We file a permit on every project that requires one. From the application through every TVA review and back-and-forth, we handle the entire process — you don’t break ground until the approval is in hand.
Section 26a of the TVA Act gives the Tennessee Valley Authority approval authority over any structure built across, along, or in the waters of TVA-managed reservoirs — that includes every fixed dock, floating dock, boathouse, boat lift, mooring buoy, and shoreline modification on the lakes we work.
Without an approved 26a permit, building a dock is a violation. With one, you’re legal, insurable, and protected against future removal orders. We file the permit on every project that requires one, included at no extra charge.
Waiting on TVA can be difficult, but we make it easy. Any questions at all — give us a call.
TVA’s 26a authority is broader than people expect. The most common projects we permit:
Every new pile-mounted dock, boathouse, or slip structure built on a TVA reservoir. Permit covers the dock plus any integrated lift.
All floating dock systems on TVA waters — aluminum and wood frame, single and multi-section. Anchoring system is part of the application.
Lifts being added to existing permitted docks usually fall under the existing permit. New lifts on new docks are part of the 26a submission.
Adding slips, changing footprint, adding a second story, or other significant structural changes may require a new 26a review. Any addition to an existing dock requires a permit.
Retaining walls, riprap, beach fill, or any structure within TVA’s lakeward jurisdiction. Often paired with a dock build.
Roane County has special local requirements on top of TVA 26a review — we handle both filings as part of the project.
We do every step. Your only job is to sign the application and the build contract.
We walk the shoreline, take depth readings, photo the existing site, and map setbacks to property lines and neighbor docks.
Drawings, site map, project description, supporting photos — plus a stamped engineer drawing if your project needs one — packaged to TVA’s spec. You review and sign once.
TVA assigns a reviewer, may request a site visit of their own, and asks for clarifications. We respond to all of it. Most docks land in 3–6 weeks.
26a approval lands. We mobilize the build, finish in 3–5 weeks for most docks, and handle any post-build inspection.
On every full dock build we sign, we handle the entire process of filing and managing the permit — the application fee, the drawings, the TVA back-and-forth, all of it. It’s baked into the price of the build, not added on top.
The permit step is included in every Blue Horizon full-build project. No surprise paperwork bills, no “permit fee charged separately.”
Most straightforward applications come back in 3–6 weeks once everything is in TVA’s hands. Waiting on TVA can be difficult, but we make it easy — we submit as early in the process as possible so the build can land in spring or early summer.
Almost always, yes — especially if the footprint or structure changes. If you’re swapping decking on an existing permitted dock with no structural change, you may not, but we’ll confirm before assuming.
TVA notifies adjacent landowners as part of the review. Objections are heard but rarely block a properly-spec’d permit. We design to setbacks and standards specifically to avoid issues at this stage.
No — Section 26a is TVA-specific. Private lakes have their own rules (often through the HOA or landowner association), which we’ll check at site visit. Private lakes generally permit much faster than TVA reservoirs.
Stop building and call us. TVA can require removal of unpermitted structures. We can usually file a retroactive permit and bring the build into compliance, but the path is harder than starting fresh.
If we build the dock and install the lift together, they go on one 26a permit. Lifts being added to existing permitted docks usually don’t require a new permit.
One phone call kicks off the site visit. From there we handle TVA from end to end — you sign once, we file, review, and break ground when the permit lands.
We’ll reach out within one business day.
