Alabama Power Permits for Lake Martin Shoreline Work

On Lake Martin, the Alabama Power lakeshore use permit is the gate every riprap, seawall and dock job passes through. This page explains what work needs one, what goes in the application, who signs it, the fees ($400, $200 and $100, plus penalties for skipping the process), how repair differs from new construction, how the Corps of Engineers' APCO-PGP-05 verification fits in, how long you have to finish, and which dates to confirm before you file.

Who issues the permit

Alabama Power's Shoreline Management group issues residential shoreline permits for Lake Martin under its FERC license for the Martin project (Project No. 349). The rules are in its General Guidelines for Residential Shoreline Permitting & Permit Terms and Conditions for Lakes Martin, Yates and Thurlow, revised July 11, 2025. The guidelines' overview lists "sea walls and rip rap for bank stabilization, and re-grading" among the work they cover, along with other ground-disturbing activity on or near the shoreline.

This site isn't affiliated with Alabama Power. The office above is Alabama Power's, and it's the one that answers questions about your lot.

What needs a permit

Alabama Power's permits page puts it broadly: "All work (besides painting and pressure washing) in the lakebed, in the APC flood easement, or within the APC Control Strip" could require a permit. At Lake Martin the control strip, where it exists, is 30 feet measured horizontally from the 491-foot contour.

How far Alabama Power's authority reaches onto your yard depends on how your shoreline is classified. Its 2023 summary of 4,167 Lake Martin permits issued from July 2017 through 2022 found about 67 percent on unclassified shoreline, where it has "no authority through its SMP on property above full pool," and about 32 percent on lots where it keeps the 30-foot control strip. The rest were on recreation, quasi-public, commercial recreation and natural/undeveloped land. For riprap and seawalls, which sit at the waterline, the practical answer is the same on either kind of lot: ask before you build.

The guidelines are also explicit that "Verbal approval is not sufficient." A written permit has to be in hand before work starts.

What goes in the application

The permits page and the guidelines' "initial steps" list overlapping items. Between them, expect to provide:

• The permit guidelines, signed by you.
• Your recorded deed, or your lease if you lease the lot.
• A dimensioned drawing that shows where the requested work goes, plus a sketch of every shoreline structure on the lot now and every one you propose.
• A current survey, "in cases where Alabama Power determines that it is necessary."
• Any applicable subdivision ARC or HOA approvals.

Sending in the form starts a review; Alabama Power's permits page is clear that it "does not constitute the issuance of a permit." The company has said that review "can take up to 30 days or more," so leave room in the schedule. The guidelines also note that "Lots purchased within Alabama Power subdivisions may be subject to additional restrictions," so if your lot came out of an Alabama Power subdivision, ask what applies.

Who signs, and why the contractor can't

The permit belongs to the property owner, called the Permittee. The Permittee signs a statement at the end of the guidelines: "I have received, read, understand, and agree to abide by and otherwise adhere to these Guidelines." And the guidelines say plainly that "Alabama Power does not issue any permits, or give verbal or written permission, to a permittee's contractors."

A good contractor will help with the drawing and tell you what Alabama Power will want to see, but the obligations in the permit are yours. If something goes in that the permit doesn't cover, the fees below land on the Permittee.

The fees

Section A-4 of the guidelines sets these residential fees:

The construction and repair fees are non-refundable. Before conducting any construction, the guidelines say the Permittee "must contact his or her local Alabama Power Shoreline Management office."

Repair or new construction

The fee names do most of the sorting:

• Anything that adds length to a seawall or to riprap is new construction at $400.
• Adding rock inside an existing riprap footprint is repair at $200. It isn't free maintenance.
• Other repairs are $200 if Alabama Power decides they're "of a substantial degree," and the guidelines say a new permit may be needed before substantial repairs. Call the office first.
• Painting and pressure washing are the exceptions the permits page names.
• Legacy structures, older ones not covered by a written Alabama Power permit, have their own sections. Owners of an unenclosed legacy structure "may not rebuild or repair" it without Alabama Power's written permission, and an enclosed one can't be expanded, rebuilt, substantially repaired or replaced without its express written consent.

