Docks, Boathouses, and Alabama Power Shoreline Permits on Lake Wedowee

Nearly every question we get about docks on Lake Wedowee comes down to the same thing: what does Alabama Power allow, and how do I find out if the dock on the house I am buying is legal? Here is the answer in one place.

Everything below comes from Alabama Power’s General Guidelines for Residential Shoreline Permitting for Lake Harris, December 2020 revision, which is the document you sign when you apply. Lake Harris (R.L. Harris Reservoir) is Alabama Power’s official name for the lake; everyone here calls it Lake Wedowee. We are Realtors, not Alabama Power, and the guidelines say Alabama Power can make exceptions at its sole discretion, so treat this as orientation and confirm specifics with the shoreline office before you build.

Why Alabama Power is involved at all

Alabama Power owns the lakebed and the shoreline strip up to the 795 foot contour, and holds a scenic easement up to 800 feet (or 50 linear feet back from the 793 foot summer full-pool line in some areas). Your dock, boathouse, seawall, and boat ramp all sit on Alabama Power’s land. That is why a permit is required, and why the guidelines call the permit “a mere license” that conveys no property rights. You do not own the dock site. You have permission to use it.

Rule one: get the permit before you build

A written permit must be obtained from Alabama Power, and a pending permit tag must be affixed and visible, before any construction, repair, or modification work takes place on Alabama Power’s property or scenic easement. Verbal approval is not sufficient, and Alabama Power does not give permission to contractors; the permit goes to the owner.

The Harris Shoreline Management office is in Wedowee (P.O. Box 488, Wedowee, AL 36278, telephone (256) 396-5093 per the guidelines), and Alabama Power’s permits page says applications can be made online or through the APC Shorelines app. You provide a signed copy of the guidelines, a copy of your deed or lease, a survey if Alabama Power asks for one, your contact information, the name and contact information of any contractor you hire, and a sketch of all existing and proposed shoreline structures.

Once approved and the fee is paid, a pending tag goes up near the lot and you have one year to finish. When the work is done, a representative confirms it matches the permit, photographs it, and replaces the pending tag with a permanent one. An extension is treated as a modification, may carry the modification fee, and is capped at 90 days.

Size, length, and setback limits

These are the numbers people ask about most. The guidelines describe all of them as ordinary maximums that may not be allowable in every situation.

Total structure size: 1,220 square feet, made up of up to 964 square feet over water and up to 256 square feet over land. This total covers floating docks, boathouses, wet slips, and similar structures.
Length: structures shall not exceed 50 feet.
Walkways: a walkway to the structure that is 6 feet wide or less does not count against the square footage.
Side setback: a minimum of 15 feet from an extension of your property line into the lake, or another distance Alabama Power sets. The guidelines add that there is no legal right to a 15 foot setback and it will not be feasible on every lot.
Narrow sloughs: no structure, including boats moored at it, may extend more than one third of the way across a narrow slough measured at full pool. A lot in a narrow slough may not qualify for a permit at all.
Small lots: lots with less than 100 linear feet of shoreline may be restricted or ineligible for structures.
Boat ramps: no wider than 20 feet, individually or combined.
Personal watercraft: up to two PWC floats or lifts (or one of each) without counting against the square footage, if they meet the setback and length rules. A third counts against the total and needs a permit.

Covered structures must be open, not walled or enclosed, though part of one exterior side may be walled for an approved storage area on the shore end. No habitable fixtures (toilets, sinks, showers) are allowed. Non-reflective materials are required. Flotation must be encased or closed-cell polystyrene made for marine use.

A short list of things is simply not allowed on Alabama Power’s fee-owned land: rope swings, swimming pools, spas and hot tubs, levees and floodwalls, and fences at the shoreline.

Rip-rap versus seawall

The guidelines say rip-rap (placed stone) and natural bank stabilization are the preferred methods of erosion control, and that seawalls are evaluated case by case. An approved seawall has to be built as close to the existing shoreline as possible, backfill must be approved and cannot go above the natural slope, no new creosote may be used, and Alabama Power may require rip-rap at the toe of any new or rebuilt seawall, two feet up and two feet out.

