Editorial standards: sources, storm records and what we leave out

Where facts come from

A fact gets on a page only if it links to a public source. Good sources are permit office pages, city and county ordinances, state rules, federal notices and public bid documents.

Local permit rules differ by city. The City of Mobile, for example, runs building permits and flood-zone permit records through one department, Build Mobile. Build Mobile permitting

Facts that could not be confirmed are left off the page. Some pages list a gap instead.

How storm records are used

Storm water levels come from NOAA gauges and National Weather Service reports. Hurricane Katrina is the benchmark on the west shore: the State Docks gauge measured 11.45 feet of surge in August 2005. NWS Mobile Katrina summary

Surge is the rise above the normal tide. It is not the same as the height above a survey zero point, so pages say which one a number means.

How costs are shown

Cost figures are ranges drawn from published guides and public bids. They are planning numbers, not quotes. A written proposal from a licensed contractor is the real price.

Public projects such as riverfront walls and city docks cost far more per foot than a home wall. They are shown only to explain why, never as a price for your lot.

Corrections

If a phone number, fee or rule on a page has changed, send a note through the contact page. Pages are updated when a public source confirms the change.

The about page explains who the site is for.

The responsible publisher

Published by Mobile Bay Bulkhead. Editorial contact: contact@mobilebaybulkhead.com.

Each page draws on Mobile Bay permit offices, local ordinances, public bids, tide gauges and storm reports.