Fixed Bridges Explained: Will Your Boat Fit Under?

Waterfront home inspection checklist illustration

If ocean access is the question, fixed bridges are the reason so many “waterfront” homes quietly fail the test. Here’s how to read them like a boater instead of a brochure.

Air draft vs. bridge clearance

Two numbers decide whether you pass:

Your boat’s air draft is its height above the waterline, measured to the tallest fixed point, hardtop, tower, radar arch, antenna that doesn’t fold.
The bridge’s vertical clearance is the distance from the water to the underside of the span, usually posted at mean high water.

If your air draft is less than the clearance, with a comfortable margin, you fit. If it isn’t, you don’t, and there is no negotiating with concrete.

Tide works against you here

This trips up newcomers constantly. Bridge clearance is quoted at mean high water. That means the posted number is close to the least clearance you’ll get. At low tide the water drops and you gain a little room; at high tide you have the least. So you plan around high water, not the friendly low-tide number, and you keep a cushion for waves and wake.

Why this decides the price of a home

Say two homes sit a block apart on similar canals. One has a clear, no-fixed-bridge run to Port Everglades. The other sits behind a 15-foot fixed bridge. The first can serve a sport-fisher with a tower or a mid-size sailboat. The second is capped at low-profile boats forever.

To a buyer who doesn’t boat, they look identical. To a buyer who does, one is worth far more. That spread is exactly why sellers of true no-fixed-bridge homes market that phrase so hard, and why buyers should verify it rather than take it on faith.

How I check it for you

For any home you’re serious about, I map every bridge between the dock and the inlet, note the posted clearances, and match them against the boat you own or plan to buy. If you’re shopping the boat and the house at the same time, we sequence it so one doesn’t box in the other.

Ready to see homes chosen for their dockage and access? Browse homes with boat docks and read the companion guide on ocean access vs. Intracoastal.

Common questions

What is a fixed bridge?

A fixed bridge is a bridge that does not open. It has a permanent vertical clearance, measured from the water to the underside of the span, usually posted at mean high water. Your boat's air draft (its height above the waterline, including antennas, towers, and hardtops) must be lower than that clearance, with margin, to pass underneath. If it doesn't fit, no schedule or bridge tender can help you.

How much clearance do I need under a fixed bridge?

You need your boat's full air draft plus a safety margin, and you account for tide. Clearances are typically posted at mean high water, so you get less room at high tide and more at low tide. Boaters usually want at least a couple of feet of cushion. The honest answer for any specific boat and bridge is to measure the air draft precisely and compare it to the posted clearance at high tide.

Why do fixed bridges affect a home's value so much?

Because they permanently limit the size and type of boat that can reach the ocean from that dock. Two nearly identical homes can differ dramatically in price when one has an unobstructed, no-fixed-bridge path to the inlet and the other sits behind a low fixed span. For a boating buyer, that path is part of what they're purchasing.

From the story to the search

Wondering if your boat clears the bridges?

Tell me your boat's air draft and the address you're eyeing. I'll tell you which bridges are in the path and whether it fits, in English o en español.

Text Mary now