Seawalls and dock repair go into this in more detail for those structures.

The Corps verification: APCO-PGP-05

Shoreline work in the lake also needs federal authorization. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, issued programmatic general permits for minor structures and activities on Alabama Power's reservoirs. The one for shoreline protection is "APCO-PGP-05 Riprap for Shoreline, Bank, and Channel Protection; Bulkheads and Other Standard Shoreline Protection/Stabilization Devices Roughly Paralleling, and at the Shoreline or Bank."

A programmatic permit isn't automatic. "A project specific verification must be obtained for all activities covered under the Alabama Power Company Programmatic General Permits (APCO-PGP) prior to the start of regulated activities," and "Permit requests should be initiated via the APCO website at www.apcshorelines.com." Alabama Power's guidelines add that a Permittee issued a PGP on behalf of the Corps has to follow the ADEM (Alabama Department of Environmental Management) special conditions and best management practices.

The PGP-05 conditions on riprap and bulkheads, including the one-cubic-yard-per-foot cap on bedding fill below the high-water mark, the 36-inch limit for new bulkheads and the 24-inch limit for replacements, are laid out on the riprap and seawalls pages.

Dates to confirm before you file

After the permit is issued

• One year to finish. "The Permittee will have one year to complete construction and/or other permitted activity."
• Other approvals still apply. The permit "does not eliminate the necessity of the Permittee obtaining any Federal, State, or local assent required by law." We found no county permit for residential riprap or seawalls in Tallapoosa or Elmore County, but ask your contractor what they pull.
• Sensitive Resource Areas. On a lot Alabama Power identifies as one, "no construction or other potentially disturbing activity may take place unless and until specifically authorized by Alabama Power in writing."
• Selling the house. "The Permit is non-transferable absent Alabama Power's written consent." The guidelines call for notice at least seven days before the land is transferred and for telling a buyer about the permit, and a new owner is bound by its terms either way.

Permit questions

Do I need a separate Corps of Engineers permit?

Riprap and seawalls fall under APCO-PGP-05, which needs a project-specific verification before work starts. The PGP says requests should start on Alabama Power's shorelines website, so begin there and ask Alabama Power how the verification is handled for your job.

How much does an Alabama Power permit cost?

New construction is $400, a substantial repair $200, and a permit modification $100. Going ahead without approval is pricier: the unauthorized construction fee is $600, the unauthorized repair fee $400, and the non-compliance fee $800.

How long do I have to finish the work?

One year from the permit, under the guidelines.

A storm took out my seawall. Do I pay fees to rebuild?

Not if it was a permitted structure totally destroyed by natural causes and you apply within 180 days of the destruction. You still need the replacement permit.

Does my HOA need to approve it too?

If your subdivision has an architectural review committee or HOA, Alabama Power asks for "any applicable subdivision ARC/HOA approvals" with the application.

Getting help with the job

Call (256) 667-6569 or send a request, and we'll connect you with one independent local contractor who can look at your shoreline and draw up the plan your application needs. The permit stays in your name. The referral costs you nothing.

Related pages

• Riprap
• Seawalls
• Winter drawdown
• New docks and boathouses
• Dock repair

Sources

• Alabama Power, General Guidelines for Residential Shoreline Permitting & Permit Terms and Conditions, Lakes Martin, Yates and Thurlow (revised July 11, 2025)
• Alabama Power Shorelines, Permits
• Alabama Power Shorelines, Contact
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Programmatic General Permits for Alabama Power reservoirs (effective January 10, 2022)
• Alabama Power shares information on Lake Martin permits (September 13, 2023)
• Alabama Power's permitting process is a benefit to creatures great and small (September 15, 2022)