Riprap & Shoreline Work on Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Is your bank on Smith Mountain Lake washing out, undercut, or slumping into the water? This site explains how riprap and the other shoreline fixes work on the lake, what Appalachian Power (AEP), the Army Corps and your county each require, what the work costs, and how to get one independent local contractor out to look at your shoreline. Dock repair, new docks and boat lifts are covered too.
- One independent contractor per request
- The referral costs you nothing
- AEP and county rules linked to the source
For lakefront owners in Bedford, Franklin and Pittsylvania counties, from Moneta and Huddleston to Hardy, Union Hall and Penhook.
Riprap on Smith Mountain Lake starts with AEP
Riprap is a sloped blanket of large, loose stone laid along a bank so that waves break on rock instead of bare soil. On most lakes that's a decision between you and whoever does the work. Here, the strip of land between the water and the 800-foot contour sits inside the Smith Mountain hydro project, which Appalachian Power runs under a federal license, so AEP's shoreline rules decide whether stone can go in, what size it has to be, and how it's laid.
AEP asks owners to try plants first, then plants combined with structure (bioengineering), and only then hard armor like riprap. Stone is generally considered only where a bank is actively eroding.
The rules reach past the stone itself. Trees or woody material taken out to make room for riprap get bundled and sunk along the neighboring shoreline in water no deeper than 15 feet, plants removed have to be replaced or offset, erosion controls go up before any grading, and bare soil has to be stabilized within 7 days of final grade. Those steps come from AEP's permit form and plan, so they belong in the quote, not as extras added later.
When AEP will consider riprap
- The bank is bare, undercut or sloughing, or is close enough to the water to wash soil into the lake. AEP calls that active erosion.
- A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit is issued first, then AEP authorizes the work.
- The stone is at least VDOT Class I, roughly 50 to 150 pounds a rock.
- The finished slope is no steeper than 2:1, with the toe buried at least 12 inches.
- Resetting old riprap within its original footprint needs no permit. Adding stone does.
What AEP prefers, or won't allow
- Planting comes first in AEP's order, then bioengineering, which pairs plants with structure.
- Any shoreline stabilization, whatever the method, needs an AEP permit.
- New bulkheads and seawalls are prohibited unless FERC grants a variance.
- No tires, scrap metal or crushed block in the bank, and nothing placed in wetlands.
- No new beaches, and no sand below the 795-foot line.
Shoreline and dock work on the lake
Every service has its own guide with the AEP rules, permits and costs that apply, so you know what to ask before anyone brings a barge or an excavator to your shore.
Class I stone on a 2:1 slope with a buried toe, where AEP agrees the bank is actively eroding. The guide walks through the Corps, AEP and county permits in the order they happen, the spring spawning limits, what becomes of trees in the way, and per-foot costs.
How to tell whether your bank meets AEP's definition of active erosion, what wears lake banks down, and the fixes in AEP's order: planting, then plants with structure, then stone.
A new bulkhead is prohibited on the lake unless FERC grants a variance, which happens only where other methods won't work. What AEP points owners toward instead, and why to call AEP before touching an old wall.
The lake sat about five feet below full pond for months during the 2026 drought. What that means for banks, docks and lifts, and what is and isn't allowed on shoreline that's out of the water.
New decking, siding, shingles, paint or stain need no AEP permit as long as the dock keeps its size, layout and location. Anything new or bigger needs approval. The guide also covers legacy docks and repair costs.
AEP sizes single-family docks by frontage: 1,500 square feet and two slips for 100 to 300 feet of shoreline, with one structure capped at 3,000 square feet. Reach, height, enclosure and survey rules.
A new or expanded PWC lift needs AEP approval, and a lift built into the dock counts as a slip. Water depth at the lift, and costs for new lifts and lift repairs.
Which Virginia license classes and specialties fit shoreline and dock jobs, how to look a contractor up on DPOR, and the questions to settle before you sign anything.
Three sets of permits, one shoreline
Most shoreline and dock work on Smith Mountain Lake goes through Appalachian Power, and riprap and dredging go through the Army Corps as well, before the county issues its own permits. In brief:
Appalachian Power (AEP)
Work inside the Project boundary, which runs up to the 800-foot contour, goes through AEP Shoreline Management at 540-985-2579. AEP charges no permit fee. A dock or stairs permit (an Occupancy and Use Permit) is recorded with the county clerk for $43 or $48, and it is not a building permit.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Riprap and dredging also need a Corps permit. For riprap, the Corps permit has to be in hand before AEP authorizes the work. Applications go in online through the Corps' Regulatory Request System.
Your county
After AEP, the county issues the erosion-and-sediment and building permits. Bedford requires a Land Disturbing Permit for disturbance within 200 feet of a body of water, whatever the size. Franklin's local rule applies at 3,000 square feet within 200 feet of surface water.
