Which dimensions should be checked?
The residential guidelines ordinarily cap structures at 1,444 square feet and 92 feet in length, with qualifying narrow walkways excluded from the area calculation. Frontage, setbacks and waterway conditions can impose further limits. These maximums are not a promise of approval.
Show every existing and proposed component on one sketch. Have Alabama Power determine the riparian layout and allowed structures rather than copying a neighboring dock.
How do water levels affect the plan?
Discuss dock travel, shore access and utility connections across changing lake levels. A contractor should explain which parts float or remain fixed and how the system avoids loading the wall in an unintended way.
Use current Alabama Power information for planning. A summer photo does not establish low-water access, and a low-water visit does not promise the same condition during construction.
Alabama Power · Smith Lake conditions and reservoir facts · Alabama Power · Managing lakes during drought
What belongs in each contractor’s scope?
- Temporary dock or lift removal and safe storage.
- Electrical or other utility disconnection and reinstatement by the appropriate professional.
- The shore landing and any wall attachment.
- Reinstallation, inspections and final access.
- Responsibility for damage and restoration between trades.
For marinas or shared facilities, use the non-residential planning guide rather than assuming residential limits apply.
Show sourcesHide sources
- Smith Lake residential shoreline guidelines · July 2025Source reviewed 2026-11-04
- Alabama Power · Smith Lake conditions and reservoir factsSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- Alabama Power · Managing lakes during droughtSource reviewed 2026-11-04
- Alabama Power non-residential shoreline guidelinesSource reviewed 2026-11-04