Seawall permits in Orange Beach and Baldwin County.
Start with your parcel.

Which office issues my bulkhead permit?

To check a parcel, open the Revenue Commission parcel viewer and turn on the City Limits and Building Permit Jurisdictions layers. Baldwin County parcel viewer guide Then match the result below.

In Orange Beach, a pier or boathouse needs a separate marine accessory permit, also filed in CitizenServe.

Not sure of your area? See the Baldwin County hub or pick your shoreline in the area directory.

In what order do the approvals go?

A bulkhead, dock or riprap job at the water line can touch four separate approvals. One application package goes to all of them, and the owner or contractor must send the copies. ADEM coastal program

1. Survey and drawings. Show mean high water and mean low water, the waterbody width and adjoining owners. ADEM Form 166 requirements
2. Corps of Engineers. Requests go through the online Regulatory Request System. The Mobile District Regulatory Division is at (251) 690-2658. Corps Mobile District
3. Copies to ADEM and State Lands. The Corps does not forward them for you. 2026 Alabama General Permits
4. State Lands request. A $100 Request to Impact State Owned Submerged Lands covers a Consent of Use. State Lands rule 220-4-.09
5. City or county permit. Upload the federal and State Lands approvals with it.

Applications are often rejected for drawings that do not show mean high tide, a missing narrative, or maps without latitude and longitude. Sea Grant permit guide The cost guide lists each fee. New to a term? See the seawall glossary.

What do the ADEM coastal rules require?

ADEM's coastal area is the land and water seaward of the continuous 10-foot elevation contour. ADEM rule 335-8-1-.02 Higher bluff lots in Fairhope, Montrose and Daphne can sit partly outside it, but the water work below them is inside.

ADEM's armoring rule has four tests. The wall must keep fill out of wetlands and grassbeds. It must sit at or above mean high tide and landward of wetlands. It must keep normal wetland water flow. And no feasible non-structural option can exist. ADEM rule 335-8-2-.06

Non-structural options include restoring dunes, wetlands or grassbeds, beach nourishment and retreat. ADEM rule 335-8-2-.06(1)(d) The fee is $1,000 for 50 feet or less of bulkhead or riprap and $1,665 above that. ADEM Fee Schedule B ADEM's coastal program lists its office at (251) 304-1176. ADEM Coastal Program

Which Corps permit applies in 2026?

• NWP 13 bank stabilization. Covers bulkheads, riprap and sills up to 500 feet long, averaging no more than one cubic yard of fill per running foot below the high tide line. A pre-construction notice is needed beyond those limits. 2026 NWP 13 NWP 13 notice triggers
• NWP 3 maintenance. Covers repair or replacement of a legally built structure, including storm damage if work starts within two years. 2026 NWP 3
• NWP 54 living shorelines. Always needs a notice to the Corps. 2026 NWP 54
• ALGP-05 piers. Up to three boat slips, a terminal platform up to 3,000 square feet and no longer than a quarter of the waterway width. ALGP-05 limits

Adding or replacing a boat lift on an existing slip needs no notice if no new pilings go in and no slips are added. ALGP-05 conditions When listed species may be affected, work cannot start on the 45-day default and must wait for written confirmation. NWP General Condition 32

A homeowner's individual Corps permit costs $10, and general permits are free. 33 CFR 325.1(f)

Who owns the water bottom?

The state owns the land below the mean high tide line under tidal waters. ADCNR rule 220-4-.09 The Coastal Section office in Spanish Fort is at (251) 621-1216. ADCNR contact page

• A single-family pier or boathouse with under 5,000 square feet of preempted bottom gets a Consent of Use, not a paid easement. State Lands rule 220-4-.09(4)(e)
• A replacement bulkhead may sit at, or up to two feet waterward of, mean high tide. A new bulkhead must sit at or landward. State Lands rule
• Docks and pilings must sit at least 10 feet inside your riparian lines and cannot exceed 25 percent of the waterbody's width. State Lands setback State Lands width limit

You must show upland interest, such as a warranty deed or association documents. State Lands rule

Orange Beach: site permit and marine accessory permit

In Orange Beach a canal, bayou or bay-side bulkhead is a site permit. A pier, dock, boathouse or lift needs its own building permit. Each structure needs its own permit. Orange Beach checklist The city wants the Corps approval in hand first. A 2024 permit authorized riprap "to specs approved by ACOE Permit." Orange Beach permit, September 2024

• Residential bulkhead: $50, plus $25 issuance and $10 data processing. Orange Beach fee schedule
• Piers and boathouses: $3 per $1,000 of value. Orange Beach marine fee
• First review takes about 14 days for a site permit. Orange Beach review times
• Contractors need a city business license. Orange Beach business license

The city's zoning text sets no numeric bulkhead height for canal lots. See the height requirements page. Gulf-front lots add a coastal use permit, covered in the Gulf-front armoring guide. Neighborhood pages: Cotton Bayou and Terry Cove, Bayou St. John.

