Why might your seawall project need one?
NOAA says seawall and dock repair or installation will likely require a benthic resource assessment. The survey helps sanctuary staff identify impacts and set avoidance, minimization or mitigation conditions. It is different from a structural assessment of the wall.
Before you hire a survey provider
- Share the proposed wall, dock and access drawings, not only the parcel address.
- Ask which agency protocols and geographic limits the work will cover.
- Confirm the provider’s qualifications and any sanctuary permission needed for the survey method.
- Ask how changes to the design could require additional survey work.
- Agree on the deliverables and who submits them with the permit package.
Benthic resource assessment surveys · NOAA nearshore submission checklist
What should be in the report you receive?
NOAA’s published protocol includes methods, surveyed and unsurveyed areas, mapped resources, supporting data and photographs. Use that as the starting point for a deliverable check with your biologist.
| Check | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
Location and scope | Does the map identify your property and the work shown on the latest plan? |
Survey coverage | What was surveyed, what was not, and why? |
Resources and photographs | Can the reviewer relate recorded habitat and images to the proposed disturbance? |
Design response | What avoidance or impact questions need an answer from the project designer? |
A collection of underwater photographs alone is not the same deliverable as a mapped resource assessment. Ask the provider to reconcile missing items before the package is submitted.
Inside Islamorada, check the Village requirement too
Village planning guidance calls for benthic surveys for new or expanded development over open water and links a qualified-biologist list. The Village’s request and NOAA’s resource-assessment expectations should be resolved together so one report is not assumed to satisfy every reviewer.
Keep the report with a complete submission
NOAA requests project plans, state approval, a benthic assessment if applicable and federal approval if applicable. Incomplete materials do not enter its review queue. Ask the project coordinator to identify the exact version of the plan that the survey supports.
NOAA nearshore submission checklist · Corps permits and sanctuary review
What if the wall design changes after the survey?
Identify the change
Mark the revised wall face, dock footprint, access route or temporary work area on the drawing.
Send both versions
Ask the biologist and permit coordinator whether the existing survey still covers the affected area and supports the revised submission.
Price the follow-up
Confirm any extra fieldwork, report revision or agency response before promising a construction date.
Keep the survey date and plan revision together in the project folder. That makes it easier to see which conditions each report actually describes.
Separate the survey cost from construction
Have the quote state fieldwork, report preparation, agency responses and any repeat visit separately. A habitat finding can change the method or footprint; keep a decision point in the schedule before ordering construction materials. The budget guide shows where this belongs.
Show sourcesHide sources
- Benthic resource assessment surveysSource reviewed 2026-10-25
- NOAA benthic survey report requirementsSource reviewed 2026-10-26
- Islamorada biological reviewSource reviewed 2026-10-25