If you are buying a lot with a failing seawall, do not assume you can rebuild it as-is. Ask the shoreline office what they will approve before you price the repair. Dredging is also reviewed case by case.

The fee schedule

Section A-4 of the guidelines lists these non-refundable fees:

General Construction Fee: $400. Any new shoreline construction under a single permit (pier, boathouse, seawall, rip-rap, ramp, stairs, gazebo, float, deck, wet slip, and so on).
General Repair Fee: $200. Substantial repair of an existing structure, including adding rip-rap to an existing footprint. Alabama Power decides what counts as substantial.
Permit Modification Fee: $100. Changing an approved permit before construction is complete.
Unauthorized Construction Fee: $600. A structure built on Alabama Power’s land without written approval. Work must stop, and the owner may be required to remove the structure or bring it into compliance at the owner’s expense.
Unauthorized Structure Repair Fee: $400. Substantial repair or modification done without approval.
Non-Compliance Fee: $800. You had a permit but built something that does not match the permitted specifications, dimensions, or materials. The structure has to be brought into compliance at the owner’s expense.

Fees for unauthorized work and non-compliance are due within 30 days of Alabama Power’s demand, and the owner is also responsible for Alabama Power’s attorneys’ fees and collection costs. One useful exception: if a permitted structure is totally destroyed by storm, fire, or another natural cause, you can apply to rebuild it without paying the fees, as long as you apply within 180 days.

What happens with an unauthorized or non-compliant structure

Beyond the fees, every permit lets Alabama Power require removal. If a violation continues for 30 days after notice, Alabama Power may revoke the permit and remove the structure, or require the owner to remove it within 30 days, at the owner’s expense. Alabama Power can also require a permitted structure to be moved or altered if its operations or navigation require it.

Older structures get some accommodation. The guidelines have a separate section for legacy structures: structures placed with Alabama Power’s permission but generally without a written permit, and not in strict compliance with current rules. Alabama Power issues permits for these at its discretion, with no fee for an unenclosed legacy structure. The catch is that a legacy structure cannot be enlarged or modified without written permission, and if it is destroyed or significantly damaged, any rebuild may have to meet the current guidelines. Fully enclosed legacy structures carry additional flood storage requirements; ask the shoreline office directly.

How to check whether an existing dock is permitted

This is the question that matters most when buying. Here is what we do:

Look for the permit tag. A permitted structure should have an Alabama Power permit tag at or near the lot, and the guidelines say it may not be removed for the life of the permit.
Ask the seller for the permit paperwork, including the “Sketch of Permitted Structures.” The structure must match that sketch in size, design, location, and materials. If the dock in the water is bigger than the dock on the sketch, that is a non-compliance issue you would inherit.
Call the Shoreline Management office in Wedowee and ask them to confirm the permit status. They keep the records.
Understand that the permit does not automatically transfer. It is personal to the permittee and non-transferable without Alabama Power’s written consent, and the seller is supposed to give Alabama Power written notice at least seven days before the transfer. A buyer who takes over a permitted dock is bound by its terms either way.

We build these steps into the inspection period on every waterfront contract. It is far cheaper than discovering after closing that the boathouse you paid for is an unauthorized structure.

The rules could change: the license renewal

Alabama Power operates the lake under a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that is up for renewal for the first time since the dam was built. The previous license expired November 30, 2023, and FERC staff released a final environmental impact statement on March 31, 2025. As of this article, we have not seen a final order issuing the new license. Because shoreline management is part of what the license governs, these guidelines could be revised once the new license is in place. Confirm with the shoreline office that you have the current version.

Questions about a specific dock?

If you are looking at a waterfront home and want to know whether the dock is permitted, or whether the lot could support the dock you have in mind, we are glad to help. Terry has walked this process with many buyers and sellers, and a boat showing is the best way to see a shoreline for what it is. Call us at 404-317-5120 or use the contact page.