IN GENERAL

Miami City Code ch. 29, art. I

in effect

Miami City Code § 29-1 Fill permits—Required.

Sec. 29-1. - Fill permits—Required. (a) No submerged land or low-lying land within the city for which a design grade has been or later may be established by the county shall be filled until a permit authorizing the filling has been obtained from the resilience and public works department. Such permit shall be obtained by the owner of the land or by a qualified contractor having a bona fide contract with the owner to perform the work. (b) A fill permit issued by the resilience and public works department shall be required when the elevation of the land to be filled is two feet or more below the design grade established by the county and the areas to be filled consist of 10,000 square feet or more. On land requiring a fill permit, the application for a building permit shall not be made before the fill permit is obtained. The fact that a fill permit may not be required does not lessen the responsibility of the owner or developer to comply with the intent of this article. If, in the opinion of the director of resilience and public works, unsuitable materials are being used for fill, the director of resilience and public works may stop the work and require that a fill permit be obtained. (Code 1967, § 27-1; Code 1980, § 29-1; Ord. No. 13792, § 1, 10-11-18)

Miami City Code § 29-2 Same—Application.

Sec. 29-2. - Same—Application. When applying for a fill permit, the applicant shall submit a plan view of the areas to be filled with notations on the plan as follows: (1) It shall show legal boundaries of the tract or plat and areas to be dedicated for public use. (2) It shall show the area to be filled (crosshatched). (3) It shall show the approximate average depth of the fill. (4) It shall show the approximate existing land elevation on the area to be filled, and areas immediately adjacent to the area to be filled, including the elevation of neighboring land. (5) It shall show the name and address of the owner of the property to be filled. (Code 1967, § 27-2; Code 1980, § 29-2)

Miami City Code § 29-3 Same—Fees; expiration; renewal.

Sec. 29-3. - Same—Fees; expiration; renewal. (a) The permit fee for filling upland property that is below the design grade shall be $180.00 for the first 5,000 square feet of area to be filled, and $120.00 for each additional 5,000 square feet of area or fraction thereof. The permit fee for filling submerged land shall be $425.00 for each acre or fraction thereof. Permits issued for filling shall be in effect for only one year from the date of issuance. Such fill permits may be renewed annually for a fee of $115.00. (b) The fee required under this section shall be waived for governmental entities and agencies. (Code 1967, § 27-3; Ord. No. 9005, § 1, 10-17-79; Ord. No. 9513, § 1, 11-4-82; Code 1980, § 29-3; Ord. No. 13142, § 11, 2-11-10; Ord. No. 13195, § 4, 9-27-10)

Miami City Code § 29-4 Requirements for fill material.

Sec. 29-4. - Requirements for fill material. The type and quality of materials which may be used for the filling of land shall be free of undecomposed organic matter, wood, tree stumps, roots or branches and other extraneous matter, and shall comply with the following: (1) Acceptable materials. a. Normally acceptable fill shall be a sand and rock mixture. b. Reinforced concrete masonry, rock and stone may be placed as fill; provided that no piece measures more than five feet in its largest dimension and no more than two feet in any other direction, with any encased reinforcing steel protruding not more than 18 inches. No fabricated metal products shall be placed as fill without specific written approval of the director of resilience and public works. (2) Unstable materials. Unstable soils such as muck and fine sand shall not be used as fill material without the written approval of the director of resilience and public works. (3) Stockpiled materials. Materials stockpiled at the site shall be placed and leveled within a reasonable period of time. If, in the opinion of the director of resilience and public works, stockpiled material is not placed and leveled without undue delay or is deemed to be unsafe or subject to shifting, the stockpiled material shall be placed and leveled immediately upon the order of the director of resilience and public works. (4) Finish fill. The top three feet of finish shall consist of material suitable for creating natural surface seepage. Marl clay rock-pit washings, high-clay-content bay bottom and other impervious soils, or soils of low porosity shall not be placed in such a manner as to cause a complete impervious seal. (5) Fill protection. Banks along the edges of a fill, not protected by bulkheading, shall be protected against excess erosion by riprapping or other containment acceptable to the director of resilience and public works. (6) Areas dedicated for public use. Portions of filled land to be dedicated as public rights-of-way or areas to be dedicated for public use shall comply with the following: a. No materials defined in paragraph (2) of this section shall be used as fill. b. Only those materials defined in paragraph (1) of this section shall be used as fill, except that in the top four feet no such fill material shall be larger than 12 inches in any direction. c. In areas dedicated for street purposes, fill materials to be used in the top two feet shall be limited to a sand and rock mixture and shall conform to the following: 1. All rock used as fill in the top two feet shall pass through a six-inch ring. 2. All rock used as a fill in the top 12 inches shall pass through a 3½-inch ring. (Code 1967, § 27-4; Code 1980, § 29-4; Ord. No. 13792, § 1, 10-11-18)

Miami City Code § 29-5 Supervision of work by resilience and public works department.

Sec. 29-5. - Supervision of work by resilience and public works department. Filling of all submerged or low-lying land within the city, for which a permit under this article has been issued by the resilience and public works department, shall be done under the supervision of the resilience and public works department. (1) Continuous operation. If filling is to be continuous, either by hydraulic or other means, notice shall be given to the resilience and public works department not less than 24 hours prior to the start of such fill. (2) Elimination of voids. Care shall be exercised to insure that during the fill operation no voids are created. If voids are created they shall be filled to the satisfaction of the resilience and public works department. (Code 1967, § 27-5; Code 1980, § 29-5; Ord. No. 13792, § 1, 10-11-18)

Source: City of Miami, Florida, City Code, City Charter, Special Acts and Related General Laws (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/fl/miami/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIITHCO_CH29LAWAIM_ARTIINGEFetched: 11/1/2026