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Docks, Piers & Floats in Maine: rules in 19 towns compared
Can I put in a dock, pier, or float? Here's how each town answers it. Click a town for the details and the exact ordinance text.
Last reviewed
This page is for Maine waterfront owners who want a dock, pier, float or mooring. 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 it stays in place more than 7 months in any 12-month period, so a seasonal dock generally isn't. State shoreland minimums allow only one dock per lot unless the lot has at least twice the minimum shore frontage, and limit temporary freshwater docks to 6 feet wide. In tidal waters, docks and floats also need U.S. Army Corps approval, permanent structures on state-owned bottom need a state lease or easement, and moorings are handled by your town's harbormaster.
Of the 19 towns we cover, 13 send docks or piers to Planning Board, harbor board or similar review. In the other 6, a town permit can cover at least some docks, though Gorham and North Yarmouth still send permanent piers to the Planning Board. Several towns cap private pier width at 4 to 6 feet, and some, such as Kennebunk, Kittery and Rockport, also limit how far a pier can extend. Pick your town below.
Town-by-town comparison
| Town | Verdict | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Elizabeth | Allowed with board review | Possibly, but every pier, dock or wharf extending over or below the high-water line in Cape Elizabeth needs site plan approval from the Planning Board and must meet the shoreland performance standards. In Resource Protection areas piers and docks are banned in the RP1 critical wetland district and its buffer overlay and need a Resource Protection Permit elsewhere; a mooring needs a separate annual permit from the Harbor Master. |
| Yarmouth | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with a town Shoreland Permit. A private dock in a residential area can have a pier up to 6 ft wide, a ramp up to 3.5 ft wide, and a float up to 320 sq ft. Docks within those limits are permitted by the Planning Department; larger or more complex projects go to the Planning Board. Moored floats also need approval from the Harbor Master, the Harbor and Waterfront Advisory Committee, and the Army Corps of Engineers. |
| North Yarmouth | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with town approval. A temporary (seasonal) dock needs a Code Enforcement Officer permit and can be no wider than 6 ft for non-commercial use. A permanent dock or pier in the shoreland districts needs Planning Board approval, plus proof that a temporary dock isn't feasible and a Maine DEP permit. |
| Freeport | Allowed with board review | Yes, with approval. For tidal waters, your first step is approval from the Freeport Coastal Waters Commission. After that you need a town building permit, a Maine DEP Natural Resources Protection Act permit, and an Army Corps of Engineers permit. You may have one pier, dock, or float per lot, the lot needs at least 60 ft of shore frontage, and the project can extend no more than 125 ft from the highest annual tide line. |
| Scarborough | Allowed with board review | Yes, with town approval: a temporary (seasonal, under 7 months a year) dock or float needs a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer, and a permanent pier or dock needs Planning Board approval. Only one dock is allowed per lot (two with double the minimum shore frontage), and state and federal approvals are also required. |
| South Portland | Allowed with board review | Possibly, with Planning Board approval. South Portland's shoreland zoning requires Planning Board shoreland approval for any pier, dock or float extending over or below the high-water line, allows only one such structure per lot, and limits it to the size needed for its use. Docks in Portland Harbor also fall under the Portland Harbor Commission and state and federal permits, which we couldn't review. |
| Portland | Allowed with a permit | Possibly, with permits. Portland's shoreland rules allow one pier, dock or wharf per lot outside the working-waterfront zones. It must be no bigger than needed and needs no water setback. A new permanent structure over the water also needs a Maine DEP permit and may need Army Corps of Engineers and Portland Harbor Commission approval. We didn't have the Harbor Commission's rules, so mooring and harbor-channel requirements aren't covered here. |
| Gorham | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with approval. A temporary (seasonal) dock needs shoreland zoning approval from Gorham's Code Enforcement Officer and can be no wider than 6 ft for non-commercial use. A new permanent pier or dock needs Planning Board approval, plus a Maine DEP permit, and is allowed only if you show a temporary dock isn't feasible. |
| Windham | Allowed with board review | A permanent dock or pier in Windham needs Planning Board site plan approval in every shoreland district, and on lakes and ponds it's allowed only if the Board finds a temporary dock isn't feasible and DEP has issued a permit. Only one dock is allowed per lot unless the lot has at least twice the minimum shore frontage. The ordinance doesn't say whether a seasonal, removable dock needs a town permit, so ask Code Enforcement. |
| Harpswell | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with a permit. A private, non-commercial pier or dock needs a Code Enforcement Officer permit in most shoreland districts (Planning Board in Resource Protection), can be no more than 6 ft wide, and can't extend below the low water line (ramps and floats excluded). Only one dock is allowed per lot, it must be 25 ft from side lines, and permanent structures also need DEP and Army Corps permits. |
