Lake County >> In the aftermath of this winter’s flooding, repairing wave-damaged docks has caused frustration.
County zoning ordinances for construction must be followed. These set rules, timing and require permits that slow the process — at least in the opinion of anxious dock owners.
Permit demands vary according to the needs of a repair project.
“Depending on the extent of the work, sometimes we have to send notice to the neighbors for larger construction,” explained Lake County Water Resource Director Phil Moy. “If it is relatively simple, then we can go ahead and issue a permit.”
If much of the damage is above water and relatively easy to fix, Moy said it is often possible to issue a permit in an hour. Larger projects, however, require notice and approval from neighbors.
But there are other issues that can delay the process.
Because the Clear Lake hitch is considered a threatened species, certain work could damaged important habitat. Loss of vegetation can affect the population of the small fish.
“We are getting towards the time of year where the young hitches are moving out from vegetation and towards deeper parts of the Lake,” Moy said. “Depending on the location of the doc and the habitat, Fish and Wildlife says they don’t want construction to be done until October.”
There are no material restrictions that can be used to build a dock or make repairs, just as long as it is not toxic to aquatic life. Certain materials may, however, require additional permits.
A Lakebed Administrative Encroachment Permit allows for any construction that pertains to retaining walls, fills, boat lifts, docks and any other projects that are lakeward of the High Water Mark, which is anything over 7.79 feet on the Rumsey gauge.
Other restrictions for docks when repairing or building include a 10 feet setback from property lines, height limits and a cap preventing docks from extending beyond 100 feet of zero Rumsey. Docks cannot exceed 50 percent in width of the shoreline frontage.
If a resident is wanting to do concrete placement or build more onto a dock for expansion, other permits may be needed.
More information on dock restrictions, guidelines and ordinances for repair and expanding can be found on the county website.
