Dock, pier and float rules in Camden, Maine
Possibly, but building, enlarging or extending a pier or wharf needs Planning Board site plan review, plus state and federal permits. In the Coastal and Outer Harbor areas a pier walkway can be at most 4 ft wide (6 ft overall), and a new pier must be 300 ft from any existing pier and 30 ft from the side property line. Floats and moorings fall under Camden's Harbor and Waterways ordinance, which we couldn't review.
| Town approval | Planning Board site plan review for new, enlarged or extended piers and wharves [9] |
| Number per lot | One (a second only with twice the minimum shore frontage) [2] |
| Walkway width (Coastal and Outer Harbor) | 4 ft walkway; 6 ft overall [6] |
| Width (Inner Harbor) | 12 ft max [6] |
| Walkway height above mean high water | 6 ft (Inner/Outer Harbor); 10 ft (Coastal Harbor) [5] |
| Spacing between piers | 300 ft (40 ft in the Inner Harbor) [8] |
| Side setback (Coastal and Outer Harbor) | 30 ft from where the property line meets the Harbor line [7] |
| Temporary docks on nontidal waters | 6 ft wide max [3] |
| State/federal permits | Submerged lands lease, DEP and Army Corps permits [10] |
Approvals
Piers, wharves and bulkheads count as accessory uses to a home [12]. Any proposal to build, enlarge or extend a pier, wharf, bulkhead or other structure projecting into the water needs Planning Board site plan review [9]. The application must include a site plan sealed by a Maine-registered engineer [11]. It also needs copies of the state submerged lands lease and the DEP and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits, though the Board can approve subject to those permits being issued later [10]. Docks and piers must meet the town standards on top of any state or federal permits [1].
General limits
- Only one pier, dock or wharf per lot. A second is allowed only if the lot has at least twice the minimum shore frontage [2].
- A facility can be no larger than needed. A temporary dock on nontidal water can be at most 6 ft wide [3].
- New permanent docks on nontidal water (ponds, rivers) are allowed only if you show the Planning Board a temporary dock isn't feasible and you have a DEP permit [4].
- No buildings on piers, except temporary structures and permanent non-building structures the district allows [13].
Harbor pier standards
Camden's harbor is divided into Inner, Outer and Coastal Harbor areas (defined in the Harbor and Waterways chapter):
- Height: walkway no more than 6 ft above mean high water next to the Inner and Outer Harbor, 10 ft next to the Coastal Harbor [5].
- Width: next to the Coastal and Outer Harbor, walkway at most 4 ft and pier at most 6 ft wide. In the Inner Harbor, up to 12 ft [6].
- Side setback: in the Coastal and Outer Harbor areas, no pier within 30 ft of where your property line meets the Harbor line [7].
- Spacing: no pier within 300 ft of an existing or approved pier, wharf or breakwater, measured along the shore. Inner Harbor piers need only 40 ft of separation, and 20 ft where the Harbor Business District abuts a residential district [8].
What we couldn't review
Moorings, floats and harbor construction permits are governed by Chapter 108, Harbor and Waterways, which we couldn't download. Our copy of the zoning ordinance includes amendments only through June 14, 2022, so later changes, including any limits on new piers, may apply.
See how Camden compares with 8+ other Maine towns on docks, piers & floats →
Next steps
- Ask Camden Code Enforcement (207-236-3353 ext. 7112) and the Harbormaster whether new piers are currently allowed in your harbor area and what Chapter 108 requires.
- Check that your lot meets the one-pier rule and the 300 ft spacing and 30 ft side setback (Coastal and Outer Harbor).
- Hire a Maine-registered engineer to prepare a sealed site plan, elevation, pier section and erosion control plan.
- Apply for a Maine DEP permit, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit and a submerged lands lease, then apply to the Planning Board for site plan review.
Common questions
- Do I need a permit to build a dock in Camden, Maine?
- Possibly. Building, enlarging or extending a pier or wharf needs Planning Board site plan review, plus a state submerged lands lease and DEP and Army Corps permits. Floats and moorings fall under the Harbor and Waterways ordinance, which we couldn't review.
- How wide can a pier be in Camden, Maine?
- Next to the Coastal and Outer Harbor, the walkway can be at most 4 ft wide and the pier 6 ft wide. In the Inner Harbor, up to 12 ft. A temporary dock on nontidal water can be at most 6 ft wide.
- How many docks can I have on my lot in Camden, Maine?
- One per lot. A second is allowed only if the lot has at least twice the minimum shore frontage.
- How far apart do piers have to be in Camden, Maine?
- No pier can be within 300 ft of an existing or approved pier, wharf or breakwater in the Coastal and Outer Harbor areas, or 40 ft in the Inner Harbor. In the Coastal and Outer Harbor, a pier must also stay 30 ft from the side property line.
