Dominion Energy Dock Permits at Lake Gaston

Why Dominion Controls Every Dock

Dominion Energy owns all land within the Lake Gaston project boundary — the line that graduates from approximately 204 feet above mean sea level at Gaston Dam to approximately 217 feet at Kerr Dam. This boundary is not the water's edge; it is a surveyed elevation line on Dominion's property that sits above the waterline. Private residential lots abut the project boundary. Dominion owns the strip of land between the project boundary and the water, the lakebed, and the water itself.

Any structure placed on Dominion's property — a dock, a boathouse, a boat slip, a bulkhead, riprap, a gangway connecting the upland to the dock, or any other improvement — requires written authorization from Dominion before construction begins. Dominion's Construction and Use Procedures, most recently updated in May 2022 and developed under the requirements of the FERC license, govern what can be built, where, at what dimensions, and under what conditions. Building without a Construction and Use Agreement is a violation of Dominion's property rights and the FERC license — Dominion can require removal of any unpermitted structure at the owner's expense.

The Shoreline Management Plan: Two Zone Types

Dominion's Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) divides the Lake Gaston shoreline into two primary categories. Understanding which category applies to any specific property is the first and most critical step in dock permit due diligence.

General Development Areas are those portions of the shoreline subdivided and platted before May 31, 1998, or where certain development will have little or no negative impact on the environment. Construction of docks, boathouses, and other permitted structures is allowed in General Development Areas, subject to the specific rules in the Construction and Use Procedures.

Special Management Areas are portions of the shoreline with environmental sensitivity that warrants special protection. These are further subdivided into Limited Use, Sensitive, and Undevelopable classifications. Construction of private dock structures is either restricted or prohibited in Special Management Areas depending on the specific sub-classification. A property adjacent to a Sensitive or Undevelopable SMA shoreline cannot receive a private dock permit regardless of what the listing description says about dock potential.

Dominion publishes the shoreline zone maps by county. The maps are available at the Dominion Energy website under the Lake Gaston permitting section. Any buyer should review the specific zone map for the county and parcel location before making any offer. For zone questions, contact Dominion's Reservoir Program Manager Josh Simpson at 252-410-6306.

The Application Process and the $600 Fee

To apply for a new Construction and Use Agreement for a dock or boathouse at Lake Gaston, the process begins with a survey of the property to confirm the project boundary location, followed by consultation with a boathouse builder or dock contractor familiar with Dominion's requirements. The contractor prepares drawings showing the proposed structure's dimensions, configuration, and location relative to the project boundary and neighboring structures. The application, with drawings and a $600 check made to Dominion Energy, is submitted to Dominion for review. Dominion's reservoir staff conducts a field inspection and either approves, requests modifications, or denies the application.

Structures must comply with the 1,250 square foot maximum size limit for an individual boat dock. Structures must be at least 15 feet from any neighboring structure. Structures cannot extend beyond the property extension lines — imaginary lines projected from the side property boundaries of the adjacent lot across Dominion's land. Dominion may adjust property extension lines at its discretion. The physical placement of a proposed dock must respect these lines, and a contractor unfamiliar with Dominion's specific requirements can design a structure that meets general building codes but violates the extension line rules.

What Transfers at Closing — and What to Verify

Unlike Army Corps Use Permits at Kerr Reservoir, Dominion Construction and Use Agreements at Lake Gaston do transfer from seller to buyerwhen the property sells. This is a significant advantage of the Dominion system over the Corps permit process. The permit follows the property — if a dock was legally permitted and the agreement is current, the new owner takes over the permitted dock without a separate new application.

Despite this transfer provision, several specific items require verification before closing:

• Is the existing Construction and Use Agreement current and in good standing? Ask the listing agent for the agreement documentation. If unavailable, contact Dominion directly to confirm the permit status on the property address.
• Does the existing dock match the permitted configuration? Sellers who added slips, extended the dock, installed a larger boathouse, or made unauthorized modifications have structures that are out of compliance with the approved permit. Dominion can require the new owner to bring the structure into compliance or remove the non-compliant portions at the owner's expense.
• Are any grandfather structure provisions involved? Structures built before 1998 under prior Dominion license agreements may have grandfather status that allows them to remain for their useful life under the original permit terms. Confirm what grandfather provisions, if any, apply to the existing dock — and what happens when the structure reaches end of useful life and needs replacement.
• Is the parcel in a General Development Area or Special Management Area? Even if a dock currently exists, confirm the current SMP classification. Zone reclassifications can affect what can be rebuilt if the existing dock is significantly damaged or destroyed.

Prohibited Activities on Dominion Property

The following are explicitly prohibited on Dominion Energy's Lake Gaston project property, regardless of adjacency or prior use: fences, walls, utility sheds, swimming pools, private sand beaches (no sand may be imported from outside sources), individual boat ramps, animal shelters, satellite dishes, septic tanks or drain fields, and any structure for human habitation. Individual boat ramps are specifically prohibited — property owners who want private boat launching capability need to use one of the public or marina ramps on the lake. No discharges from any source are allowed into lake waters.