Do You Need a Permit for a Boat Dock on Beaver Lake?

The Short Answer

You cannot currently get a permit for a brand-new private dock on Beaver Lake. Since July 1, 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Little Rock District has stopped accepting new requests for private dock and marina boat slips on Beaver Lake. If your property already has an existing dock permit, that permit stays with the property (it transfers when you buy or sell), and you can generally repair or rebuild the dock in place.

What This Means For You

• You already have a dock permit: you can typically repair, resurface, or rebuild your dock in place, as long as the footprint and location don't change. A full rebuild or any size/location change should still be confirmed with the Beaver Lake Project Office before work starts.
• You bought a property with an existing dock: the permit transfers to you as the new owner, but you should confirm its status and any conditions with the Corps.
• You don't have a dock and want one: a new private dock permit generally isn't available on Beaver Lake right now. Options include a community dock, a marina slip (Prairie Creek Marina, Lost Bridge Marina, and others), a public boat launch, or building on a non-Corps lake instead.
• You're building on a private NWA lake: Bella Vista's seven lakes, for example, are managed by the Property Owners Association rather than the Corps of Engineers, so new dock construction is generally still available there — a completely different permitting process from Beaver Lake.

We're not a permitting authority and this page isn't legal advice — for your specific property, the Beaver Lake Project Office (479-636-1210) is the authoritative source. What we can do is tell you plainly what's realistic before you spend money planning a project that may not be permittable, and handle the work itself once you know where you stand.