Lakewood, WA Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)

050(C)(5)(b)(i). 00 for any other new dock. If a second phase of construction lands within five years of finishing the first and the combined value tops those caps, the later work counts as a substantial development requiring a permit on its own. Exempt or not, every dock must still meet the dimensional standards in the SMP's Table V: piers must sit at least two feet above the ordinary high water mark, waterward reach is capped at the point an 11-foot water depth is reached (40 feet on Lake Louise, 80 feet on the City's other lakes), a 10-foot setback from side-yard lot lines applies, and surface area is capped at 550 square feet for a single owner, rising with additional owners to a hard ceiling of 2,000 square feet.

Only one pier or dock is allowed per single-family residence (a mooring buoy may substitute), overwater boathouses are banned outright, and new moorage covers in the Shoreline Residential environment need a conditional use permit. Boat lifts are allowed, one per dwelling plus up to two jet ski lifts, with canopy bottoms at least four feet above the water and no higher than seven feet above an adjoining pier.