Spring matters too. In-water construction is prohibited from February 15 to June 15 in some shoreline zones, and in-water work from April 15 to June 15 needs extra information about largemouth bass nests.
The full permits guide, with forms, contacts and timingWhat the work costs
Riprap is usually priced by the linear foot of shoreline, and the spread is wide. Angi's 2025 national data runs from $70 to $400 a foot, with hard-to-reach banks (steep slopes, trees, heavy wave exposure) at the top. At that range, 200 feet of shoreline works out to anywhere from $14,000 to $80,000.
Every figure here is a published national range, dated and sourced, not a quote for your lot. Plan around a written price from someone who has actually walked your shoreline.
Riprap, dock and lift costs, with worked examples Ask for a quote on your shorelinePublished price ranges
- Riprap
- $70 to $400 per linear foot; typical projects $10,000 to $30,000 (Angi, 2025 data)
- Dock repair
- $889 to $5,663, averaging $3,201 (HomeAdvisor, 2025)
- New dock
- $14,907 national average (HomeAdvisor, 2025); two lake builders quoted locally put a 1,500 sq ft dock with upgrades at about $100,000 to $150,000 or more
- Boat lift
- $2,000 to $20,000, averaging $8,000 (Fixr, January 2025)
- AEP permit
- No fee; a county recording fee of $43 or $48 applies to dock and stairs permits
Areas on the lake
Smith Mountain Lake has more than 500 miles of shoreline split among three counties: Bedford holds the north half, with the Roanoke River as the dividing line, Franklin holds most of the south shore, and Pittsylvania holds a small part that includes access to the dam. Which county your parcel is in decides which county permits apply.
Bedford County, on the north side of the lake, with Smith Mountain Lake State Park, opened in 1983, just to its south.
A Bedford County community whose ZIP code reaches both sides of the lake, so a Moneta address can sit in either county.
Franklin County, where a local permit applies to land disturbance of 3,000 square feet or more within 200 feet of surface water.
Straddles southwestern Bedford and northeastern Franklin counties, where the Roanoke River forms the mouth of the lake.
Franklin County, bordered by the Cool Branch arm of the lake and the Pittsylvania County line, on the Blackwater side.
On the lake but not in one of these towns, say Goodview, Wirtz or White House? Call anyway, and we'll find out whether a contractor covers your stretch of shoreline.
How it works
We have a house on the lake in Huddleston. We went through this ourselves in January 2021, when we had about 200 feet of our own shoreline riprapped, and we built this site to make it easier for lake owners to find someone for this work.
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Call or send a request
Say where your property is, about how much shoreline is involved, and what's going on: a bank that's caving, old riprap that slid, a dock that needs work, or a lift.
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We pass it to one contractor
Your request goes to one independent local contractor who works on the lake. It isn't sent around to a list.
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They look at the shoreline
The contractor gets in touch, looks at the bank or dock, and puts a price in writing.
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You choose
Hire them or don't. If you do, the contract, permits, work and payment are between you and the contractor.
You pay nothing for the referral.
Shoreline questions owners ask
Does riprap on Smith Mountain Lake need a permit?
Yes, from both AEP and the Army Corps, and the Corps permit comes first. After AEP issues its permit, the county erosion-and-sediment permit follows, and the approved county permit gets sent back to AEP. The riprap guide lays out each step.
Can a contractor build a seawall instead of riprap?
Not without a variance from FERC. AEP's plan prohibits bulkheads otherwise and approves them only where other stabilization methods won't work. Seawalls and bulkheads explains the alternatives.
Can a contractor sign the AEP application for me?
No. Every owner of record has to sign the shoreline stabilization application. A contractor can be listed on the form but can't sign in your place, and AEP sends back applications that are incomplete.
Can old riprap be fixed without a permit?
Rearranging stone that's already there, within its original length, width and height, counts as routine maintenance and needs no permit. Bringing in more stone takes the same AEP and Corps permits as new riprap.
Is there a season when a contractor can't work in the water?
Spring. In-water construction is prohibited from February 15 to June 15 in certain shoreline zones, dredging is prohibited during that same spawning season, and in-water work from April 15 to June 15 needs extra information about bass nests and can be changed or delayed if a nest turns up.
Who actually does the work?
An independent local contractor, not this site. SmithMountainLakeRiprap.com is a referral service. The contractor quotes the job, signs the contract and does the work, and is responsible for their own licensing, insurance, permits, pricing and warranties. Who does the work covers the license classes that fit lake work and how to look one up on DPOR.
Want someone to look at your shoreline?
Call or send a request, and we'll connect you with one independent local contractor who works on the lake. The referral is free.