West Beach Seawall, Bulkhead and Dune Rules in Gulf Shores

Get to know your waterfront

West Beach is the Gulf-front strip west of Little Lagoon Pass, along West Beach Boulevard (Highway 182). The City of Gulf Shores issues the permits, because the state handed it the coastal program for the beach. The city line reaches west to about longitude -87.80, and Gulf-front land beyond it falls under the county. Every job is measured against the Coastal Construction Line (CCL), not a water edge.

City of Gulf Shores Building Department, Building Permitting Procedures Handbook (2025) · Coastal Permitting Information · TIGERweb Census Current (2026) Legal and Statistical Entities, Incorporated Places layer (January 1, 2026 vintage), point-in-polygon queries · Art. VII Gulf Front Beaches and Dunes, Sec. 7-122(b), (c), (f)

What a West Beach owner can and cannot build on the Gulf front

A new seawall seaward of the control line is not allowed. A wall behind it is allowed only to save an existing building. The Gulf-front armoring guide gives the state background.

Who issues the permit for Gulf-front work on West Beach?

The City of Gulf Shores does. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) delegated the beach-and-dune part of its coastal rule to the city, so the city building office is your first stop. ADEM delegation City handbook

A lot the control line crosses needs a city permit or a consistency determination. The application needs a stamped boundary survey that shows the line and its monument numbers. City handbook

The city code reaches past the city limits for sand removal and the line itself. Code reach Beyond about longitude -87.80, the county permits Gulf-front parcels. Census limits

Where is the control line, and what are the monuments?

The line is a surveyed boundary, not a mark on the sand. City code fixes it by state plane coordinates between named monuments, from ADEM B 19 and GS-1 through GS-29. City code, monuments

The state uses its own series, BC-0 to BC-48. Between BC-19 and BC-20 the line sits 40 feet inland of the dune crest. In city zones mapped as BTL and BCR in July 1984, it sits 5 feet inland. ADEM line definition

What is barred between the tide line and the control line?

Almost everything. No new structure or substantial improvement may sit on, under or above land between mean high tide (the average high-tide line) and the control line. City code 7-122 The zoning code calls this strip the Gulfside Yard. Zoning 6-3D

Sources: Zoning 6-3D City code 7-121 City code 7-122

When can a wall go behind the line?

Only when all three tests are met. City code 7-122 ADEM rule

1. The wall sits landward of the line.
2. It protects an existing or previously permitted building.
3. No nonstructural option, retreat included, can do the job.

ADEM lists the options to rule out first: rebuilding dunes, nourishment and moving back. ADEM alternatives Gulf-beach riprap follows the same road, with ADEM approval first. City code 7-123

A bulkhead counts as a structure here, like a deck, pool or parking lot. Work costing 50 percent or more of fair market value is a substantial improvement, and you file a certified cost declaration. City code 7-121

What may you do with sand, dunes and walkovers?

Nobody may remove dune or beach sand, even sand blown or washed onto a lot, from land south of Highway 182 without a city permit. Permitted sand goes back into the beach and dune system. City code 7-122(a)

A walkover is the one path built for foot traffic. The state defines it as a raised path no more than 6 feet across, without a roof or sides, set a foot or more above the dune. ADEM definition The city walkover permit for a home is $50. City fee schedule

Sand fences under the beach mouse plan use wood slats and posts no larger than 2x4, and none go seaward of the primary dune line. Beach mouse plan

Which beach mouse and sea turtle rules come with the lot?

Developable land west of the pass sits inside the federal beach mouse plan for single-family homes, on both sides of Highway 182. Plan area Only lots zoned R1 or R2 qualify. Plan eligibility

Where mouse habitat is present, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends an Incidental Take Permit, which costs $100 to process. USFWS guidance Repairs inside the original footprint usually need none, but ask before adding a pool or enlarging the house. USFWS repairs

• The city lighting rule runs May 1 through November 30. Zoning 6-12G
• Fixtures may not be directly visible from the beach, and walkovers take only eyelid or louvered step lights. Zoning 6-12G
• Enrolled owners move beach gear at least 100 feet north of the tide line before sundown. Beach mouse plan

What have storms and sand done on West Beach?

West Beach has taken real surge. FEMA's Katrina study logged high-water marks of 8.5 to 11.5 feet on the open Gulf here and at Dauphin Island. FEMA Katrina marks Ivan scoured sand from under some beachfront homes until they collapsed. NHC Ivan report

The 2023 restoration reached this side of the pass on November 27, 2023 and ran west to the Bon Secour refuge. City schedule The Little Lagoon Pass guide covers how the pass shapes this beach.

What flood rules apply to the house behind the dune?

In V zones and coastal A zones, the lowest horizontal structural member must be a foot or more above base flood elevation. The building must stay landward of mean high tide, on piles or columns, with no structural fill. City code 7-92

The city set a three-foot freeboard in 2005 after Ivan, then cut it to one foot in 2017 after FEMA raised base flood elevations. City staff memo Open-Gulf tides at the Gulf State Park pier gauge swing only about 1.4 feet, so surge and waves drive the damage, not the tide. NOAA pier datums The flood zone guide covers elevation certificates.

What should a West Beach owner do next?

• Ask an engineer whether dune work, a walkover or moving a structure beats a wall.
• Book a seawall assessment for any older wall landward of the line.
• Ask a licensed contractor about cap and panel repair for an existing wall.

The permit overview covers the steps. Lagoon-side lots behind Highway 182 follow a different rulebook, in the south shore guide.

What could the work cost?

Fees come first on West Beach. ADEM charges $2,545 for a hardened structure on beaches and dunes and $1,665 for one house or duplex on a control-line parcel. The city adds a $1,100 newspaper notice for homes. Wall cost depends on an engineer's design, so get a site review before you budget.

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 to pull before you plan Gulf-front work

Four lookups answer most West Beach questions.

1. Find your control line position

   Ask the city for the monument numbers near your lot, then have a surveyor plot the line on your parcel.

   Art. VII Gulf Front Beaches and Dunes, Sec. 7-121(a) · City of Gulf Shores Building Department, Building Permitting Procedures Handbook (2025)

2. Request your elevation certificate

   City records go back to 1998. A home older than that needs a fresh survey.

   FAQs - Building Department | Gulf Shores, AL

3. Call ADEM's coastal office

   Ask whether a wall or riprap proposal has any chance before you pay a designer. The office is in Mobile.

   Alabama Coastal Area Management Program (ADEM Coastal Program page)

4. Ask for a beach mouse site visit

   Send the Daphne field office a written request for a visit. Keep its reply with your permit file.

   Building Permits and the Alabama Beach Mouse · Contact Us, Alabama Ecological Services Field Office

Keep planning

Nearby waterfront guides

East Beach & the public beach, Little Lagoon south shore & west end, Little Lagoon Pass & the Callaway Bridge

View the local guide directory.