Alabama dock permits: who actually issues yours

Waterfront permitting in Alabama is not one rule. Here is the authority that controls the permit, what rides along with it, and the official source — before you build anything.

Watch for this in Alabama

The state coastal permit covers the coast only. Inland, the big lakes run through TVA Section 26a or an Alabama Power Lakeshore Use Permit.

The state program covers the coast. Inland lakes go to the lake operator. Lake operators that can be the real gate here: TVA / Alabama Power.

Layers that can apply

• Town or county — local zoning, shoreland and building permits.
• Waterbody owner or operator — reservoirs, utility lakes, river authorities and lake associations.
• State — Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) (Coastal wetlands/waterbottom permitting + federal coordination).
• Federal — Army Corps of Engineers, see below.

Federal layer (applies in every state)

• Rivers and Harbors Act §10 — a structure in, over or under navigable waters of the United States needs Army Corps authorization unless a general or nationwide permit covers it.
• Clean Water Act §404 — placing fill or dredged material in waters of the United States needs Corps authorization (Michigan and New Jersey run this program in certain waters).
• 2026 Nationwide Permits — effective March 15, 2026. Some docks qualify, sometimes with a pre-construction notice. Regional conditions apply.
• Clean Water Act §401 — a state water-quality certification that rides on a federal permit. It is not a dock permit by itself.

Sources: USACE Regulatory Request System · EPA — CWA §401 · USACE Nationwide Permits · Last verified 2026-09-14

Contact the permit office

• Tennessee Valley Authority - Public Land Information Center (Section 26a shoreline permits)
  Phone 1-800-882-5263 · Email [email protected] · Source
• Alabama Power Shoreline Management - Smith Lake Office
  Phone 205-384-7385 · Email [email protected] · Source
• Alabama Power Shoreline Management - Weiss Lake Office
  Phone 256-407-6008 · Email [email protected] · Source
• Alabama Power Shoreline Management - Upper Coosa Office (H. Neely Henry and Logan Martin lakes)
  Phone 205-472-0481 · Email [email protected] · Source
• Alabama Power Shoreline Management - Lower Coosa Office (Lay, Mitchell, Jordan, Walter Bouldin lakes)
  Phone 205-755-4420 · Email [email protected] · Source
• Alabama Power Shoreline Management - Harris Lake Office
  Phone 256-396-5093 · Email [email protected] · Source
• Alabama Power Shoreline Management - Martin / Yates / Thurlow Lakes Office
  Phone 256-825-0053 · Email [email protected] · Source
• ADEM Coastal Office (Coastal Section, Mobile)
  Phone (251) 450-3400 (office) · (251) 432-6533 (coastal permit applications) · Email [email protected] · Source

Contacts read on each office's official site · verified 2026-10-30. Call before you design: many offices route dock questions by region or by lake.

Official sources

Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) — adem.alabama.gov · Last verified 2026-09-14

Questions? Call 207-600-2705.

Preliminary regulatory path. Ask Dock.AI is an information tool, not a permitting authority. Rules change and every waterbody has its own owner and wrinkles. Confirm your project with the listed authority before you build. You pull your own permit; we show you the path. Ask Dock.AI is powered by Alummikon — engineered aluminum docks, stairs and waterfront access, built in Maine.