Bluewater Bay and Rocky Bayou bulkhead repair
Bulkhead repair around Bluewater Bay depends on one landmark: the State Road 20 bridge over Rocky Bayou. East of it lies Okaloosa County's only aquatic preserve, where state limits on seawalls and docks tighten.
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Bluewater Bay & Rocky Bayou at a glance
- Who permits it
- Okaloosa County. Bluewater Bay is unincorporated.
- Call first
- Okaloosa County Growth Management, (850) 651-7180
- The water
- Rocky Bayou and Choctawhatchee Bay
- Local rule to know
- East of the State Road 20 bridge, Rocky Bayou is an aquatic preserve with tighter limits on seawalls and docks.
Get to know your waterfront
Rocky Bayou east of the State Road 20 bridge is the only aquatic preserve in Okaloosa County, and an Outstanding Florida Water since 1979. That one line on the map changes the rules for docks and seawalls along its shore. Bluewater Bay is unincorporated, so its owners get building permits from Okaloosa County, while lots inside Niceville use the city's code. The state's own park plan says boat wakes are undercutting Rocky Bayou's bluffs.
Residential Dock Application/Requirements (Permit Form 12-0710) · Rocky Bayou Aquatic Preserve Management Plan (September 2018) · Bluewater Bay Municipal Services Benefit Unit request for proposals (July 14, 2020) with attached Ordinance 02-16 · Niceville Code of Ordinances, Appendix D Land Development Code, Article 7, 7.08.00 Accessory structures (7.08.01, 7.08.05) · Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park Approved Unit Management Plan
Check which side of the SR 20 bridge you are on
Find out which side of the bridge your shoreline is on before you get a dock or bulkhead (seawall) quote. The preserve covers the submerged land of Rocky Bayou east of SR 20, with Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park on its south side FDEP Rocky Bayou Aquatic Preserve. Frontage on Choctawhatchee Bay, or west of the bridge, is outside it.
| Topic | Inside the preserve (east of SR 20) | Outside the preserve |
|---|---|---|
Dock self-certification with FDEP | Docks of 500 square feet or less | Docks of 1,000 square feet or less Okaloosa County dock form |
Public interest test for individual permits | Work must be clearly in the public interest | Work must be not contrary to the public interest s. 373.414(1), F.S. |
New seawall waterward of mean high water | Barred, with narrow exceptions Rule 18-20.004 | State law limits new vertical walls in estuaries; DEP decides if your site counts s. 373.414(5), F.S. |
Restoring an existing wall | Allowed at its old line, upland of it or within 18 inches waterward under the statute; the rule's no-application limit is one foot s. 258.42, F.S. | State exemption at the old line, landward of it or within 18 inches waterward s. 403.813(1)(e), F.S. |
Private dock size | 4-foot main walkway, 160-square-foot end platform, no deeper than 4 feet below mean low water Rule 18-20.004(5) | General permit up to 2,000 square feet with up to two lifts Rule 62-330.427 |
Checks for wake-exposed walls
- The toe. The 2018 state park plan says low bluffs, some 20 feet high, are undercut by waves and boat wake, and tidal marsh has been lost mainly to wakes FDEP park management plan. Check the toe, the wall's base at the bottom, for scour. Our riprap and toe protection guide covers the options.
- Seagrass. The same plan notes prop scars in Rocky Bayou's widgeongrass beds. Riprap (loose rock at the toe) under a state general permit may not fill seagrass Rule 62-330.431.
- A damaged older dock. In the preserve, a nonconforming dock that is more than half in disrepair or destroyed must be brought fully into compliance Rule 18-20.004. That can shrink a rebuild.
- Plants on the bank. On unincorporated lots, the county asks owners to retain a strip of natural vegetation 25 feet deep beside the water Okaloosa LDC 6.05.05. Ask staff whether staging for your wall will disturb it.
Marsh plantings and a rock toe can calm wake damage in front of a wall. Compare them in our living shoreline guide before you settle on a design, and review the permit basics.
What could the work cost?
Inside the preserve, budget more time for design and permits, since an individual permit there must pass the stricter public interest test. Price the wall and the dock separately; preserve dock limits may shrink a planned platform. On a wake-battered shore, ask for toe protection or marsh planting as its own line item.
These per-foot figures are 2019 City of Destin bids for a 325-foot public park seawall. They are not a residential quote or a 2026 market average; your written, itemized scope sets the real price.
Compare quotes and plan a budget →Find the relevant permits and records
| Starting point | What to resolve | Prepare and look up |
|---|---|---|
Okaloosa County Growth Management | Building permits for unincorporated Bluewater Bay, including the county residential dock application. | Apply on the county CSS portal. Offices: Shalimar (850) 651-7180 and Crestview (850) 689-5080. |
FDEP Northwest District | State permit, exemptions and consent to use state submerged land. Consent by rule does not apply in the preserve, except for seawall or riprap restoration. | Request a pre-application meeting before design; the district's main line is (850) 595-8300. |
Rocky Bayou Aquatic Preserve staff | Preserve management questions, such as seagrass and shoreline habitat. Not a permit office. | Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves contact: (850) 471-6027. |
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pensacola Section | Federal authorization for in-water work on Rocky Bayou or the bay. A state approval does not cover it. | Okaloosa County files go to the Pensacola section at (850) 470-9824. |
A Rocky Bayou planning checklist
Run these checks before you request bids. They answer the two questions that shape every quote here: which government, and which side of the bridge.
