Living shoreline in Alabama
where it fits near Gulf Shores and what it needs

What is a living shoreline in Alabama?

A living shoreline holds the bank with plants, sand, oyster shell and a little rock instead of a vertical wall. The Bon Secour watershed plan uses just those terms. Bon Secour watershed plan

Alabama rules lean this way. State Lands says shoreline protection should use native wetland plants, riprap and wave-breaking units instead of vertical seawalls where feasible. State Lands rule 220-4-.09

• Fringe marsh plants that hold soil at the water's edge.
• Oyster reef or sill that breaks waves offshore.
• Riprap (loose stone) placed in a sloped layer, sometimes with plants behind it.

The Corps notes a landowner's general right to protect property from erosion. It encourages soft methods where waves and currents are moderate to low. Nationwide Permit 13 note

Rock-only options are covered in the riprap and shoreline stabilization guide.

Where does a living shoreline fit near Gulf Shores?

Living shorelines work on calm, shallow water. Hard armor is still needed where erosive forces are strong. The Corps lists six factors: bank height, wave and current energy, fetch (open water distance), nearshore depth, surge and waterway width. Nationwide Permit 13 note

Sources: USFWS Little Lagoon notice Weeks Bay plan Nationwide Permit 13 note

• More than half of Little Lagoon's shoreline is already hardened. USFWS Little Lagoon notice
• In the Wolf Bay survey, about 83 percent of 63,190 feet of shoreline was still natural. Wolf Bay survey
• Statewide, a survey of 826 miles found 27 percent armored and 68 percent natural. Sea Grant manual

Local area guides:

• Little Lagoon north shore and south shore
• Weeks Bay and Fish River and Magnolia Springs
• Old Town canals and Waterway Village
• The Gulf beach follows its own rules.

What permits does a living shoreline need?

A living shoreline needs a federal notice, copies to ADEM and State Lands approval. Nationwide Permit 54 is built for shores with modest wave energy. The design must include a real living part, such as fringe marsh or an oyster reef. 2026 Nationwide Permit 54

• The work may reach 30 feet out from mean low water and run 500 feet along the bank, and the Corps can waive both limits. 2026 Nationwide Permit 54
• ADEM asks for a copy of your Corps notice, and the project must stay out of and away from grass beds and oyster reefs. ADEM concurrence
• Sea Grant's checklist for Alabama owners lists a State Lands notice, upland proof, a survey showing mean high water, a notarized affidavit, the joint application and drawings. Apply at least 90 days before construction. Sea Grant permit checklist

Read the Gulf Shores permit guide for the full path. Outside the city, see the Baldwin County permit guide.

What is the 2024 Joe Faust Living Shoreline Act?

Alabama passed a law to make a living shoreline easier to build. Under the Joe Faust Living Shoreline Act, State Lands can let a riparian owner (the owner of the waterfront lot) take sand or sediment from that frontage. The owner uses it to build a living shoreline in front of the lot. Code of Alabama 9-7-13.1

• The dredge permit costs half the usual State Lands rate.
• Sand or sediment that ends up below the tide mark because of such a project is not treated as reclamation, and title stays with the state. State Lands rule 220-4-.09
• Reclaiming land lost to erosion is a different, harder route that needs proof of sudden loss. State Lands reclamation rule

What does a living shoreline cost per foot?

For one lot, HomeGuide's national figure is $50 to $350 per foot. That is the most realistic planning band. ^[1]

• Baldwin County examples are public bay projects. The 2012 Swift Tract reefs worked out to roughly $260 per foot of shoreline protected. Nature Conservancy fact sheet
• The 2016 Swift Tract breakwater, about 1.6 miles, was budgeted at $5,000,080, roughly $590 per foot. Deepwater Horizon trustee fact sheet
• Clemson Extension, citing NOAA, says a living shoreline's upkeep may run up to $100 per foot each year, against up to $500 for a bulkhead. Clemson Extension

Compare with walls in the bulkhead cost guide, or see which bulkhead materials cost what.

Which living shoreline projects are near Gulf Shores?

Several projects already show what works here. Gulf Shores is building a demonstration at Mo's Landing on the north shore of Little Lagoon. The park has an old wooden bulkhead about 100 feet long that is failing, and another 90 feet that erodes a lot each year. Little Lagoon restoration RFQ

• The city's RESTORE grant of up to $5,905,356 targets about 1,000 feet of living shoreline plus septic-to-sewer work. Gulf Shores council memo
• A federal project aims for at least 2,200 feet of living shoreline on Little Lagoon's southwest shore to protect the Pine Beach road. USFWS notice
• On the bay side of Fort Morgan, five owners joined a 2012 Nature Conservancy project: 11 shell-covered rock breakwaters guard about 1,142 feet of shore. Nature Conservancy Fort Morgan project
• The Weeks Bay watershed plan proposes five living shorelines of 200 feet each in each of three reaches. Weeks Bay watershed plan

Local detail: Little Lagoon north shore, south shore, Fort Morgan bay side, Bon Secour and Weeks Bay.

Can you add habitat to a wall you keep?

You can keep a wall and still add habitat. Nationwide Permit 13 (2026) also allows nature-based add-ons to a new or an older wall. Nationwide Permit 13 text

• Textured panels with crevices and shelves for marine growth.
• Rock pools or a small pocket beach beside the wall.
• Rock clusters or large wood next to the wall, or oyster bags and small reef units along it.

This is a partial step, not a replacement. If the wall is failing, see bulkhead replacement or the repair or replace guide.

How do walls and living shorelines differ?

Hard walls slow erosion but often reduce habitat at the water edge. They can also reflect wave energy onto neighboring unprotected shores. Sea Grant living shorelines manual

The Weeks Bay reserve says shoreline plants absorb wave energy and that bulkheaded shores lessen natural protection for water quality and fish. Weeks Bay reserve plan A federal grant at Weeks Bay will remove a degraded bulkhead and restore marsh. It was recommended at $3.5 million. NOAA Office for Coastal Management

What should you ask the engineer?

Ask these before you commit to a design.

1. What wave energy and fetch does my shore see, and what does that say about plants versus rock?
2. Where is mean high water on my survey, and does the design stay inside the State Lands rules?
3. Is there seagrass or marsh on or near my frontage that needs a survey?
4. Which federal permit applies, and when can I start after a complete notice?

Expect a request for a seagrass survey where grass may grow. Surveys are best done between June and September. Alabama General Permits condition A winter filing near grass can wait for summer.

Next, check the contractor license guide before you hire anyone.