Entergy dock permit: Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine

On Lake Hamilton & Catherine, AR water, the lake operator is the real permit gate. Here is who issues it, the rules, the fees and the official sources — before you build or buy.

How to get the permit

• A permit is required for new facilities and for modifications, replacements and additions: docks, piers, decks, boardwalks, steps, seawalls, PWC ramps and lifts, riprap and dredging.
• Email the application and drawings to [email protected]. Entergy answers within 14 days; the fee is invoiced after acceptance. Phone 501-844-2148.
• Entergy's mapping tool produces a dimensioned drawing for the application.
• Review takes 2 to 3 months or more in house; 12 to 18 months if FERC or another agency must review. Work must be finished within 12 months of approval.
• Entergy may require an Arkansas-licensed Professional Engineer to approve a design.

Size and placement rules

• Overall length or width up to 38 ft. Up to 2 boat slips and 2 PWC slips per residence; a stall wider than 12 ft counts as two.
• Frontage: lots platted before 1/1/2006 need 45 ft for one slip, 90 ft for two. Lots platted 2006 or later need 75 ft for one, 100 ft for two.
• At least 15 ft from the extended side lot line and 30 ft from any existing dock.
• Up to 55 ft from shore; in a cove, no more than one-fourth of the way across. Parallel slips: 1.5 times the longest slip from the property line.
• Roof peak no higher than 15 ft above normal water; deck no higher than 5 ft. No rigid enclosed sides.

Fees

• New or modified dock, pier or deck $400 · seawalls, ramps, dredging, concrete steps $550 · riprap, wooden steps, PWC ramps and lifts $200.
• After-the-fact permit: twice the regular fee.

Buying or selling a lake house

• An Entergy-trained inspector inspects the facility; Entergy replies within 10 business days and issues "clear to transfer."
• Transfer fee $400, or $200 if clear-to-transfer is received before closing.
• Or the buyer signs a bypass form with a $1,000 deposit and completes the inspection and fixes within 60 days of closing.

Other layers that can apply

• Town or county — zoning, shoreland and building permits.
• State — see the state page for your lake.
• Federal — Army Corps Section 10 / Section 404 where the work triggers them.

Official sources

Single-family facility guide (Nov 2025) · Application packet and fees (Nov 2025) · Entergy — private facilities · Transfer application packet · Last verified 2026-10-29

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.