Corps to Raise Dock and Other Fees on Southeastern Region Lakes

People living on Lake Hartwell will see an increase in their dock/permit fees beginning January 1.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division has announced a regionwide increase for all federal reservoir lakes and waterways in the Southeastern U.S.

Corps of Engineers Savannah Office spokesman Russell Wicke said the new revised fee schedule will result in a total cost of $835 for a dock and land-based facilities.

“What this does is it consolidates everything into one cost, no matter what,” Wicke said. “The same amount of work and cost to the government and time takes place. It’s just that now a number of things are assessed for different things, which is hard to follow. So, this just consolidates everything.”

The fee increase includes a $35 fee for a Shoreline Permit and an $800 administrative fee for the Real Estate License.

According to Wicke, the administrative fee will cover costs the Corps incurs for the issuance or re-issuance of dock permits and licenses in connection with the private use of fee-owned public lands by landowners adjacent to the reservoirs.

Examples include dock anchorage, lighting, walkways, and steps to improve access to permitted boat docks and similar facilities.

Additionally, Wicke said there will no longer be a fee charged for the fair market value of the licensed items, which generally ranged from $20-$67 for each land based facility.  He pointed out that is first dock fee increase in over a decade.

“What we’re pointing out is this is the first fee increase since 2006,” he said. “The cost of running this program has gone up, not just from inflation, but just from the newer software that is being use and a number of different things. Ideally, we would update the fees more often, but since it hadn’t been updated in so long we needed to get it updated so the fees will cover the cost incurred by the government.”

In Georgia, the increase in dock fees will apply to property owners on Lake Hartwell, J. Strom Thurmond Lake on the Georgia-South Carolina border, Lake Lanier, the Walter F. George and West Point Lakes on the Georgia-Alabama border; and Lake Seminole on the Georgia-Florida border.

Anyone with questions about the dock permit increase can call the Corps of Engineers Lake Hartwell Project office at: 706-856-0300 or the Corps of Engineers Savannah office at: 912-652-5014.

You can also get more information by visiting the Corps website at Army Corps Announces Administrative Fee Changes