Fly Creek Bulkhead Repair and Dock Permits, Fairhope AL
Bulkhead repair on Fly Creek and the south Fairhope shore starts with a simple question: is your lot inside the city or in the county? This guide covers the creek, its gullies and the walled beach south of the pier.
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Fly Creek & the south Fairhope shore at a glance
- Who permits it
- Fairhope inside city limits, Baldwin County outside them
- Call first
- City of Fairhope Building Inspection, (251) 990-0153
- The water
- Fly Creek, 52.8 percent hard armoring in 2009
- Local rule to know
- City limits are patchy along the bay, so check the parcel
Get to know your waterfront
Fly Creek is a short, heavily walled tidal creek with a city marina, a yacht club and a channel that needs regular digging. Just south of the pier, the beaches of 1955 are mostly gone behind hard walls. Fairhope's limits are patchy along the bay, so confirm the parcel before you ask anyone for a permit.
Coastal Alabama Living Shorelines Policies, Rules, and Model Ordinance Manual · Eastern Shore Watershed Management Plan (final, Aug. 16, 2023) · Army Corp backs away from dredging Fly Creek Harbor Channel · TIGERweb Census Current (2026) Legal and Statistical Entities, Incorporated Places layer (January 1, 2026 vintage), point-in-polygon queries
What to know before you fix a wall on Fly Creek or the south shore
The short answer: sort out the city line first, then the channel, the gullies and the age of the wall. Fly Creek has a city marina, a yacht club, steep ravines and a long run of walled shore.
Is my lot inside Fairhope or in the county?
Fairhope's boundary is made of 44 separate pieces, and open county ground lies in gaps along the Montrose shore. Census boundary layers The county's parcel viewer has a city limits layer that settles the question. Baldwin County permit guide
Inside the city, Fairhope Building Inspection reviews permits at 555 South Section Street. City of Fairhope Outside it, the county reviews marine work through a flood permit in its online portal. Baldwin County checklist
The city's zoning says almost nothing about piers or bulkheads beyond a yard setback exemption for docks over state water. Its flood ordinance is No. 1643. Fairhope zoning ordinance Fairhope floodplain page Citywide rules are on the Fairhope bayfront guide, and county rules are on the Baldwin County permit page.
How walled in is the Fly Creek shore?
A 2012 Sea Grant manual, using 2009 mapping, put Fly Creek at 52.8 percent hard armoring, against 38.6 percent for Mobile Bay as a whole. Living shorelines manual, 2012 The table below shows the watershed plan's own 2009 footage for the creek and the pier frontage.
| Shore type | Fly Creek-UT4 | Pier frontage (UT5-UT6) |
|---|---|---|
Bulkhead | 11,336 | 4,523 |
Seawall | none listed | 578 |
Beach nourishment | none listed | 1,822 |
Jetty or riprap | 677 | none listed |
Natural | 8,762 | 5,743 |
Sources: Watershed plan shoreline table Watershed plan Table 4.11
The marina basin shows how the creek was reshaped. It is about 10 acres, roughly 6.5 acres larger than in 1955, through digging and dredging. Watershed plan
Who keeps the Fly Creek channel open?
Not the Corps, lately. In 2019 the Corps declined to dredge the boat channel after doing it for decades. The city and the Fairhope Yacht Club each paid half of a project of roughly $500,000. WPMI, March 2019
The channel runs east from the bay to a turning basin about a tenth of a mile above the mouth. An overhead cable of 48 feet crosses northeast of the basin. Coast Pilot 5 The Corps' channel list, uploaded in December 2025, shows a federal Fly Creek channel 80 feet wide and 6 feet deep. Corps channel framework
That channel matters to a dock builder. Under State Lands rules, a dock or pier must stay 100 feet clear of a federal navigation channel. ADCNR State Lands rule The Corps pier permit has a similar limit that can be waived. 2026 Alabama General Permits Plan the pier length with both in mind, and see the dock and boat lift guide.
- The city-owned Fairhope Docks, at 848 Sea Cliff Drive, offers covered and open slips and a fuel dock. City of Fairhope
What do the gullies mean for a wall?
Every stream site sampled on the Eastern Shore ran above the natural erosion rate of 64 tons per square mile each year. Watershed plan Table 4.7 Near Fly Creek the numbers were:
- An unnamed Fly Creek tributary at Woodlands Drive: 1,636 tons per square mile.
- Big Mouth Gully at North Bancroft Street: 813.
- Fly Creek at Main Street: 551.
- Volanta Gully at Main Street: 221.
