Lake Martin Dock Permit Guide (2026)

Updated October 19, 2026. This guide is general information, not legal or engineering advice. Rules change, so confirm with the agency listed before you start work.

Quick reference

Topic	What applies
Who approves	Alabama Power Shoreline Management
License	FERC Project No. 349, Martin Dam
Full pool	491 ft MSL (490 ft Martin Datum)
Control strip	30 ft horizontal from 491 ft, where applicable
Structure area	1,510 sq ft total
Structure length	62 ft total
Side setback	15 ft from extended property line, or as set
Fall drawdown	Toward 484 ft by about the third week of November
Extra drawdown	Every 6 years, about 3 ft lower; last in 2021-22

Who controls the shoreline?

Lake Martin formed when Alabama Power completed Martin Dam on the Tallapoosa River in 1926; at the time it was the largest human-made body of water in the world. The lake covers about 44,000 acres in Tallapoosa, Elmore and Coosa counties, with roughly 750 miles of shoreline and depths to 155 feet. Alabama Power operates the dam under FERC license No. 349, and its shoreline management team handles permits for the lakebed, its flood easement and, where it applies, a 30-foot control strip measured from the 491-foot contour.

What needs a permit?

You need approval to repair, build or modify anything in the lakebed, the flood easement or the control strip. Painting and pressure washing are excluded. Federal and state permits, such as from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, may also apply.

How do I apply?

Open Alabama Power's Lakeshore Use Permit Request Form, through apcshorelines.com or the Alabama Power Shorelines app, and choose Lake Martin.
Attach a signed copy of the permit guidelines, your recorded property deed, a drawing with the dimensions and location of the work, and any subdivision HOA or ARC approval.
Wait for the permit. Submitting the form doesn't issue one.
Schedule the work, ideally during a drawdown when more lakebed is exposed.

The guidelines list non-refundable fees for construction, repairs and modifications, and higher fees for unauthorized work or non-compliance. If a permitted structure is totally destroyed by natural causes, no fees apply to a replacement application made within 180 days.

What size and design limits apply?

The residential guidelines for Martin, Thurlow and Yates set ordinary maximums of 1,510 square feet and 62 feet of total length, with walkways 6 feet wide or less excluded from the area. Structures should be 15 feet from the extended property line, and in narrow sloughs nothing may reach more than one-third of the way across at full pool. Covered structures must stay open except for shoreline-side storage on one wall, can have no more than two levels of accessible flooring, must use non-reflective materials and can't have habitable fixtures. Up to two PWC floats or lifts may be allowed; more count against the square footage and need a written permit. Flotation must be encased or closed-cell extruded marine polystyrene, and replaced beaded foam has to be removed from the lake.

How does the drawdown work?

Each fall Alabama Power lowers Lake Martin toward 484 feet, a process that takes several weeks and ends by about the third week of November. The license allows a fall extension, holding the lake higher as long as mid-October, only when precipitation, lake levels, river flows and operations allow; it wasn't implemented in 2025. Every six years the license calls for a drawdown about 3 feet deeper, and in 2021-22 the lake went to near 481 feet until mid-February.

Who can do the work?

Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Board requires a license for residential construction, repair or improvement when the cost exceeds $10,000. Ask your builder which Alabama license covers their dock work and look it up on the board's website.

Common questions

Do I need a permit to repair my dock on Lake Martin?

Yes, for most repairs. Alabama Power requires approval for work in the lakebed, flood easement or control strip, except painting and pressure washing.

How low does Lake Martin go in winter?

The normal fall drawdown targets 484 feet. Every six years the license calls for one about 3 feet deeper; in 2021-22 the lake went to near 481 feet.

What's the largest dock I can build?

Alabama Power's residential guidelines set ordinary maximums of 1,510 square feet and 62 feet of total length, and site conditions can lower those limits.

Lake Martin dock permit guide (2026)