Bulkhead replacement in Mobile, Alabama: permits, placement and cost

Service life depends on material. A vinyl wall with a concrete cap can last 50 to 70 years, steel 30 to 40 years and treated wood 10 to 25 years. ^[2]

A Sea Grant article says bulkheads often fail within 30 years or less. Sea Grant article See the bulkhead materials guide.

Plan on four layers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps), ADEM and State Lands review the shoreline work, and a city or county office reviews the build. Start with the local office, then work outward.

1. Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction and ask the local office what it needs.
2. Call State Lands at (251) 621-1216 about the Request to Impact form. State Lands Coastal Section
3. Pay the $100 State Lands application fee. State Lands rule 220-4-.09
4. Send the Corps request online through its Regulatory Request System, copying ADEM and State Lands. Corps Mobile District ADEM Form 166
5. Wait for the written approvals before work starts.

The permit guide explains the order in more detail.

State rules set a firm line. State Lands lets a replacement wall stand where the old one did or up to 2 feet farther out, measured from mean high tide (the average high-water mark). A wall built where none stood must be set at or behind it. State Lands rule 220-4-.09

ADEM adds conditions. It also wants the wall set no lower than mean high tide, behind any wetlands, with no fill in grassbeds and no workable soft-shore option. ADEM rule 335-8-2-.06

Nationwide Permit 13 covers bulkheads, riprap and sills. The job must be 500 feet or shorter, with no more than an average of 1 cubic yard of material per foot of wall below the high-water mark. The Corps can waive both limits in writing. Corps Nationwide Permit 13

Longer or heavier jobs need a pre-construction notice, and work may start 45 days after a complete notice if the Corps stays silent. Corps NWP 13 conditions Corps 45-day rule

Sources: Build Mobile website Mobile County Inspection Services Dauphin Island Town Hall Baldwin County Building Department Daphne Building Inspection

Two local rules bite. Mobile's fee ordinance exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet tall from building permits, but whether a shoreline bulkhead counts is a question for Build Mobile. City of Mobile fee ordinance Outside agencies apply either way, and the city asks for proof of state and federal permits where the law requires them. Mobile City Code Sec. 17-6

Dauphin Island bans seawalls and riprap on its Gulf-facing shore, so replacement there is a bay-side topic only. Dauphin Island Ordinance 105 The state rule also limits Gulf-beach walls. ADEM rule 335-8-2-.08 See the bay side guide and west end guide.

Building a typical home wall takes about one to three weeks, with a footing sunk four to 10 feet or more. ^[2] Plan for the permits to take longer than the build.

The Corps has 30 days to deem a notice complete. Work may then start after 45 days of silence, unless protected species or historic sites are involved. Corps 45-day rule ADEM asks for public notice at least 15 days before it decides. ADEM rule 335-8-1-.14 Start the paperwork months before you want the crew on site.

It depends on the documents. In a condominium, the association maintains and replaces common elements unless the declaration says otherwise. Alabama Uniform Condominium Act In an HOA, the declaration must put common-area upkeep on the association. Alabama Homeowners' Association Act

Read the recorded documents before you collect quotes. The HOA seawall page and the condo seawall page cover the process.

Alabama gives a lien right to anyone who supplies labor or material under a contract for improving land. Code of Alabama Sec. 35-11-210 That includes suppliers, so ask for lien waivers as you pay.

• A license number on the written contract, as the state requires for licensed builders. Code of Alabama Sec. 34-14A-7
• A schedule that names the permits and who files each one.
• A clear answer on removal of the old wall and spoil.

The contractor check guide has a full list.

What does bulkhead replacement in Mobile AL cost?

National guides price new walls from $100 up to $800 a foot, depending on the material. ^[7]

Sources: ^[1]

Add removal of the old wall at $50 to $150 per foot and engineering at $2,000 to $3,000. ^[3] One Alabama contractor page says remote sites that need barged equipment add 20 to 40 percent. ^[19] See the cost guide.

The City of Mobile bid a new steel sheet pile wall at Cooper Riverside Park in 2023. It had 399 feet of wall and 42 tiebacks, and the engineer estimated $7 million. City of Mobile bid PR-029-22 A public job like that is not a home project, but it shows the scale of river-wall work.

On Fowl River, wakes are likely the most damaging waves. Fowl River plan State Lands also leans toward rock slopes and other soft methods in place of vertical walls when they are workable. State Lands rule 220-4-.09 See the riprap page.