Conway, AR Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)

The City of Conway, Arkansas regulates every private structure built into Beaverfork Lake under Chapter 12.12 of the Conway Municipal Code. Section 12.12.22(A)(1) lets a lakefront landowner build a boat house, boat dock, or pier only after applying for and receiving written approval from the Conway City Council, and only if the structure sits at least one hundred (100) linear feet from any other existing lake structure. Boathouses cannot include sleeping, toilet, cooking, or living facilities, and dimensionally they are capped at twenty-six (26) feet along the shore by thirty (30) feet in length, with the structure plus its walkway limited to forty (40) feet from shore, one story except for attic space, and a maximum of two boats.

A plain pier, without a boat-holding superstructure, is capped at six (6) feet wide by forty (40) feet long, though a 'T' design may add a sixteen (16)-foot cross platform. Beyond the City Council approval, § 12.12.22(A)(2) requires the applicant to submit lot lines, structure design and materials, and a signed agreement to pay removal costs if the city later demolishes the structure; the Lake Supervisor, City Building Inspector, and a registered professional engineer must certify the application before the City Building Inspector issues final written approval.

Every lake structure must then be permitted annually, with the permit displayed lakeside, running April 1 through March 31. Conway Municipal Code § 12.12.26 sets the annual boat dock permit fee at $100.00, plus $0.25 per square foot for an oversized dock, and the public mooring/city boat dock annual permit is also $100.00. Missing a fee payment more than 30 days past the renewal date triggers a 60-day cure notice under § 12.12.26 before the city confiscates and removes the structure, and any violation of the lake chapter is a misdemeanor punishable under § 12.12.27 by a fine of $15 to $200 per offense.