[notfarnow]

You need to get approval if you are building anything that is permanent (like a concrete dock) or even semi-permanent, like a dock with cribwork filled with stone/rubble. As far as I know, even fastening into rocks along the shore has to be approved. That's only for environmental impact though, nothing to do with safety.

I think you'd have to do something pretty wild before anyone asked any questions. The only person I know of who got in trouble was a guy who poured a concrete pier that his dock attached to. He poured it right on the beach, and it went out 6'. It was ugly, stupid and stood out like a sore thumb. His neighbors complained and it had to be jackhammered out.

There used to be a full dock on the other side of the property, and some of the cribwork is still there. It would be a ton of work though, and that side is right in the prevailing wind. Plus, it would get beat up every winter. My wife and mother in law think that could be neat, but I have NO interest in building or maintaining something like that.