Mullet Point Bulkhead and Seawall Repair, Barnwell AL

Mullet Point and Barnwell fall outside the Point Clear census area, and neither one is inside Fairhope. Census boundary layers Baldwin County's Building Department permits unincorporated land. Baldwin County Building Department

A new or repaired wall goes in as a marine accessory flood permit. Baldwin County checklist Under the county's floodplain ordinance, in force since February 20, 2024, county guidance puts the lowest floor of a building one foot over the base flood elevation. Baldwin County floodplain ordinance If you also fill, grade or dig, Planning and Zoning charges $25 for each activity. Baldwin County Planning and Zoning fees

County planning districts differ in what they allow, and some are zoned while others are not. Baldwin County planning districts Call Planning and Zoning at (251) 580-1655 with your parcel number. Baldwin County Planning and Zoning More on the process is on the Baldwin County permit page, which also covers Weeks Bay and Fish River.

The Bailey Creek reach, from Point Clear down to Barnwell, had 18,464 of 20,288 feet of shore in bulkhead. That is about 91 percent, with no natural shore listed. Watershed plan

The plan's shoreline-type text calls the same reach 99.5 percent low vegetated bank, meaning the slope behind the walls is low and vegetated. Watershed plan

Barnwell to Pelican Point is less solid but still heavy.

Sources: Watershed plan, UT12 subwatershed

That 216 feet of living shoreline was the only one recorded anywhere on the Eastern Shore in the 2009 survey. Watershed plan The living shoreline guide explains the options.

Pelican Point sits on state land beside a public boat launch, just north of the mouth of Weeks Bay. In 2013 volunteers built four Oyster Castle reef breakwaters about 80 feet from shore. The Nature Conservancy fact sheet

• They protect about 430 feet of shoreline and cover about a tenth of an acre.
• Some 932 volunteers worked 6,555 hours over two days.
• The total cost was $348,312, or roughly $810 per foot of shore protected.
• Monitoring found mussels, no oysters yet in the low-salinity water, and a stable shore.

The watershed plan also notes beach loss at Pelican Point where breakwater protection went in during 2013. Watershed plan Treat this as a trial with mixed lessons, not a recipe.

At private sites on Bon Secour Bay in 2012, owners agreed for ten years not to disturb reefs, and the agreements were recorded with the county. Living shorelines manual Ask about similar paperwork if you try rock or reef.

The county put $500,000 of its GOMESA money into design and new features at Mullet Point Park. That buys a pavilion, sidewalks, a road and parking, but not repairs to the aging seawall. The county engineer promised to assess the seawall, boat ramp and pier. FOX 10, March 2026

FOX 10 reported in March 2026 that the state had finished engineering for about $1.7 million of work at Pelican Point, which locals also call Viewpoint. The plan would move two boat ramps about 50 feet northwest, out of heavy current, and repair or replace weathered bulkheads. Nothing starts until the Corps issues permits. FOX 10, March 2026

The Mullet Point ramp has lights, a courtesy dock and room for about 25 vehicles, and the state notes that it does not maintain it. ADCNR boating access list Launching is free, and the park lies on County Road 1. Baldwin County boat launch page

The state draws a line at Mullet Point. East and south of it, Bon Secour Bay has its own water-use class. ADEM water use rule Coast Pilot notes very extensive oyster beds on the bay's northeast shore. Coast Pilot 5

The bay from Mullet Point to Pelican Point has an offshore bacteria listing, tied to urban runoff and septic systems. Watershed plan Seagrass is gone too: 459 acres grew along a 10-mile stretch south of Point Clear in 1955, but only 17 acres were left by 1980. Watershed plan

Regulators ask hard questions about fill and rock. Under state coastal rules, a wall is allowed only if there is no feasible non-structural option. ADEM coastal rules

The plan's surge model finds infrastructure from Point Clear to the mouth of Weeks Bay most exposed to flooding, because the ground is low. Watershed plan The Weeks Bay water gauge recorded a 4.6 foot surge in Nate and 3.0 feet above high tide in Zeta. NOAA removed it in April 2022. NWS Mobile, Nate NWS Mobile gauge table NOAA station list

Weeks Bay is protected as an Outstanding National Resource Water, and the Corps limits piers there to 300 feet. ADEM water use rule 2026 Alabama General Permits Neighbors to the north are in the Point Clear guide. See also the tiebacks and anchors guide for older walls.