Gulf Shores: federal and State Lands first

Gulf Shores will not issue a permit for a new bulkhead, pier or boathouse until the Corps and State Lands have approved it. Gulf Shores handbook In some cases involving an existing structure the city can issue a permit before an owner applies to the Corps. Gulf Shores handbook

Fees are $25 to apply, a flat $50 for a bulkhead and $4 per $1,000 for a pier or boathouse. Gulf Shores Code 7-4 Starting without a permit costs $250 plus double fees. Gulf Shores Code 7-4(IX) Lagoon-side lots follow the same path. See Little Lagoon and the Intracoastal Waterway.

Baldwin County: the flood permit

In unincorporated Baldwin County, piers, docks, boathouses, lifts, bulkheads and seawalls are filed as a flood permit with the marine accessory type. Upload the Corps permit and the State Lands notice. Baldwin County marine permit The fee is $75 plus $25 in administrative fees. Baldwin County fee schedule

The county requires the permit only where the marine structure sits in a FEMA flood zone, though other agencies may still require approval. Baldwin County checklist Fort Morgan Gulf-front lots add the Coastal Area Program permit. Baldwin County Coastal Area Program

The towns need their own first step. Elberta wants a Land Use Certificate from its Planning Department, then the county permit. Elberta Planning Magnolia Springs requires a Land Use Certificate before the county will issue a permit. Magnolia Springs Local pages: Ono Island, Perdido Beach and Josephine, Lillian and Elberta, Magnolia Springs.

Foley and the Eastern Shore

Foley is the one city with a dedicated riparian permit. It costs $75, or $25 for repairs under 50 percent damage. Foley Code 4-227 Foley asks for a site plan showing mean high tide and copies of the state and federal permits. Foley Code 4-225

Daphne expects soft or non-structural shoreline methods first and copies of the Corps and State Lands permits before anything goes in. Daphne LUDO 20-18 Fairhope's zoning has no bulkhead or pier construction rules, and it exempts structures over state bottomland from accessory setbacks. Fairhope Zoning Ordinance Spanish Fort requires a land disturbance permit first if 1,000 square feet or more is disturbed. Spanish Fort land disturbance

Area pages: Fairhope, Daphne and Montrose, Spanish Fort, Point Clear.

Which waters have extra limits?

Weeks Bay is a National Estuarine Research Reserve and an Outstanding National Resource Water. Weeks Bay watershed plan ADEM can bar uses inside a reserve that would alter its natural state. ADEM rule 335-8-1-.04(3) Weeks Bay piers that qualify for the general permit are capped at 300 feet. ALGP-05 Weeks Bay limits

Wolf Bay is an Outstanding Alabama Water. MBNEP Wolf Bay designation Over seagrass a walkway must be 5 feet wide or less with gapped decking, and a grass survey may be needed. Alabama seagrass rules The recommended survey window runs June 1 through September 30, so a winter application near grass can stall until summer. ALGP general condition 5 See Weeks Bay and Fish River and living shorelines.

How long does a permit take?

Plan on months, not weeks. Sea Grant advises applying at least 90 days before construction for a shoreline project. Sea Grant permit checklist The Corps recommends a notice at least 60 days before work. 2026 Alabama General Permits

• Starting work before you have a permit costs double fees in Orange Beach. Orange Beach fee schedule Baldwin County can add a penalty up to $5,000. Baldwin County penalty rule
• Old forms carry old numbers. ADEM Form 328 still prints a $700 fee for a seawall. ADEM Form 328 Use the agency pages.
• Gulf-front and some bay jobs take longer when wildlife review applies.

Not sure where to start? Describe the shoreline and we will help you plan the next step through the project planner.

Permit questions owners ask

Do I need a permit to repair my bulkhead in Orange Beach?

Usually yes. Orange Beach files bulkhead work as a site permit with a $50 fee for a one- or two-family home. Orange Beach fee schedule Corps and State Lands may also apply.

Who do I call first in Baldwin County?

Start with the office for your parcel, then ask which Corps, ADEM and State Lands steps apply. Baldwin County Building is at (251) 972-6837. Baldwin County contacts

What replaced ALGP-11?

Nationwide Permit 13 now covers bulkheads and riprap, and NWP 54 covers living shorelines. 2026 Alabama General Permits

How far waterward can I put a replacement wall?

State Lands allows a replacement at mean high tide or up to two feet waterward. State Lands rule 220-4-.09(4)(e)

Does my dock need a separate permit from my bulkhead?

In Orange Beach, yes. Each structure needs its own permit. Orange Beach checklist

What does a Corps permit cost?

Nothing for a nationwide or general permit, and $10 for a homeowner individual permit. 33 CFR 325.1(f)

Can I pull the permit myself?

In Baldwin County an owner must file a sworn exemption statement, cannot sell within a year and gives up the Homeowner Recovery Fund. Baldwin County owner exemption

Official permit resources