Cabarrus County, NC Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)

The county's flood ordinance, Chapter 16, defines "Development Activity" to include fill, bulkheads, piers, pools, docks, landings, ramps and erosion control or stabilization measures wherever they occur within a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area. Part 3, Section C requires a Floodplain Development Permit before any such activity begins, and Part 4, Section B(2)(a) confirms the permit description must cover items such as a house, garage, pool, septic system, bulkhead, cabana, pier or bridge. An applicant for a dock, pier or ramp permit must submit the Part 4, Section B(1) plot plan package: the nature, location, dimensions and elevations of the proposed structure, the Special Flood Hazard Area boundary and flood zone designation taken from the FIRM, and, where the structure will carry a reference level, the Regulatory Flood Protection Elevation for it and any attendant utilities.

This provision applies only in the unincorporated county; a dock built inside Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg or Mount Pleasant falls under that municipality's own code, not this one. The Zoning Administrator, acting as Floodplain Administrator, reviews these applications, and no structure or land may be developed in the floodplain without full compliance with the ordinance under Part 3, Section D. A property owner who cannot meet a standard may request a variance from the Board of Adjustment under Part 4, Section E, with further appeal to the General Court of Justice under Chapter 7A of the North Carolina General Statutes.