Bulkhead inspection in Mobile, Alabama: what to check and who to call

Walk the whole wall at low water, then again near high water. Take dated photos of every section, with a tape measure in the frame for scale.

• Note the cap, the joints between panels and any rust stains.
• Look at the ground behind the wall for dips, holes and wet spots.
• Sight along the top of the wall for a lean or a wave in the line.
• Check the base for exposed footing, missing rock or scour.

Keep the photos in one folder with the date. A trend over a year tells a contractor more than one snapshot.

A thin hairline crack in the cap is common and often cosmetic. A crack that is wide, offset or running down into the panels points to movement. See the cap and panel repair page for how to tell the two apart.

Mark a fixed point on the cap and measure from a string line or a stake set in the yard. Repeat every few weeks and after each storm.

Movement of even an inch matters if it keeps growing. The tiebacks and anchors page explains what holds the wall upright and what to ask about it.

Soil is escaping through a gap in the wall or its drainage. Keep people, mowers and pets off the spot. Photograph it, mark its size and see if it grows. The soil loss and drainage page covers the causes.

Check at low water, when the base of the wall is easiest to see. Surge can scour the soil at the base and shift panels, and the damage may not show at the top.

Low water can be extreme around the bay. During Hurricane Sally, north winds drained Mobile Bay, and water at the Coast Guard Sector Mobile gauge fell 10.6 feet in under a day. NHC Sally report That is a rare chance to see a wall's toe, but never walk the exposed bay floor.

Zeta in 2020 flooded the northwest bay by 4 to 6 feet and the northeast bay by 7 to 9 feet. NWS Mobile Zeta report A wall that faced that water deserves a full look.

Past permits and recorded documents show what was built and when. They also show whether the wall was ever authorized, which affects the repair permit.

• City of Mobile: the permitting division keeps a database of permits issued in flood zones. Build Mobile permitting
• Mobile County: Probate indexes real property records from 1813 on, and the Revenue Commission runs a parcel search. Mobile County records offices
• Baldwin County: newer permits, from November 2020 on, sit in its CitizenServe portal, and older ones in a separate database. Baldwin County permit history
• State and federal: ADEM eFile searches by county, and the Army Corps of Engineers posts public notices back to 2012. ADEM eFile Corps public notices

Mobile County says its records are open to permanent Alabama residents under the 2024 open records change. Mobile County bid page Allow weeks for a response. Alabama open records timelines

Who does a bulkhead inspection in Mobile AL?

Use a marine contractor or a marine engineer. An engineer's seal is needed when a permit package calls for drawings, and an engineer has no stake in selling you the repair.

A seawall inspection typically costs $200 to $600 a visit in national figures. ^[3] A full site survey runs $800 to $5,500. ^[1] One Mobile contractor lists marine engineering at $1,500 to $3,500. ^[18]

Ask for a written report, not a verbal opinion. A useful one covers the whole wall and ties each finding to a photo.

• Wall length, material and approximate age.
• Measured lean at several points, with dates.
• A map of cracks, gaps and soil loss.
• The likely cause of each problem.
• Two or three repair options, with the permits each would need.

An engineer's report can also support a permit file. The report is yours to keep and to show to other contractors.

• Is the wall safe to stand near and to mow beside?
• Which problem should be fixed first?
• Can the wall be repaired, or is it near the end of its life?
• What would a repair or a replacement likely need from the permit offices?

Ask the same questions of more than one inspector. A marine contractor may quote a repair, while an engineer may suggest a different design. The contractor check guide helps you check credentials.

No. Looking, measuring and photographing need no permit. Probing or digging at the base may touch state submerged land, so ask the contractor how they will do it.

Any repair that follows is another matter. Substantial rebuilds, defined as more than 50 percent of the structure, trigger State Lands review. State Lands rule 220-4-.09 Call State Lands at (251) 621-1216 early. State Lands Coastal Section

For the local permit, start with the office for your parcel. Inside Mobile city limits that is Build Mobile at (251) 208-5895. Build Mobile website In unincorporated Mobile County, call Inspection Services at (251) 574-3507. Mobile County Inspection Services In unincorporated Baldwin County, call the Building Department at (251) 972-6837. Baldwin County Building Department

Probably not. Under the NFIP's standard policy form, a failed wall, pier or dock is not insured property. NFIP policy form Read the seawall insurance guide before a loss, not after.

Sea Grant authors say walls commonly give out by year 30 or sooner. Sea Grant article

On the west shore, county visits in 2024 and 2025 found almost every lot armored and several walls failing. Mobile County shoreline plan See the Dog River guide, the Fowl River guide and the Fairhope guide for local detail.