| Brunswick | Allowed with board review | Yes, with approvals. In Brunswick's Shoreland Protection Overlay, a temporary (seasonal) dock needs a Shoreland Protection Permit from the Code Enforcement Officer, while a permanent pier or dock goes through Major Development Review by the Planning Board, plus a state DEP permit and possibly an Army Corps permit. Only one dock is allowed per lot, and a temporary noncommercial dock can be no wider than 6 feet. |
| Kennebunk | Allowed with board review | Yes, with Planning Board approval. In Kennebunk's residential districts, a pier, dock or wharf is a special exception. It needs Planning Board review, then a building permit, plus a DEP permit if it's permanent. Your lot needs at least 60 ft of shore frontage. Private docks can be no wider than 4 ft and no longer than 100 ft in total (the Planning Board can modify the length if there's no other reasonable way to reach the water), and floats are limited to 200 sq ft. |
| York | Allowed with board review | Possibly, but York's rules are strict. Any new or altered dock, pier or float in tidal waters needs prior approval from the York Harbor Board after a public hearing ($50 fee, engineer-certified plan), then a Shoreland Permit from the Code Enforcement Officer. On the York River, a new pier is allowed only on a tract that had river frontage as of 1977 and has no existing pier. Floats are capped at 200 sq ft per pier, and only one pier is allowed per lot. |
| Kittery | Allowed with board review | Yes, with Kittery Port Authority plan approval followed by a building permit from the Code Enforcement Officer. A private, non-commercial pier can be no wider than 6 feet and can extend no more than 100 feet past mean high water (and not past the low-water mark), with the full pier, ramp and float system capped at 150 feet. It must be set back 25 feet from property lines, and normally only one pier, ramp and float system is allowed per residential lot. |
| Ogunquit | Allowed with board review | Possibly. In Ogunquit's shoreland districts, a pier, dock, wharf or float (temporary or permanent) needs Planning Board site plan review, and you're limited to one per lot unless you have at least twice the minimum shore frontage. Docks aren't permitted at all in the SG3 (Ogunquit Playhouse) district, and permanent structures also need a state DEP permit and possibly an Army Corps permit. |
| Camden | Allowed with board review | 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. |
| Rockport | Allowed with board review | Yes, but a pier, wharf or float in Rockport needs a permit from the Rockport Planning Office after review: the Harbor Committee and Harbormaster review pier applications and make recommendations to the Planning Board, which reviews them under the shoreland rules. Each lot is limited to one pier or wharf, a private residential pier can be no wider than 6 feet, and piers can't extend more than 150 feet beyond mean high water (or to mean low water, if shorter). |
| Boothbay Harbor | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with permits. Docks, piers and floats are exempt from the 75-foot shoreland setback but must be no larger than needed and meet the shoreland standards; north of the footbridge, docks are limited to 12 feet long by 6 feet wide and floats to 10 by 16 feet. New permanent structures over the water also need a DEP permit, and floats on moorings need a Harbor Master mooring permit. |
| Mount Desert | Allowed with board review | In the Shoreland Residential districts, a permanent pier, dock or wharf needs conditional use approval from the Mount Desert Planning Board. Only one marine structure is allowed per lot, floats are capped at 400 sq ft, and the whole pier, ramp and float can't be more than 225 ft long. A small seasonal structure under 10 ft long needs only a Code Enforcement Officer permit, though state and federal permits may still apply. |
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).
Common questions about docks & piers in Maine
- Do I need a permit to build a dock in Maine?
- For a permanent dock, yes: building, repairing or altering a permanent structure in, on or over a great pond, river, stream or coastal wetland needs a DEP permit. Your town's approval is also needed. Of the 19 towns we cover, 13 send docks or piers to Planning Board, harbor board or similar review.
- Does a seasonal dock need a DEP permit in Maine?
- Generally no. A structure is permanent if it stays in place more than 7 months in any 12-month period, and a seasonal dock that comes out each year generally isn't a permanent structure. Your town may still require a permit, and tidal docks and floats also need Army Corps approval.
- How wide can a dock be in Maine?
- Under the state shoreland minimums, a temporary, non-commercial dock on fresh water can be no wider than 6 ft. Towns can be stricter: several we cover cap private pier width at 4 to 6 ft.
- How many docks can I have on my lot in Maine?
- Only one pier, dock or wharf per lot under the state shoreland minimums, unless the lot has at least twice the minimum shore frontage.
- Do I need a state lease for a dock in Maine?
- Possibly. 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.
- Who handles mooring permits in Maine?
- Moorings are handled by your town's harbormaster under local ordinance (38 M.R.S. §7).
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