Dauphin Island West End: Gulf-Front Seawall Ban and Options

No. Section 7.14 of Zoning Ordinance 105 says no seawalls, retaining walls or similar devices, including riprap, may be built on Gulf-fronting beaches and adjacent lands in the Town. Seawall Ordinance 106 covers the Gulf side between the East Bastion of Fort Gaines and the western tip. Zoning Ordinance 105, section 7.14

The Coastal Construction Line adds a second barrier. ADEM surveyed it, and the Town is a delegated entity bound by ADEM's rules. Zoning Ordinance 105, section 7.13

• On the Gulf side, nothing may be built in the strip from mean high tide inland to that line.
• Between the west end and the East Bastion, no structure may stand within 200 feet south of mean high tide.
• A structure damaged or destroyed more than 50 percent must be removed. Zoning Ordinance 105, section 7.13

State rules agree. ADEM treats walls on Gulf beaches as not permissible unless the wall sits landward of the line, protects an existing structure, and no non-structural option works. ADEM beach rule ADEM defines the line as straight segments between coordinates near survey monuments DI-16 through DI-33. ADEM definition, Mobile County

Zoning points to a separate seawall ordinance, No. 106, and the Town posts its ordinances as PDFs rather than on Municode. Ask Town Hall for the current text and any exceptions before you assume anything. Town ordinance list

It is a public sand fill and dune build. Its permit file is SAM-2024-00553, and it follows a shore where the beach south of the houses is gone along most of the West End. Permit application, January 2025

Sources: Town permit application, RESTORE Council. Permit application RESTORE Council approval

The Council signed a Finding of No Significant Impact on June 16, 2026. RESTORE Council approval The sand comes from offshore borrow areas about 4 miles out, and the Town says no pits will be dug on the island. Town sand source page

The Town's own page, viewed November 4, 2026, gives this plan. Dates can slip.

1. Owner easements are being collected from May through December 2026.
2. Final design and bidding are planned for fall 2026.
3. Construction is planned to start in winter 2027.
4. The Town expects sand and dune work to take 4 to 6 months, then about 30 days of planting.
5. Monitoring is planned for 3 years. Town West End page

If you do not sign the easement, you get no sand. The Town asks for construction and monitoring easements, reaching about the +5-foot contour or the existing porches and pilings. They let it place sand on private lots at no charge. Town easement terms

The Town wants every lot in the footprint to take part, since a skipped lot would sit low and could hold water. Town easement terms

The engineered beach also becomes eligible for FEMA claims after declared storms, and the Town is responsible for upkeep. Beach Act line, Town documents

The new dune will stand about 10 feet above the beach. Since summer 2025 it sits just south of the designated line. So Gulf-front owners will need walkovers or dune gaps to reach the sand. Who builds and pays for private walkovers is not yet set. Town FAQ

• Elevate. Flood protection height is base flood elevation plus 2 feet. The island has required that extra 2 feet since Katrina. Zoning Ordinance 105, freeboard
• Use deep piles. FEMA credits the Town's 10-foot minimum pile depth. Structures built to NFIP standards averaged about $3,000 per claim in three major hurricanes, against nearly $12,000 for older ones. FEMA case study
• Build a walkover, not a path. Each single-family home may have its own. Slats are spaced 1/2 inch apart, and piers are hand-augered at least 3 feet deep, not set in cement. Town walkover standards
• Time the work. No walkover may be built between May 1 and November 1, during sea turtle nesting. Owners who will not cross the dune must post sand fencing and "no crossing" signs. Town West End application

The West End Overlay lets the Town set setbacks case by case for R-1 "through lots" because the shore erodes or builds. South of Bienville Boulevard the back setback stays at least 10 feet from the right-of-way line. North-side houses must sit within 200 feet of the north right-of-way, or 150 on Bridgeview Drive and 100 on Island Shores Drive. West End Overlay

It is the old breach at the island's far western end. USGS describes it as intermittent and about 1.35 kilometers long after Ivan in 2004. After Katrina in 2005 it was continuous and over 2 kilometers long. A rubble mound closed it in 2010. USGS breach history

In USGS modeling, a sand berm in place of that mound eroded completely, and the simulated breach reached about 3.5 kilometers wide. USGS modeling The West End project runs west to the east end of that closure. Permit application

The shore retreated 200 to 300 feet in the 1915 to 1930s hurricane period. From 1957 to 2022 it averaged 260 feet along the West End beaches. The sandy beach and dune south of houses in the 1990s are gone along most of the West End. Town West End FAQ

Most sand lost south of Bienville Boulevard went north by overwash in major storms. 2024 design report

• Georges in 1998 pushed Gulf-front west-end homes across the island and breached it in several places. NWS Georges
• Katrina put the west end under water and washed away most homes there. NWS Katrina

FEMA says 8 miles on the western side have no development. Town and FEMA

Bay-side lots on the island follow different rules. See Dauphin Island bay side. For general erosion background, read the shoreline erosion guide and the storm guide. County-wide permit contacts are in the Mobile County permit guide.