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

3(B) treats piers, boat docks, boat houses, boat slips, and bulkheads as an exception to the general rule that accessory structures must share a lot with a principal building. These water-related structures are permitted on a lot with no house or other principal structure, provided the dock is built for the use of the property's owner. The same subsection bars any connection to on-site water supply or sewer or septic facilities for the dock unless a principal building is also located on the lot, preventing a freestanding dock from being used as an unpermitted residence or camp.

4(B) requires the approval of the utility provider that holds jurisdiction over the easement before the water-related improvement can be placed or constructed there. Waterfront accessory structures still fall under the county's general accessory-structure rules in § 9-5, meaning they must be for the owner's use and cannot be erected in most easements without that utility-provider sign-off. 3(B).