Bon Secour and the Bon Secour River: bulkheads, docks and the working channel

Get to know your waterfront

Bon Secour is an unincorporated village on an 8-mile working river. The county permits most work, and Foley covers lots inside its limits. Near the mouth, commercial seafood businesses sit beside homes. Upriver the banks narrow and the water quiets, so access for equipment changes along the river.

TIGERweb Census Current (2026) Census Designated Places layer; Census 2020 layer; 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file · Bon Secour River, Oyster Bay, and Skunk Bayou Watershed Management Plan (January 2017) · CRS Flood Insurance Program - Baldwin County Planning & Zoning (Internet Archive copy)

Bon Secour River permits, channel limits and shoreline choices

Who permits a bulkhead or dock on the Bon Secour River?

Baldwin County, for most of the village and river mouth. The Census Bureau carries Bon Secour as a place with no municipal government. Census place record County permit jurisdiction covers unincorporated land. County permit jurisdiction

The river lies below the 10-foot contour, so ADEM's coastal rules apply too. ADEM coastal area rule The river and Boggy Branch are classed for swimming plus fish and wildlife. ADEM water use classification

Unsure which side of a city line you are on? The county parcel viewer shows city limits and permit jurisdictions as map layers. County parcel viewer steps

Where do Foley's city limits begin upriver?

The river rises in Foley and runs south to the bay. MBNEP river description Foley's boundary starts near latitude 30.33, a short way north of the village center. Census place geometry

• Inside the city, new piers, docks, boathouses, retaining walls, wharves and bulkheads need a riparian structure permit. So does a rebuild after damage above 50 percent. Foley riparian permit code
• Foley asks for two feet above base flood elevation on new construction. The county asks for one foot. Foley freeboard rule County freeboard rule
• The city planning office is at (251) 952-4011. Foley Building Department

How does the federal channel limit what you can build?

The Corps keeps an 80-foot channel dredged to 10 feet from just below Beacon 2 up to Day Marker 30. Above that the depth is 6 feet, ending above Day Marker 37. Corps channel listing

Two turning basins sit on the south bank, at miles 1.6 and 2.5. Coast Pilot 5 Keep pilings, mooring posts and boat lifts clear of them.

• State Lands wants structures 100 feet or more from a federal channel. It caps them at 25 percent of the waterway. State Lands width rule
• The Corps' general pier permit has the same 100-foot buffer, though it can be waived. Alabama General Permit 05
• The river spans about 2,000 feet at the mouth. It tightens to 150 feet at the County Road 10 bridge, where a quarter of the width is under 40 feet. River dimensions

The research found no dated notice of recent dredging. Call the Corps regulators at (251) 690-2658 before building near a turning basin. Corps Regulatory contact Some residents blame channel dredging for bay shore erosion, a claim the plan says needs more study. Bon Secour plan comment

Which reach of the river are you on?

The watershed plan's survey divides the river into zones. Plan field survey

Sources: Plan field survey

A 2011 state survey found more than 30 miles of tidal shoreline, most of it natural. Wood and steel bulkheads cover about 5 miles. Shoreline study summary Replacing a wall in a built-up reach is routine. Hardening a natural bank draws questions.

ADEM allows a bulkhead only on three conditions. ADEM bulkhead conditions

• No fill goes into wetlands.
• The wall stands on the dry side of mean high tide and of any wetlands.
• No feasible non-structural option exists.

What does the new County Road 6 launch change?

It gives the river its first public ramp. Baldwin County opened the Launch at CR 6 on April 24, 2025, calling it the first and only public launch on the river. FOX10 report The park at 5587 County Road 6 has two launches, a kayak station, two fishing piers and limited lighted parking. County launch listing

The plan called for 69 truck-and-trailer spaces, so expect boat traffic and room to stage a small barge. The county's public bids, for a large site and not a homeowner quote, give local price points.

• Installed riprap, Class 2 at 18 inches thick, bid at about $88 to $150 per square yard in April 2024. County bid tabulation
• A timber fishing pier bid at about $128 to $207 per square foot. County bid tabulation

What about flooding and elevation?

• Baldwin County names Bon Secour among its repetitive-loss areas, where the same properties flood repeatedly. County CRS page
• The county wants the lowest floor a foot above base flood elevation, backed by an elevation certificate. County freeboard rule
• Unincorporated Baldwin County is a Class 7 community in the FEMA rating system. That gives a 15 percent flood insurance discount in a mapped flood zone. FEMA CRS table
• A standard federal flood policy leaves out seawalls, bulkheads, piers and docks. NFIP policy exclusions

The insurance guide covers what to ask your agent.

Is a living shoreline realistic here?

On the open bay shore, yes. The Nature Conservancy built about one-third mile of offshore breakwaters near Skunk Bayou in 2012. A larger federal project added about 1.6 miles at the Swift Tract. Bon Secour plan That work cost $5,000,080 in settlement funds. NOAA project record

The watershed plan urges living shorelines along the river, Oyster Bay and Skunk Bayou, where bare banks have slowly retreated. Plan recommendation

The river has been listed for mercury since 2006 and the bay for pathogens since 1998. The listings point to septic systems and runoff. 303(d) list summary See the living shorelines guide.

What should you expect from the seafood neighbors?

Bon Secour Fisheries, at 17449 County Road 29 South, has packed shrimp and oysters at its current site since the late 1940s. It runs its own trawlers and trucks. Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission

• Near the mouth, expect commercial wakes, early traffic and truck noise.
• Design a floating dock, lift or wall cap for wake as well as storms.

The river mouth is in the Plash Island guide. The bay shore to the west is in the Fort Morgan bay side guide. Countywide rules are on the Baldwin County page.

What could the work cost?

The only local price points are the public bids in the County Road 6 launch section. Private bulkhead pricing depends on length, water access and the reach. Get a written scope from a licensed contractor.

These are published prices, not a quote. Local numbers come from Baldwin County public bids and Orange Beach permits. National guides fill the gaps and are labeled as national. Your wall depends on height, access, soil and permits.

Find the relevant permits and records

Prepare the questions for the responsible office.

Four steps for a Bon Secour river lot

Settle the office first, then the channel, then the design.

1. Check the city line

   Use the county parcel viewer layers for city limits and permit jurisdictions.

   Permitting FAQs | Baldwin County Building Department

2. Pull past permits

   Search the county portal for earlier permits and elevation certificates on your address.

   Search Permits, Reports, Certificates of Occupancy, & Elevation Certificates | Baldwin County Building Department

3. Measure to the channel

   Ask a surveyor to show your distance to the channel, markers and turning basins.

   USACE National Channel Framework, ChannelReach layer (Mobile District, CESAM), channel areas CESAM_BS_01_BSR and CESAM_BS_02_SFC · United States Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 7 (Mobile Bay; pages dated 25 Oct 2026)

4. Ask about elevation

   Get the flood zone and the one-foot freeboard rule in writing before drawing a deck or cap height.

   Floodplain Management / Flood Zone Information - Baldwin County Building Department · CRS Flood Insurance Program - Baldwin County Planning & Zoning (Internet Archive copy)

Keep planning

Nearby waterfront guides

Plash Island & the Oyster Bay shore, Fort Morgan bay side & Navy Cove, Weeks Bay, Fish River & Marlow

View the local guide directory.