Erosion is recorded at the mouth of Big Mouth Gully. Watershed plan Table 4.12 The plan asks Fairhope, Daphne and the county to study the bay gullies together and to teach owners whose lots border one. Watershed plan
Fly Creek is also the only stream in the Eastern Shore watershed on the state's impaired list, for pathogens, since 2018. Watershed plan That does not ban walls, but keep soil and runoff out of the water during work. Drainage fixes are covered in the soil loss and drainage guide.
What did the city learn from its own seawall and beach?
The pier seawall was about 50 years old when the city engineer described its failure in 2024. Anchoring hardware had failed, and water behind the wall carried sand away from under the walkway. FOX 10, April 2024
The city rebuilt it in its Working Waterfront project, which FOX 10 reported dedicated on March 26, 2026. FOX 10, March 2026 The Fairhope guide has the grant and contract details. City of Fairhope
South of the pier, Magnolia Beach took a different path. Erosion had worried the city for 15 to 20 years, and it had paid for repeated sand nourishment instead of a bulkhead. Bay Business News Construction on three offshore rock breakwaters began in June 2026, and FOX 10 reported it finished that September, fully funded by a GOMESA grant. FOX 10, September 2026
What should I check after a storm?
Zeta put 7 to 9 feet of water on the northeast bay shore from the Causeway south to Fairhope, and it damaged the pier seawall. NWS Mobile, Zeta After Nate in 2017, Baldwin County counted just under 200 damaged piers. NWS Mobile, Nate
Look for moved panels, sinkholes near the cap, leaning pilings and new channels cut by gully flow. Start with the seawall assessment guide. After big damage, weigh patching against rebuilding in the repair or replace guide. A rock toe or marsh is covered in the living shoreline guide.
The living shoreline route has its own hurdles, including coastal property rights and rock on state bottoms. Watershed plan Neighbor lots to the south are covered in the Point Clear guide.
What could the work cost?
On this shore the wall is often only part of the bill. Tiebacks, drainage behind the cap and a rock toe can add as much as the sheet pile, and dock owners may also share channel dredging costs. Ask each bidder to price those items on separate lines.
Prices below are published figures, not a quote for your wall. Local figures come from Baldwin County bid tables and a 2014 Mobile Bay guide. National guides and contractor pages fill the gaps, and each row says which one it is.
Compare quotes and plan a budget →Find the relevant permits and records
| Starting point | What to resolve | Prepare and look up |
|---|---|---|
City of Fairhope Building Inspection, (251) 990-0153 | Building and flood permits for lots inside city limits | Parcel number, a site sketch and the flood zone. Ask what the city wants for a wall or pier. |
Fairhope Planning and Zoning, (251) 990-0214 | Zoning questions for waterfront lots | Ask in writing whether any pier, bulkhead or setback rule applies to your lot. |
Baldwin County Building Department, (251) 972-6837 | Marine accessory flood permit for lots outside city limits | The $75 flood permit fee, deed or lease proof and copies of the water-side approvals. |
Corps of Engineers Mobile District, (251) 690-2658; ADEM Coastal Program, (251) 304-1176 | Water-side review of walls, piers and lifts | Online Corps request, with dimensioned drawings showing mean high water and the creek width. |
ADCNR State Lands Division, Coastal Section, (251) 621-1216 | Work below the mean high tide line | Request to Impact State Owned Submerged Lands, $100 application fee, and proof of upland interest. |
Fairhope Single Tax Corporation, (251) 928-8162 | Landowner signature on permits for leasehold lots | Your lease, and a note about the wall or pier before you file with the city. |
A short checklist for Fly Creek owners
Do these in order before you collect bids.
Confirm city or county
Open the county parcel viewer, turn on the city limits layer and check your lot. Then call the matching office.
Permitting FAQs | Baldwin County Building Department · TIGERweb Census Current (2026) Legal and Statistical Entities, Incorporated Places layer (January 1, 2026 vintage), point-in-polygon queries
Check who owns the land
Many Fairhope lots are Single Tax leaseholds. The Corporation signs the building permit as landowner.
Ask about the channel
If you keep a boat on the creek, ask the city about the next dredging and how costs are shared.
Army Corp backs away from dredging Fly Creek Harbor Channel · Fairhope Docks Marina
Look behind the wall
Photograph shifted panels, voids and gully flow after the next hard rain.
Fairhope seawall fix coming - Restore Council approves additional funding for Working Waterfront · Eastern Shore Watershed Management Plan (final, Aug. 16, 2023)
Talk through your Fly Creek project
Send the street, what you see on the wall or pier and your timing. A local marine contractor can reply, or phone in to go over the creek, the channel and your schedule.
