Santa Rosa Beach bulkheads on Hogtown Bayou and the bay
Santa Rosa Beach bulkhead and seawall projects on Hogtown Bayou, Point Washington and the bay shore follow Walton County rules. Those rules favor rock and living shorelines over new vertical walls. This guide covers the habitat rules, the local examples and the offices to call.
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Santa Rosa Beach, Hogtown Bayou & Point Washington at a glance
- Who permits it
- Walton County
- Call first
- Walton County Planning, (850) 267-1955
- The water
- Hogtown Bayou, Point Washington and the bay shore near the US-331 bridge
- Local rule to know
- County rules favor rock and living shorelines over new vertical walls.
Get to know your waterfront
Santa Rosa Beach has two waterfronts, and this guide covers the bay side. That means Hogtown Bayou, Point Washington and the shore near the US-331 bridge. Near the bridge, Thomas Pilcher Park has four boat ramps and a 380-foot fishing pier. NOAA's historic Hogtown Bayou tide station shows a range of about half a foot. The 30A dune lakes have their own guide.
Thomas Pilcher Park · NOAA CO-OPS datums, station 8729376 Santa Rosa, Hogtown Bayou · GNIS Domestic Names for Florida (published 2026-09-29), pipe-delimited text
What shoreline protection fits Hogtown Bayou?
Plan for rock or a living shoreline first. Walton County's Bay Shoreline Protection Zone covers the bay and the bayous directly connected to it. It also covers 50 feet of land behind the mean high water line (MHW, the average high-tide line) Walton LDC 4.03.03.B. In that band the county allows only boardwalks, public access and the landward part of docks.
New vertical bulkheads on the bay are banned unless the lot fills a gap of 150 feet or less between two existing seawalls Walton LDC 4.03.03.B.4. Otherwise the county requires revetments, riprap, native plants or similar energy-absorbing protection.
Why Hogtown Bayou gets a closer federal look
Federal rules name Hogtown Bayou inside Gulf sturgeon critical habitat Unit 12, along with the main bay, Jolly Bay, Bunker Cove and Grassy Cove. Most other bayous are excluded at their mouths 50 CFR 226.214. Ask the Corps early whether your dock, riprap or seawall needs a habitat review, because that can add time.
On Hogtown Bayou, a bulkhead quote that skips the federal habitat question is not a complete plan.
Living shoreline examples close to home
- A living shoreline uses marsh plants, often with a low oyster-shell or rock breakwater, instead of a wall. The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) calls it viable for low- to moderate-erosion sites in the bay CBA living shorelines.
- CBA restored oyster reef and salt marsh on public submerged land next to Cessna Park and along Highway 393 NFWF project 1801.09.000454.
- In January 2024, Walton County asked the state for $1,789,614 to plan a Choctawhatchee Resiliency Center near Churchill Bayou to supply living-shoreline materials. It was a funding request, and its outcome is unconfirmed Senate LFIR #3009.
- Native plantings along 500 feet of shore or less, reaching no more than 10 feet past MHW, can be exempt from a state permit Rule 62-330.051(12)(e). Federal review may still apply under Nationwide Permit 54 2026 NWP 54.
Read the living shoreline guide and compare it with riprap and toe protection. The toe is the base of a wall or slope, where scour starts.
Point Washington lots
In the Point Washington Conservation Residential 1:1 district, the neighborhood plan requires 60% open space. It also bars septic drain fields within 100 feet of the bay, river and creek shoreline Walton Ord. 2024-34. It is not a wall rule, but check it before you plan equipment access near the water.
Gulf-front homes in Santa Rosa Beach
A 2011 state law lets Walton Gulf-front armoring built between July 10, 2005 and April 30, 2006 stay without a DEP permit. Geotextile tubes must stay covered with 3 feet of sand and native plants, and sellers must give buyers notice Ch. 2011-261, Laws of Fla.. Buyers should read buying a waterfront home with a seawall.
What could the work cost?
On Hogtown Bayou, price a living shoreline or rock revetment beside any wall option. Include the seagrass and habitat checks a federal review may ask for. For planted shorelines, ask how long the marsh needs to take hold and who replaces plants that fail. Keep survey, engineering, and state and federal fees on separate lines.
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 |
|---|---|---|
Walton County Planning & Development Services | Bay buffer, the vertical-wall limit and Point Washington district rules. | Survey with the MHW line and the 50-foot line. Planning sits in Freeport even for South Walton lots: (850) 267-1955. |
Florida DEP Northwest District | Exemption checks for plantings or seawall restoration, and the general permit for riprap up to 100 feet. | Shoreline length, how far the work reaches past MHW, and any seagrass or marsh. (850) 595-8300. |
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pensacola Permits Section | Federal authorization: Nationwide Permit 54 for living shorelines, plus sturgeon habitat on Hogtown Bayou. | Plans showing how far structures reach past mean low water. (850) 470-9824. |
Walton County Building Division | Building permit. South of the bay, structural plans in the Coastal Building Zone need an engineer's or architect's certification. | Certified plans and the contract amount. (850) 892-8160. |
A Hogtown Bayou planning checklist
Use these steps to pick a design the county, the state and the Corps can all approve, before you collect quotes.
