Building Code.
(d) Concrete deadmen. Concrete deadmen shall be used only where approved by the public works
building department.
(e) Precast concrete piles. Precast concrete piles shall conform to the requirements of the South
Florida Building Code.
(g) Wood piles. Wood piles shall conform to the requirement of the South Florida Building Code.
(h) Caps. Where required by the public works department, b Bulkheads shall be capped. The cap
may shall be a rollcd steel section or reinforced concrete. The use of the cap as a street curb shall be
avoided, but if such function is permitted by the department, the cap shall be designed for a live load
of 500 pounds per lineal foot of cap, applied laterally, in addition to any other loads, dead or live, that
may come upon it, and shall have a guardrail where required by the department.
(i) Special piles or special conditions. The use of types of piles or conditions not specifically covered
herein may be permitted, subject to the approval of the public works building department, upon the
submission by the engineer of acceptable test data, calculations or other information relating to the
properties and load -carrying capacity of such piles.
Sec. 29-92. Materials.
Permanent materials shall include concrete, steel, stone masonry construction, or any combination of
the same. Other materials not specifically covered herein may be permitted, subject to the approval of
the public works building department. Reinforced concrete shall be of the materials, proportions,
strength and consistency set forth in the South Florida Building Code, as also shall the materials,
design and fabrication in the erection of steel.
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Sec. 29-93. Review of plans; duty to inspect.
The public works building department shall review all plans and inspect all construction to insure that
minimum standards set forth in this article are met, and shall require corrections in plans or
construction when indicated.
Sec. 29-94. Procedure for inspections.
(b) In the event the waterfront improvement includes any electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, a
permit for such work shall be required in addition to the permit covered by this article, and the permit
fee for such electrical, mechanical and plumbing work shall be as set forth in the South Florida
Building Code Chapter 10 of the City Code.
Sec. 29-95. Maintenance.
Privately owned waterfront improvements shall be privately maintained, even though a portion of the
improvement may extend into publicly owned land. Should the owner fail to keep his improvement in
a state of repair acceptable to the public works department, the city may maintain the improvement
and shall asscss the cost of such maintenance to the property owner. Failure by the owner to keep
improvements in a state of repair acceptable to the building department shall be subject to
enforcement as set forth in Chapter 2, Article X of the City Code, entitled "Code Enforcement," and
may be brought for further proceedings before the Code Enforcement Board. The foregoing shall not
be an exclusive remedy and the City may at its option additionally institute a civil action to enforce the
provisions in this chapter.
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Section 3. If any section, part of section, paragraph, clause, phrase or word of this Ordinance is
declared invalid, the remaining provisions of this Ordinance shall not be affected.
Section 4. This Ordinance shall become effective immediately after final reading and adoption
thereof.{2}
Footnotes:
{1 } Words and/or figures stricken through shall be deleted. Underscored words and/or figures
shall be added. The remaining provisions are now in effect and remain unchanged. Asterisks
indicate omitted and unchanged material.
{2} This Ordinance shall become effective as specified herein unless vetoed by the Mayor within
ten days from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Ordinance, it shall
become effective immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission.
City of Miami
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