Each page draws on Mobile Bay permit offices, local ordinances, public bids, tide gauges and storm reports.
Fly Creek & the south Fairhope shore project questions
Who permits a bulkhead on Fly Creek?
The City of Fairhope permits lots inside its limits, and Baldwin County permits lots outside them. Either way, the Corps of Engineers, ADEM and State Lands review work on the water side. Check your parcel on the county map first.
Permitting FAQs | Baldwin County Building Department · ADEM Form 166, Joint Application and Notification, U.S. Department of Army Corps of Engineers / Alabama Department of Environmental Management (rev. 8/19)
Does anyone dredge the Fly Creek channel?
The Corps declined to dredge it in 2019, because Fairhope is no longer a commercial fishing port. That year the city and the Fairhope Yacht Club split a project of about $500,000. Ask the city about the next one.
Can I add a boat lift at a Fairhope Docks slip?
The city says it now allows boat lift installations for slip holders at its docks on Sea Cliff Drive. Call the dock office at (251) 929-0365 before you buy a lift. The docks close during hurricane watches and warnings.
Why is there so little beach south of the Fairhope pier?
A watershed study found that the beaches present in 1955 are strikingly absent south of the pier. It blames shoreline hardening in large measure. A significant sand beach remains north of the pier.
Eastern Shore Watershed Management Plan (final, Aug. 16, 2023)
Is rock a better choice than a new vertical wall here?
State Lands says shoreline work should use rock or plants instead of vertical walls wherever feasible. Fairhope chose three offshore rock breakwaters at Magnolia Beach. Your lot may differ, so ask an engineer to compare options.
ADCNR Admin. Code r. 220-4-.09 Placement and Configuration of Piers and Other Improvements on State Owned Submerged Lands · Fairhope's Magnolia Beach restoration complete
Keep planning
Nearby waterfront guides
Fairhope bayfront, Montrose & Ecor Rouge, Point Clear & Battles Wharf, Daphne bayfront & Lake Forest
Show sourcesHide sources
- Coastal Alabama Living Shorelines Policies, Rules, and Model Ordinance ManualSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- Eastern Shore Watershed Management Plan (final, Aug. 16, 2023)Source reviewed 2026-11-04
- Army Corp backs away from dredging Fly Creek Harbor ChannelSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- TIGERweb Census Current (2026) Legal and Statistical Entities, Incorporated Places layer (January 1, 2026 vintage), point-in-polygon queriesSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- Permitting FAQs | Baldwin County Building DepartmentSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- Building and Permitting | City of Fairhope, ALSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- Permit Application Checklists | Baldwin County Building DepartmentSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- Zoning Ordinance No. 1253, City of Fairhope (amended June 3, 2025)Source reviewed 2026-11-04
- Floodplain Management, City of FairhopeSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- United States Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 7 (Mobile Bay; pages dated 25 Oct 2026)Source reviewed 2026-11-04
- USACE National Channel Framework, ChannelReach layer (Mobile District, CESAM), channel area CESAM_FC_01_FYCSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- ADCNR Admin. Code r. 220-4-.09 Placement and Configuration of Piers and Other Improvements on State Owned Submerged LandsSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- ALGP-05 Piers and Pile-Supported Structures (SAM-2025-00970-LHL), 2026 Alabama General Permit ProgramSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- Fairhope Docks MarinaSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- Fairhope seawall fix coming - Restore Council approves additional funding for Working WaterfrontSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- Fairhope Working Waterfront Project officially dedicatedSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- Working Waterfront, City of FairhopeSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- Magnolia Beach In Fairhope To Get Lasting Erosion SolutionSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- Fairhope's Magnolia Beach restoration completeSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- NWS Mobile: Hurricane ZetaSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- NWS Mobile: Hurricane NateSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- Planning & Zoning, City of FairhopeSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- Baldwin County Building Inspection Department Fee Schedule (effective 10/01/2023, updated 10/01/2024)Source reviewed 2026-10-31
- Contact Us | Baldwin County Building DepartmentSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- South Atlantic Division > Missions > Regulatory > AlabamaSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- Alabama Coastal Area Management Program (ADEM Coastal Program page)Source reviewed 2026-10-31
- ADEM Form 166, Joint Application and Notification (rev. 8/19)Source reviewed 2026-10-31
- Contact Us (Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)Source reviewed 2026-10-31
- F.A.Q.sSource reviewed 2026-10-31
- Forms, Transfers, & Info, Fairhope Single Tax CorporationSource reviewed 2026-11-04