Flagship guide · Boating

Boating from Rio Vista: The Rio Canals, the New River, the Intracoastal & Port Everglades

By Glen Primak, GLEN PRIMAK GROUP · Updated October 24, 2026

The short answer

Rio Vista sits on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), just north of the SE 17th Street (Brooks Memorial) bridge and Port Everglades, with the New River along its north edge. Its waterfront lots face the ICW, the New River or one of the Rio canals (the City’s GIS names Rio Alcazar, Rio Carmena, Rio Cordova, Rio Granada and Rio Valencia, plus Lake Juanita and the Tarpon River). For most docks the way out is to the ICW, south through the 17th Street bascule bridge (55 ft vertical clearance at mean high water when closed), and out the Port Everglades inlet. There are no bridges on the ICW between Rio Vista and the 17th Street bridge. Controlling depths and any low road bridges over interior canals are not published here; check your canal’s route and its depth at low tide on a current NOAA chart and a survey.

Step by step: Rio Vista to the Atlantic

1. Leave your dock and head for the ICW. From a Rio canal, run the canal east to the waterway. From a New River lot, follow the river east to where it meets the ICW. Check depth at your dock and along the route at low tide, with a survey if needed, and check overhead clearance on your route.
2. Turn south on the ICW toward the 17th Street Causeway.
3. Pass the SE 17th Street (Brooks Memorial) Bridge (ICW mile 1065.9). Under 33 CFR 117.261(z) it opens on the hour and half-hour, except weekdays (other than federal holidays) from 6:50 to 9:10 a.m. and 3:50 to 6:10 p.m., when it opens only at the top of the hour. Boats that fit under it in the closed position can pass at any time.
4. Enter Port Everglades (ICW mile 1066.3) and run out the inlet. Commercial traffic, cruise ships and security zones are common. Monitor the harbormaster on VHF Ch. 14 and watch posted manatee and slow-speed zones.

What the clearances mean for your boat

• Under 55 ft air draft: you can usually pass under the 17th Street bridge without an opening, subject to the tide and the clearance boards.
• Over 55 ft: you need a 17th Street opening. Plan around its weekday rush-hour limit.
• Heading north on the ICW: the East Las Olas bascule bridge (ICW mile 1064.0) opens at :15 and :45 under 33 CFR 117.261. Check its posted closed clearance.
• Heading upriver: west of Rio Vista, the New River passes under the SE 3rd Avenue and Andrews Avenue bascule bridges and the FEC railroad bridge. Under 33 CFR 117.313 the road bridges open on signal except weekdays from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 4:30 to 6 p.m.; the railroad bridge closes for trains.

Clearances are published at a stated datum, usually mean high water. Actual clearance falls on spring tides and king tides, so read the clearance boards on approach.

Charts and publications to keep aboard

• NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC). NOAA canceled its traditional paper and raster charts for this area in 2024; use current ENC data.
• U.S. Coast Pilot 4: Chapter 12 covers the ICW and New River through Fort Lauderdale; Chapter 10 covers Port Everglades.
• Coast Guard Local Notices to Mariners for temporary bridge deviations, for example during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

Dock and seawall rules

These are the City of Fort Lauderdale rules most relevant to a Rio Vista dock or seawall, from the Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR) as amended by Ordinance C-23-05 (adopted March 23, 2023). They are a summary, not legal or engineering advice. Confirm the current code and permit requirements with the City before any project.

Seawall height (ULDR Sec. 47-19.13)

• A new seawall, or one being substantially repaired or rehabilitated, must work as a tidal flood barrier with a top elevation of at least 5 feet NAVD88.
• Applications submitted before January 1, 2035 may be permitted at 4 feet NAVD88, if the wall is designed to reach 5 feet NAVD88 by January 1, 2050.
• “Substantial repair” means work on more than 50% of the length of the property’s shoreline, or work costing more than 50% of the structure’s replacement value. That work must run along the property’s entire shoreline.
• The top of a new or modified barrier may not exceed the FEMA base flood elevation or 6 feet NAVD88, whichever is lower.
• Owners must keep seawalls in good repair. If tidal water flows through or over a wall onto a neighbor’s property or the street, the City can cite the owner. The owner must then show progress within 60 days and finish within 365 days.
• Contracts to sell property in tidally influenced areas of the city must include a specific tidal flood barrier disclosure.

Docks, lifts and how far you can extend (ULDR Sec. 47-19.3)

• Docks attached to a new or rebuilt seawall may sit up to 12 inches above the maximum allowed barrier elevation, if they are not poured as one piece with the seawall cap and don’t block water draining over the cap.
• Docks, lifts and similar mooring structures may not extend into the waterway more than 25% of its width or 25 feet, whichever is less, measured from the property line. Mooring or dolphin piles may extend up to 30% of the waterway width or 25 feet, whichever is less.
• A dock or lift needs a principal building on the lot.
• Lifts and davits: one per the first 100 feet of lot width, plus one more for each additional 100 feet. A second one on a lot between 100 and 200 feet wide needs Site Plan Level II approval. One personal-watercraft lift is allowed in addition. Lifts may be no more than 6½ feet above lot grade, and a hoisted boat’s lowest point may sit no more than 1 foot above the seawall cap.
• Boat length and side setbacks: a boat docked behind a home may not extend past the side setback lines for the house, extended out into the water. This is often what actually limits boat length on a canal lot.
• No boathouses or boat covers in the required setback area or over a public waterway.

Boating questions to ask about a specific Rio Vista lot

• Does the dock face a Rio canal, the New River or the ICW? How wide is the water at the dock, and how much room is there to turn?
• What is the depth at mean low water at the dock and along the route to the ICW, by survey? Are there low road bridges between the dock and the waterway?
• What dock, lift and seawall permits are on file with the City of Fort Lauderdale, and what condition is the seawall in, by inspection?
• How long a vessel fits within the lot’s side setback lines extended into the water, and how far a dock or lift can extend under the 25%-or-25-feet rule? See dock and seawall rules above.

Glen can pull the recorded permits and arrange a marine survey as part of a showing. Ask about a specific property →