Confirm how the bay rules apply to your bayou
Ask Planning to confirm your lot is in the Bay Shoreline Protection Zone and whether the 150-foot infill test could ever fit it.
Walton County LDC Sec. 4.03.03 Restrictions on Development within the Shoreline Protection Zones · Walton County LDC Chapter IV Resource Protection Standards, Sec. 4.03.03 (Municode, Supp. 70 Update 1)
Look at a public living shoreline nearby
Cessna Landing Park on County Highway 393 North has boat and canoe access. CBA restored oyster reef and marsh on public submerged land next to Cessna Park.
Cessna Landing Park · NFWF Grant Profile: Oyster Reef and Salt Marsh Restoration in Choctawhatchee Bay (FL)
Ask CBA about technical help
CBA has helped build nearly 70 living shorelines and offers technical and permitting support on public and private land. Its website lists only an online contact form.
A Lasting Partnership for Florida's Living Shorelines · Contact Us
Raise sturgeon habitat with the Corps early
Hogtown Bayou is named in Gulf sturgeon critical habitat. Call the Pensacola Permits Section before you set a construction date.
50 CFR 226.214 Critical habitat for Gulf sturgeon · Jacksonville District Regulatory Office Locations
Plan your Santa Rosa Beach shoreline project
Tell us whether you are on Hogtown Bayou, Point Washington or the open bay, and what the bank or bulkhead looks like now. We will help you plan the next step and find a qualified marine contractor.
Every answer here links to the public record behind it.
Santa Rosa Beach, Hogtown Bayou & Point Washington project questions
Can I build a new seawall on Hogtown Bayou?
Usually not as a vertical wall. Walton County limits new bay bulkheads to lots between two existing seawalls, with a gap of 150 feet or less. Otherwise it requires revetments, riprap, native plants or similar protection. Call Planning at (850) 267-1955 to confirm how the rule applies to your lot.
Walton County LDC Chapter IV Resource Protection Standards, Sec. 4.03.03 (Municode, Supp. 70 Update 1) · Planning and Development Services
Is Hogtown Bayou protected habitat?
Yes, for Gulf sturgeon. Federal rules list Hogtown Bayou in critical habitat Unit 12 with the main bay, while most other bayous are excluded at their mouths. Expect the Corps to weigh that habitat when it reviews a dock, riprap or seawall permit, and plan extra time for it.
What does DEP charge to check a living shoreline?
DEP charges $100 to verify an exemption and $250 to verify a general permit. A plantings-only shoreline of 500 feet or less can be exempt if it reaches no more than 10 feet past mean high water. A state exemption does not replace federal authorization from the Corps.
62-4.050 Procedure to Obtain Permits and Other Authorizations; Applications · 62-330.051 Exempt Activities · USACE South Atlantic Division Florida regulatory guidance
I'm buying a Gulf-front home with an old seawall. What should I ask?
Ask when the armoring went up. A 2011 law lets Walton walls built between July 10, 2005 and April 30, 2006 stay without a DEP permit. Sellers must give notice, and geotextile tubes need 3 feet of sand cover. Badly damaged structures must come out unless the owner seeks a reconstruction permit.
Keep planning
Nearby waterfront guides
Miramar Beach & Sandestin bayside, 30A coastal dune lakes, Freeport & LaGrange Bayou
Show sourcesHide sources
- Thomas Pilcher ParkSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- NOAA CO-OPS datums, station 8729376 Santa Rosa, Hogtown BayouSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- GNIS Domestic Names for Florida (published 2026-09-29), pipe-delimited textSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Walton County LDC Sec. 4.03.03 Restrictions on Development within the Shoreline Protection ZonesSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- 50 CFR 226.214 Critical habitat for Gulf sturgeonSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Living ShorelinesSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- NFWF Grant Profile: Oyster Reef and Salt Marsh Restoration in Choctawhatchee Bay (FL)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Florida House funding request #3009: Choctawhatchee Resiliency CenterSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- 62-330.051 Exempt ActivitiesSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Reissuance and Modification of Nationwide Permits (full text), NWP 54Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Ordinance 2024-34 (adopted) - Point Washington Neighborhood Plan amendmentSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Chapter 2011-261, Laws of Florida (House Bill No. 1311)Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Planning and Development ServicesSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Northwest DistrictSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- 62-330.431 General Permit for Installation of RiprapSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Jacksonville District Regulatory Office LocationsSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Building DivisionSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Permit RulesSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Cessna Landing ParkSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- A Lasting Partnership for Florida's Living ShorelinesSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Contact UsSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- 62-4.050 Procedure to Obtain Permits and Other Authorizations; ApplicationsSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- USACE South Atlantic Division Florida regulatory guidanceSource reviewed 2026-10-27