Docks on Lake Lanier

Are you thinking about buying a house on Lake Lanier? If you have researched about buying a home on the lake, you will know that a huge bonus to a property is having a dock. But what kind of dock will you have and what options are available?

The first thing you need to know about docks on Lake Lanier is that not every home has one! Dock permits are issued by the Army Corp of Engineers, and in 2004, the Lake Lanier Shoreline Management Plan and its associated Environmental Impact Statement set a limit of 10,615 permits for the lake. All of those permits were used, so the Army Corp stopped issuing any new permits. Recently, as of around March of this year, the corp had some permits that became available for a variety of reasons to include revocation, failure to renew permits, or community dock reconciliation. This opened up a few available permits, but there was already a huge waiting list of people who were trying to apply, so they were working their way through that list and approving people who had applied and been on the waiting list for years, and there are many more people on the list than new permits available, so it’s kind of back to square one.

Since the corp is not issuing permits unless it’s to the select few to use up those open slots, you can’t put a dock on the lake unless the property you are purchasing already has one. Again, not every house that is listed for sale on the lake comes with a dock permit. We will need to confirm that a permit is included with the house and get a copy of it. Another thing to think about is that if a house is permitted for a single slip dock, that is the only kind of dock that you will be able to have. You can’t just say, “I think I’ll put a party dock here.” Another thing to think about is that docks on the Lake Lanier are floating docks.

This means that you need to bring the dock in and out, so there is dock maintenance that you will need to take care of. Now if you’ve watched any of my other videos on buying a home on the lake, this is something that I’ve mentioned before and I get questions from people all the time about this. Managing the dock is not something you need to every day or even every week. Depending on the rainfall, etc. you may have to make adjustments to your dock every couple of weeks. And of course, there are dock management companies that can handle this for you as well. 

Alright- let’s talk about the actual kinds of docks you’ll find on Lake Lanier. First up and the least attractive kind of dock is a platform dock. Platform dock permits are no longer issued and if you come across a property that currently has one, chances are it is grandfather in. You will most likely see platform docks in the back of coves where water levels tend to be low and in areas where there are a lot of other docks around. Platform docks will limit you severely to the use of the dock–most are just used for fishing and sunbathing and the occasional canoe. It is usually very hard to find enough space to have a boat attached to this type of dock and the regulations state you must have 50 feet between your dock and any vessel to a nearby structure thus limiting your options. Platform dock homes sell for less and are less desirable. 

Up next are single slip docks. You will see all kind of single slip docks built with various materials and various sizes. The size of your dock is dependent on what the army corp will allow. The general rule of thumb is that you can always go smaller, but not necessarily bigger. You will have to get permission to make any changes to the size of your dock. You will see that some docks have wider decking on each side of the slip, some slips are longer, some shorter. You may also see different lengths of walkways. Some of the longer walkways were grandfathered in and now walkways are limited to 16 ft. You will also see that some decks have what is called a party deck which is stairs leading to an upstairs deck above the boat slip. While these are numerous on the lake, you will be hard pressed to find anyone actually using this upper deck–it’s a fun game my husband and I like to play while cruising–who can find someone first actually using their top deck. 

You can also find double slip docks on the lake and these are very special! Double slip docks will allow you to keep two boat covered and like single slip docks, these slips will allow you to install a boat hoist to keep your boat out of the water. When considering a boat hoist, you will need electric to your dock which is a separate permit that you need–not all docks have power ran to them from the house. You could add power to your dock and of course, like all things on the lake you would need to get permission to add this. 

While searching for a lake home you may come across an enclosed boat dock or boat house. Like platform docks these are grandfathered in and of course just by taking a look at them on the lake–you can tell. The army corp will not allow enclosed boat docks because the army corp needs to insure the facility meets inspection requirements, prevent unauthorized use and storage (indicating human habitation and unsanitary conditions), reduced visual obstruction to shoreline esthetics, and reduced storm and wind damage to the structure

Existing permits will continue to be reissued for these items as long as they are maintained in a usable and safe condition, not occasion a threat to life or property, and the permitee is in substantial compliance with the existing permit conditions. If the permitted facilities do not meet these requirements they must be removed and cannot be replaced.

Last but not least, you may be considering a home in a neighborhood on the lake that has a community dock such as Cresswind at Lake Lanier. Typically communities that have boat docks such as these have a limited number of deeded boat slips that are either tied to individual homes or are available for purchase from the HOA. This gives you a dedicated boat slip in the community dock. Most all community docks have day use slips which are dedicated for visitors dropping off and picking up guests or lets say you are driving your boat over from the local marina to pick up family members. Typically these slips are only available for day use and they do not allow for any long term storage or overnight tie ups. 

Curios as to how much homes on Lake Lanier costs? Make sure you check out more videos on my YouTube channel to explore different price points on Lake Lanier.