Locate the preserve line
The preserve boundary is recorded in Okaloosa County Official Records Book 593, Pages 742-745. Rocky Bayou east of the SR 20 Rocky Bayou Bridge is inside it.
Residential Dock Application/Requirements (Permit Form 12-0710) · Florida Statutes s. 258.39, Boundaries of preserves (2026 Florida Statutes)
Confirm county or city
Bluewater Bay parcels are unincorporated. Niceville's code also names Rocky Bayou, so a lot inside city limits follows the city's dock rules and building permit. Check the parcel, not the mailing address.
Bluewater Bay Municipal Services Benefit Unit request for proposals (July 14, 2020) with attached Ordinance 02-16 · Niceville Code of Ordinances, Appendix D Land Development Code, Article 7, 7.08.00 Accessory structures (7.08.01, 7.08.05)
Map the toe and seagrass
Ask for a survey of the wall's toe and any seagrass in front of it. Rock may not go on seagrass under the state riprap general permit, and the park plan reports prop scars in the bayou's beds.
62-330.431 General Permit for Installation of Riprap · Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park Approved Unit Management Plan
Build the county dock file
The county asks for a scaled site plan or survey showing riparian lines and copies of FDEP and USACE permits or self-certification. A recorded Notice of Commencement is due before the first inspection.
Residential Dock Application/Requirements (Permit Form 12-0710)
Plan your Bluewater Bay or Rocky Bayou project
Tell us whether you face Rocky Bayou or the open bay, and which side of the SR 20 bridge you are on. Describe any scour or a damaged dock. We can help you plan around the preserve rules with a qualified marine contractor.
Every answer here links to the public record behind it.
Bluewater Bay & Rocky Bayou project questions
Is my Bluewater Bay home inside the Rocky Bayou Aquatic Preserve?
Only if your shoreline is on Rocky Bayou east of the State Road 20 bridge. The preserve covers the submerged land of the bayou below mean high water east of that road. Homes facing Choctawhatchee Bay, or Rocky Bayou west of the bridge, are outside it and follow the regular state rules.
Rocky Bayou Aquatic Preserve · Residential Dock Application/Requirements (Permit Form 12-0710)
Can I replace my seawall inside the preserve?
Usually yes, if you restore it in place. State law allows seawall restoration at the old location, upland of it, or within 18 inches waterward. The preserve rule lets restoration within one foot proceed without a consent application. A new wall waterward of mean high water is barred, with narrow exceptions.
Florida Statutes s. 258.42, Maintenance of preserves (2026 Florida Statutes) · Rule 18-20.004, F.A.C., Management Policies, Standards and Criteria
My dock was damaged in a storm. Can I rebuild it as it was?
Inside the preserve, maybe not. Some older docks do not meet today's preserve standards. If one is more than half in disrepair or destroyed, it must be brought fully into compliance. Those standards cap the main walkway at 4 feet and the end platform at 160 square feet. Ask DEP before you order materials.
Rule 18-20.004, F.A.C., Management Policies, Standards and Criteria
Who issues the building permit in Bluewater Bay?
Okaloosa County Growth Management, because Bluewater Bay is unincorporated. Its main office is at 1250 N Eglin Parkway in Shalimar, (850) 651-7180, and applications go through the county's online portal. A lot inside Niceville city limits uses the city's building department instead.
Bluewater Bay Municipal Services Benefit Unit request for proposals (July 14, 2020) with attached Ordinance 02-16 · Growth Management · Niceville Code of Ordinances, Appendix D Land Development Code, Article 7, 7.08.00 Accessory structures (7.08.01, 7.08.05)
Keep planning
Nearby waterfront guides
Show sourcesHide sources
- Residential Dock Application/Requirements (Permit Form 12-0710)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Rocky Bayou Aquatic Preserve Management Plan (September 2018)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Bluewater Bay Municipal Services Benefit Unit request for proposals (July 14, 2020) with attached Ordinance 02-16Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Niceville Code of Ordinances, Appendix D Land Development Code, Article 7, 7.08.00 Accessory structures (7.08.01, 7.08.05)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park Approved Unit Management PlanSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Rocky Bayou Aquatic PreserveSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Florida Statutes s. 373.414 (2026 Florida Statutes)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Rule 18-20.004, F.A.C., Management Policies, Standards and CriteriaSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Florida Statutes s. 258.42, Maintenance of preserves (2026 Florida Statutes)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- 2026 Florida Statutes section 403.813Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- 62-330.427 General Permit for Docks, Piers and Associated StructuresSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- 62-330.431 General Permit for Installation of RiprapSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Okaloosa County LDC Chapter 6 Development Design Standards, 6.05.05 and 6.06.09Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Growth ManagementSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- PermittingSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Northwest DistrictSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Northwest District PermittingSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- 18-21.005 Forms of AuthorizationSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Rocky Bayou Aquatic PreserveSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Jacksonville District Regulatory Office LocationsSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- USACE South Atlantic Division Florida regulatory guidanceSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Florida Statutes s. 258.39, Boundaries of preserves (2026 Florida Statutes)Source reviewed 2026-10-27