How to Prepare a Dock Permit Site Plan

Informational Only: Site plan requirements vary by agency. Always check your specific agency's application instructions for their exact requirements before submitting.

A missing or inadequate site plan is the single most common reason dock permit applications are declared incomplete and returned to the applicant. Every major dock permitting agency — TVA, Florida DEP, Michigan EGLE, Georgia CRD, and the Army Corps — requires a site plan as part of the application. The good news: for most residential dock projects, you do not need to hire a licensed surveyor to create an acceptable site plan. You need to know what the plan must show.

What Every Site Plan Must Include

Across all major agencies, a dock permit site plan must show the following core elements:

Location and Orientation Elements

North arrow — a simple N-arrow in the corner is sufficient; don't omit this
Scale — either a bar scale or a stated ratio (e.g., "1 inch = 20 feet"); the plan must be drawn to scale
Property boundaries — all four property lines with dimensions
Ordinary high water line (or mean high water line for tidal areas) — this is the legal shoreline boundary
Existing structures — house, outbuildings, existing docks or boat ramps, seawalls

Dock Location and Dimensions

Proposed dock footprint drawn to scale — the exact shape of the dock from above
Total dimensions — overall length and width, platform dimensions, walkway dimensions
Setback from property lines extended into water — most agencies require minimum setbacks from neighboring property lines; measure and label these
Distance from shore — how far the dock extends from the ordinary high water line
Water depths — depth at the end of the dock (and sometimes at intervals); TVA and DEP both commonly require this

Context Elements

Neighboring docks and structures — show any existing docks on adjacent properties within 100 feet
Navigation channels or waterway markers — if any exist near your property
Vegetation zones — location of any aquatic vegetation beds, especially seagrasses (required by Florida DEP)
Access corridor to water (TVA-specific) — TVA requires the access corridor from your property line to the water to be shown

Views Required: Top View and Side View

Most agencies require both a top-down (plan) view and at least one cross-section (profile) view:

The top view shows the dock's footprint, dimensions, orientation relative to the shoreline, and relationship to property lines. This is what most people think of as "the site plan."

The cross-section view shows the dock from the side: the piling heights above water, deck height above water, water depth at various points, and clearance from the water surface. TVA and Army Corps applications almost always require this. It helps reviewers assess navigation clearance and structural compliance.

Do I Need a Licensed Surveyor?

For most standard residential dock projects, a professional survey is not required — but your plan must be accurate and drawn to scale. Acceptable approaches include:

Hand-drawn plans: Accepted by TVA, Michigan EGLE, and most state agencies for straightforward residential projects. Must be legible, accurate, and to scale. Use graph paper for ease.
CAD or drawing software: Google Drawings, SketchUp, or similar free tools can produce clean, scaled plans without professional software.
Aerial imagery base: Print a Google Maps or county GIS aerial of your property and trace/annotate over it. Many agencies accept this, especially when combined with field measurements.
Professional surveyor required: Some projects do require a licensed survey — particularly those on Great Lakes shoreline (Michigan Part 325), tidal coastal areas with complex boundaries, or any project where the precise location of the ordinary high water line is disputed.

Common Site Plan Rejection Reasons

Based on publicly available agency guidance and common application deficiencies, the most frequent reasons site plans are returned as inadequate:

No north arrow — simple omission, but flagged every time
Not drawn to scale — the plan says "approximate" without a scale bar; agencies won't accept this
Missing water depths — particularly flagged by TVA and Florida DEP
Missing setback measurements — the distance from property lines is not labeled
Neighboring structures not shown — agencies need context to evaluate navigation and property impacts
Seagrass or vegetation not addressed — Florida DEP applications in coastal areas must address aquatic vegetation
Cross-section view missing — the top view alone is often insufficient
Access corridor not shown (TVA) — TVA specifically requires the access corridor from the property line to the water

Photographs: Required Alongside the Site Plan

All major agencies require photographs submitted with the application. Required photos typically include:

Shoreline from the water, looking left
Shoreline from the water, looking right
View from shore looking straight out over the proposed dock location
View from the water looking at the property
Any existing dock or structures on the property
The proposed construction area showing current vegetation conditions

Label each photograph with the direction it was taken and what it shows. Unlabeled photos are frequently flagged as inadequate.

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Free Download: Dock Permit Application Prep Checklist

Includes a complete site plan component checklist and photograph requirements — everything to confirm before submitting your application.

Download Free PDF →

Frequently Asked Questions

For most standard residential dock projects, you can draw the site plan yourself. The key requirements are accuracy and scale — the plan must reflect real measurements, not approximations. Graph paper, free online drawing tools like Google Drawings, or annotated aerial imagery from Google Maps or your county GIS portal are all commonly accepted. Licensed architects or surveyors are typically required only for projects on Great Lakes shoreline, complex tidal sites where the ordinary high water line is uncertain, or projects that an agency flags as requiring professional preparation. When in doubt, ask your agency reviewer whether a hand-drawn plan is acceptable for your project type before investing in professional drafting.

Water depth at the proposed dock location is measured from the water surface to the bottom, typically at the far end of the dock and at the point where the dock enters the water. A simple weighted string or a fish finder can provide accurate measurements. Take measurements at normal water level and note on the plan when the measurement was taken. For TVA projects, note that TVA reservoir levels fluctuate seasonally — TVA wants to understand depths relative to full pool elevation, not just the reading on the day you measured. Check the current pool elevation on TVA's website and note it on your plan alongside your depth measurements.

TVA's access corridor is the strip of TVA property (if any exists between your property line and the water) that you're granted permission to use to access your dock. TVA often owns a strip of land around its reservoirs. The access corridor on your site plan shows where this strip is, how wide it is, and how you'll access the water from your property. TVA's application guidelines specify that this corridor must be shown clearly on the top-view site plan. If you're unsure whether TVA owns land between your property line and the water, TVA's Public Land Information Center can confirm this — call 1-800-882-5263.