State and federal rules for docks and piers
DEP permit (Natural Resources Protection Act): Building, repairing or altering a permanent structure in, on or over a great pond, river, stream or coastal wetland needs a DEP permit. "Permanent" means the structure stays in place more than 7 months in any 12-month period. A seasonal dock that comes out each year generally isn't a permanent structure.
State shoreland minimums (your town's ordinance applies these):
- Only one pier, dock or wharf per lot, unless the lot has at least twice the minimum shore frontage.
- A temporary, non-commercial dock on fresh water can be no wider than 6 ft.
- A new permanent dock on fresh water is allowed only if a temporary dock isn't feasible and DEP has issued a permit.
- No living space on or attached to a dock.
State-owned bottom: Below the low-water mark in tidal waters and in great ponds, the bottom belongs to the state. Permanent structures of any size, and large temporary ones, need a lease or easement from the Bureau of Parks and Lands. Non-permanent structures under 500 sq ft don't need one.
Federal and harbor rules: In tidal waters, docks and floats also need U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval. Moorings are handled by your town's harbormaster under local ordinance (38 M.R.S. §7).
What the ordinance says
- §290-10.2H, Piers, docks, wharves, bridges and other structures and uses extending over or below the normal high waterline, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 112
In addition to federal or state permits which may be required for such structures and uses, piers, docks, wharves, breakwaters, causeways, marinas, bridges over 20 feet in length, and uses projecting in water bodies shall conform to the following standards
- §290-10.2I(1), General standards, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 112
(1) No more than one pier, dock, wharf or similar structure extending or located below the normal high waterline of a water body or within a wetland is allowed on a single lot, except that when a single lot contains at least twice the minimum shore frontage as specified in Subsection M(1), a second structure may be allowed and may remain as long as the lot is not further divided.
- §290-10.2I(5), General standards, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 112
(5) The facility shall be no larger in dimension than necessary to carry on the activity and be consistent with the surrounding character and uses of the area. A temporary pier, dock or wharf in nontidal waters shall not be wider than six feet.
- §290-10.2I(7), General standards, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 112
(7) New permanent piers and docks on nontidal waters shall not be permitted unless it is clearly demonstrated to the Planning Board that a temporary pier or dock is not feasible, and a permit has been obtained from the Department of Environmental Protection, pursuant to the Natural Resources Protection Act.
- §290-10.2J(1), Piers, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 113
(1) Height of walkway of piers and wharves in the shoreland area adjacent to the Inner Harbor and Outer Harbor areas as defined in Chapter 108, Harbor and Waterways, of the Code of the Town of Camden shall not exceed six feet above mean high water. In the shoreland area adjacent to the Coastal Harbor, the height shall not exceed 10 feet above mean high water.
- §290-10.2J(2), Piers, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 113
(2) The maximum width of the walkway of the pier in the shoreland area adjacent to the Coastal and Outer Harbor areas shall not exceed four feet. The overall width of the pier at the walkway shall not exceed six feet. Piers and wharves in the shoreland area adjacent to the Inner Harbor area shall not exceed 12 feet in width.
- §290-10.2J(4), Piers, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 113
(4) No pier shall be constructed within 30 feet (horizontal distance) of the point where the property line intersects the Harbor line in the shoreland area adjacent to the Coastal and Outer Harbor areas.
- §290-10.2J(5), Piers, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 113
(5) No pier shall be built within 300 feet as measured along the shoreline from an existing or from an approved pier, wharf, or breakwater, except in the shoreland area adjacent to the Inner Harbor area of the shoreland zone where separation between piers shall not be less than 40 feet; and, except where the Harbor Business District abuts a residential district, the separation between piers shall be no less than 20 feet.
- §290-12.1A(6), Site plan review applicability, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 157
(6) Proposals to construct, enlarge, or extend piers, wharves, bulkheads, breakwaters, consolidated piers, causeways, marinas, bridges over 20 feet in length, and uses projecting into water bodies.
- §290-12.4F(6), Supplemental information for piers, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 161
(6) Copies of required Maine Department of Conservation submerged lands lease, Maine Department of Environmental Protection and United States Army Corps of Engineers permits; provided, however, that the Board may approve site plans subject to the issuance of specified state and federal approvals and permits where it determines that it is not feasible for the applicant to obtain them at the time of site plan review.
- §290-12.4F(1), Supplemental information for piers, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 161
(1) A site plan stamped and sealed by an engineer registered in the State of Maine.
- §290-3.2, Definitions: Accessory use, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 7
In a residential district, the accessory use shall not be nonresidential in character. Piers, wharves and bulkheads are included in this definition.
- §290-10.2J(7), Piers, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 290) - town PDF, p. 114
(7) No structures shall be permitted on piers, wharves, or breakwaters, except temporary structures and permanent nonbuilding-type structures allowed under the regulations of that district.