New Docks & Boathouses on Lake Martin: Size, Setback & Permit Rules

A new dock or boathouse on Lake Martin is designed around Alabama Power's limits before it's designed around anything else. Its residential guidelines cap the total footprint at 1,510 square feet and the total length at 62 feet, set a 15-foot setback from the extended property line, keep roofed structures open, and may restrict lots with less than 100 feet of shoreline. This page lays out those rules, the permit steps and the $400 fee, and how a new dock fits with riprap or a seawall on the same shoreline.

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An open-sided boathouse with a metal roof over a floating dock, reached by a walkway from a wooded shore — An open-sided boathouse over a floating dock, with a walkway to shore.

Alabama Power's size and placement limits

These come from Section A-2 of the Martin, Yates and Thurlow residential guidelines (revised July 11, 2025):

Residential dock limits, Lake Martin

Total area: "The total allowable square footage for structures (e.g., floating dock, boathouse, wet slip, etc.) is 1,510 square feet."
Walkways: A walkway "that is 6 feet or less in width is not counted in the allowable square footage."
Total length: "The total allowable length for all structures shall not exceed 62 feet." For a floating dock on a pier or gangway, the two together can't exceed 62 feet.
Setback: Structures "should be set a minimum of 15 feet from an extension of Permittee's property line into the lake." Alabama Power may set a different distance.
Frontage: "Lots with less than 100 linear feet of shoreline may be restricted or may not be eligible for structures."
Roofed structures: "Covered (roofed) structures must be open and cannot be walled or enclosed." Part of one outside edge may be walled in, but only for a storage area Alabama Power approves.
Storage: "Storage areas must be placed on the portion of the structure closest to the shoreline, excluding any walkway."
Fixtures: "No habitable fixtures (e.g., toilets, sinks, showers, bathtubs, etc.) are allowed."
PWC: Two jet ski floats or lifts sit outside the square-footage cap; a third comes out of it and needs a written permit. See boat lifts.

Working within 1,510 square feet

The footprint cap covers everything counted together: floating dock, boathouse, wet slip and the rest. A narrow walkway out to the dock doesn't count against it, as long as it stays at six feet wide or less. In practice that means the design conversation is about splitting the 1,510 square feet between covered slip, open deck and storage, and about keeping the whole run, walkway included, inside 62 feet. A contractor should be able to show you the numbers on the drawing before you settle on a layout.

The 15-foot setback is measured from your property line extended out into the lake, so on a narrow lot or an angled cove the usable width can be tighter than the frontage suggests. If your lot has less than 100 feet of shoreline, ask Alabama Power early whether it's eligible for a structure at all.

The permit steps for a new dock

Design to the limits. Get a drawing showing the dimensions, square footage, total length and setbacks.
Gather documents. A signed copy of the guidelines, the recorded deed, the drawing, a sketch of existing and proposed shoreline structures, any subdivision ARC or HOA approval, and a survey if Alabama Power asks for one. Lots in Alabama Power subdivisions "may be subject to additional restrictions."
Apply on the APC Shorelines website or app. Review "can take up to 30 days or more."
Pay the $400 General Construction Fee at or before permit issuance.
Build within one year of the permit. Contact the Lake Martin Shoreline Management office (256-825-0053) before construction starts.

The Corps of Engineers' programmatic permits for Alabama Power reservoirs cover docks as well as riprap, and the same rule applies: requests start on Alabama Power's website. The Corps general conditions add that "All floats (existing and proposed) shall be encased or closed cell." The permits guide covers the whole process.

Build the dock and the shoreline together

The spot where a walkway meets the bank takes foot traffic and boat traffic all season. If you're adding a dock and the bank needs riprap or a seawall repair, ask whether both can go on one drawing and be built in one trip. Alabama Power's $400 General Construction Fee applies to new residential shoreline construction "authorized by a single Permit," so ask how a combined application would be handled and charged.

Also plan for the water level. Lake Martin drops from near 491 feet in summer to 484 feet each winter, so a floating dock, its walkway angle and any lift have to work across that range. See the drawdown page.

What a new dock costs

No Lake Martin source we found publishes what a new dock or boathouse runs. Local reference: [PRICE]. Size, roof, floats, walkway length and lifts all move the price, so compare written quotes built on the same drawing.

New dock questions

What's the most dock Alabama Power allows on one Lake Martin lot?

1,510 square feet for all structures combined, not counting a walkway six feet wide or less, and no more than 62 feet of total length.

Can I enclose my boathouse?

No. Roofed structures must be open, apart from part of one side walled for an approved storage area on the end closest to the shoreline.

Can I put a bathroom or sink on the dock?

No. The guidelines allow no habitable fixtures, naming toilets, sinks, showers and bathtubs.

My lot has 80 feet of shoreline. Can I build?

Maybe. The guidelines say lots under 100 linear feet "may be restricted or may not be eligible for structures," so get Alabama Power's answer before you pay anyone to draw a dock.

Getting a dock quote

Call (256) 667-6569 or send a request with your shoreline length, the dock you have in mind, and roughly where your lot is. We'll pass it to one independent local contractor who can draw it to Alabama Power's limits and price it. The referral costs you nothing.

Sources

Want a dock drawn to Alabama Power's limits?

Call or send a request to reach one independent local contractor on Lake Martin. The referral is free.