IDL: Seek dock permits in fall, winter

SANDPOINT — Fall and winter are good times for waterfront owners considering plans for new docks or modifications to their existing docks to submit an encroachment permit application to the Idaho Department of Lands.

IDL regulates encroachments, such as docks, rip-rap, and water lines on 61 navigable lakes in Idaho including Priest Lake, Lake Pend Oreille, Lake Coeur d’Alene, and Payette Lake under the Idaho Lake Protection Act (Idaho Code Title 58, Chapter 13) and Rules for the Regulation of Beds, Waters, and Airspace over Navigable Lakes in the state of Idaho (IDAPA 20.03.04).

Encroachment permits from IDL are required prior to building a new dock or changing the configuration, location or size of an existing dock.

Submitting an encroachment permit application before the end of the year enables the owners to get their plans approved and contractors scheduled well before the spring and summer of the following year, when lakefront owners want to be on the lake.

Additional information about IDL encroachment permit applications is available online at idl.idaho.gov/lakes-rivers/lake-protection/index.html