Little Lagoon North Shore Bulkhead and Shoreline Guide

Get to know your waterfront

The north shore is the Fort Morgan Road (State Route 180) side of Little Lagoon, inside Gulf Shores at Mo's Landing. No river feeds the lagoon, and sources put its length at 6 to 10 miles. ADEM classes all of it for shellfish harvesting, swimming, and fish and wildlife. Permits come from the Corps, State Lands and the city, in that order.

TIGERweb Places, County Subdivisions, Consolidated Cities (layer 4) · Groundwater Discharge, Benthic Coupling and Microalgal Community Structure in a Shallow Coastal Lagoon (LittleLagoonGroundwater) · Ala. Admin. Code r. 335-6-11-.02, Use Classifications (ADEM Water Division; amendment adopted 2025-04-11, filed 2025-04-15, effective 2025-06-14) · FAQs - Building Department | Gulf Shores, AL · United States Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 6 (Apalachicola Bay to Mobile Bay area; pages dated 25 Oct 2026)

Shoreline choices on the north shore of Little Lagoon

North shore owners can repair or replace a bulkhead, or build a living shoreline. The permit order is fixed. The south side has a different rule set, in the south shore guide.

Where does the city end on the north shore?

Most of it is in the city. The Census place layer puts Mo's Landing, Long Bayou and Sand Bayou inside, and Childress Point and Seymour Bluff outside. Census place layer

Long Bayou and Sand Bayou are small tidal guts a little north of the western lagoon. USGS place names The zoning code does not count a bayou as frontage on a major water body, so ask the city which rule applies to a lot on a gut. Zoning, Art. 4

What is happening to the bulkhead at Mo's Landing?

The city's own park wall is failing. Mo's Landing, at 18068 Fort Morgan Road, has a boat launch, restrooms and picnic areas. About 100 feet of old wooden bulkhead is failing in several places, and another 90 feet has no protection and erodes noticeably each year. City RFQ 2023-0307

The park sits 1.8 miles west of Highway 59, with two concrete ramps and room for about 25 vehicles. MBNEP launch list

The city plans a living shoreline demonstration here as a model for private owners. Its request lists these design options:

• native plantings and marsh creation
• coir logs (rolled coconut fiber) and marsh sills
• timber, headland or offshore breakwaters
• graded sand fill, with a boardwalk and signs

Source: City RFQ 2023-0307

Could a living shoreline replace my bulkhead?

Often, on a calm lagoon lot. Under the Joe Faust Living Shoreline Act, State Lands may let a residential owner dredge riparian sand for one at half the usual dredge fee. The law aims to encourage living shorelines over vertical walls. Act 2024-294

Fill placed below mean high tide for a living shoreline is not reclamation and does not change title to state submerged lands. State Lands rule

Federal Nationwide Permit 54 is the Corps permit for a living shoreline where waves are gentle to moderate. 2026 NWP 54

• It must include living habitat, such as fringe marsh or an oyster reef.
• Work may reach no more than 30 feet beyond mean low water and cover no more than 500 feet of bank, unless the Corps waives either limit.
• Each new project starts with a notice to the Corps before work.

How much of the lagoon is already hardened?

More than half. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding notice estimates over 50 percent of the shoreline is hardened, and two-thirds of the rest lies inside the Bon Secour refuge. It says bulkheads and piers have hurt living shoreline here. USFWS notice

A 2011 mapping put hard armoring at 31.7 percent. Armoring table The two numbers use different methods and dates.

What do RESTORE money and the septic-to-sewer program offer?

The lagoon has a funded cleanup. In 2022 the council approved a RESTORE grant of up to $5,905,356, fully reimbursable. Goals include about 1,000 feet of living shorelines, canal fixes and about 200 septic connections. Council memo

The septic program repays actual reasonable costs, up to $5,000 each, with city approval in advance. You must be inside city limits and the lagoon watershed (USGS HUC 031401070205), with a working septic system and a Gulf Shores Utilities sewer line nearby. City RFQ

Sources: City RFQ MBNEP summary

The end date is close, so call the city to ask whether money remains. Researchers link the lagoon's toxic Pseudo-nitzschia blooms to groundwater, so septic leakage is the concern. NSF study

What is the permit path for a lagoon-side bulkhead or pier?

For a new bulkhead, wharf or pier, the city holds its building permit until the Corps and State Lands sign off. Some changes to an existing structure can move faster under national general permits, case by case. City handbook City handbook

• ADEM's coastal fee is $1,000 for a short bulkhead or riprap run, up to 50 feet. Longer runs pay $1,665. ADEM fee schedule
• The city bulkhead permit is a flat $50. Piers cost $4 per $1,000 of value. City fee schedule
• A replacement face may sit up to two feet seaward of the average high-tide line. A first-time wall belongs on that line or inland. State Lands rule
• Clay or sand-clay backfill is banned citywide, unless it sits inside an enclosed foundation. City code 7-21
• Lot stormwater may reach the lagoon only with no pollution, undermining or silting, and no more than a 0.0-foot rise in the ten-year storm. City code 7-108

See the permit overview and the replacement service page.

What flood rules apply between Fort Morgan Road and the lagoon?

Lots south of Fort Morgan Road carry stricter rules. A home's lowest floor must be a foot or more over base flood elevation. City flood ordinance FEMA maps effective in 2017 raised base flood elevations by about three feet in several areas south of the road, and more at some lagoon-front lots. City staff memo

In a flood zone there, an enclosure below the lowest floor is capped at 300 square feet, and one accessory structure up to 400 square feet is allowed. City code 7-30 Read the flood zone guide before designing a boathouse or shed.

What could the work cost?

On the north shore the fixed costs are small and the wall is the big item. ADEM bills $1,000 for a short run and $1,665 past 50 feet, and the city bulkhead permit is $50. A living shoreline can use State Lands dredge fees at half rate. Get a priced plan, then compare timber against a marsh sill.

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.

Records worth pulling for a lagoon-side lot

Four checks keep a north shore project on track.

1. Confirm the city boundary

   Ask the city whether your parcel is inside the limits. The Census layer puts Mo's Landing inside and Childress Point outside.

   TIGERweb Places, County Subdivisions, Consolidated Cities (layer 4)

2. Read the Mo's Landing design options

   The city request lists the shoreline types being tested. Use it to frame questions for your contractor.

   RFQ 2023-0307 Engineering and Program Management Services, Little Lagoon Restoration Project

3. Ask about septic reimbursement

   If you are on septic, ask the city whether the RESTORE reimbursement is still open before the November 30, 2026 end date.

   RFQ 2023-0307 Engineering and Program Management Services, Little Lagoon Restoration Project

4. Find your flood zone

   The city can issue a flood zone determination, or you can read FEMA's map service yourself.

   FAQs: Building Department

Keep planning

Nearby waterfront guides

Little Lagoon south shore & west end, Little Lagoon Pass & the Callaway Bridge, Stanton Creek & the old-town canals

View the local guide directory.