Dock lighting, bumpers, cleats and ladders on a Georgia lake: what is allowed and what lasts

What each lake says

Who decides what goes on a dock depends on whose shoreline it is. Here is what we found, lake by lake. Our dock permit guide covers who approves the dock itself.

"Nothing found" is not a green light. Ask the office that approves your dock.

Dock lighting on West Point Lake

The Corps' Shoreline Management Plan is specific. Its electrical exhibit (Exhibit XIV, item 7) says: "Lighting must be limited to the minimum necessary for safe access with a maximum bulb size of 150 watts. Fixtures and lights must be approved for damp/wet locations and cannot be mounted to extend beyond the outer perimeter of the floating facility. Light must be aimed downward." Lighting along paths "may be of the low voltage-type with no exposed wiring."

Three things follow:

• Safety lighting only. The standard is "minimum necessary for safe access."
• Decorative lighting is a problem. The plan prohibits "Decorative items, house and garden plants, Christmas trees and lights, signs or banners, and other similar commodities" on public land and on private facilities located on public property. Do not plan on decorative or string lights, and ask the park office before adding any.
• Solar path lights are the exception. The plan says "low-voltage, ground-level pathway solar lights are allowed without electrical certification."

The plan also requires 4 inch amber reflectors on the outside edges of floating facilities and rigid handrails where a walkway is 4 feet or more above land or water. Our West Point Lake page has the rest of the rules.

Why dock power is different

The hazard with power near water is electric shock drowning. The Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association, a nonprofit, defines it as the passage of a typically low level AC current through the body with enough force to cause muscular paralysis, leaving a swimmer unable to help themselves in fresh water and eventually drowning. It says most deaths have occurred in public and private marinas and docks, that the typical victim is a child, and that "there is no visible warning or way to tell" if the water around a dock is energized.

The West Point plan puts several controls on dock power:

• New electrical service "must be certified by a state licensed electrician immediately upon installation," and certification is required again at permit renewal and change of ownership.
• The cable serving a floating facility must have a quick disconnect fitting mounted above 642 feet elevation and be protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).
• All receptacles on public lands or waters need ground fault protection and weatherproof boxes with self-closing caps. Receptacles on a floating facility sit at least 30 inches above the deck, and none are permitted on walkways.
• Wiring on the facility must be approved for wet locations and protected by conduit, and "adapters for the purpose of additional hook-ups" are prohibited.

The exhibit adds that installation "should be performed by a licensed electrician." Outside the Corps rules, a boating publication, Boating Compass, advises owners to hire a licensed electrician, make sure wiring meets NFPA 303 and NEC 555, and have an electrician check an already-wired dock. The National Electrical Code's Article 555 covers marinas and docks, and its scope includes "docking facilities associated with one-family dwellings," per a published copy of the scope text. We did not confirm which edition of the code Georgia or Carroll County enforces, so ask your electrician. If a boat lift runs on dock power, see our boat lift guide.

The University of Illinois Extension says "all docks should have ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) installed on circuits feeding electricity to the docks," and recommends testing them monthly.

Boat lights and dock lights are different

Fairfield Plantation's Lakes and Watercraft Rules cover lights on boats, not docks. Boats operating at night must show standard running lights, and a boat anchored at night must show a 360-degree white light. Docking lights "shall only be used for docking" and may not be used while traveling, "as they can blind other boaters."

We found no Georgia rule on private dock lights, and the West Point plan has no navigation-light rule. Fairfield's Rules and Regulations set a general standard for exterior lighting: it "shall not produce excessive glare and brightness that causes unreasonable light pollution onto adjacent properties and public right-of-way." It sits among the general property requirements, so we cannot say it reaches docks.

Bumpers, cleats and ladders

We found no rule on bumpers, cleats or ladders in the West Point plan, the Fairfield rules or the Carrollton code, and none that requires them. We also found no university or agency guidance on bumper or cleat materials, and no credible source on ladder design, so we are not going to tell you one product beats another.

What is fair to say is general. Sun and water wear these parts, and the fasteners that hold them corrode. Treat them like the rest of the dock: look at them each year, and replace what is cracked, loose or rusted before a boat or a person leans on it. For a floating dock at West Point, our floating vs fixed guide covers the inspection items the plan names. Adding or replacing a ladder, rail or cleat is a repair job we handle once the approving office has signed off; see dock repair and boat lifts.

Hardware that holds up

A wood-preservative maker's installation guide, published at treatedwood.com, is the most specific source we found on fasteners in treated lumber. It recommends:

• Hot-dipped galvanized steel for fasteners and connectors, built to ASTM A153 for fasteners and ASTM A653 and G185 for connectors.
• Type 304 or higher stainless steel "for very wet environments."
• "Do not mix metals": stainless fasteners with stainless connectors, galvanized with galvanized.
• Avoiding fasteners labeled "electro-galvanized" or marked "G-90" or "G-60," because they were designed for an older preservative and "will not hold up to ACQ, or CA treated wood."

This is one manufacturer's advice, so check your lumber's treatment against the hardware maker's guidance. The rules set their own minimums. West Point requires treated lumber, cedar, redwood, cypress or marine-grade materials, and lists galvanized or stainless straps and fasteners among the acceptable ways to attach flotation. Fairfield requires pressure-treated lumber or composite decking and does not permit PVC or metal posts, and a dock there must be stained or painted white or a neutral color (Rules and Regulations, Section 5.2).

Ladders and swimming near power

We found no rule that a dock must have a ladder, and no source for how one should be set. The safety question that matters more is swimming next to a powered dock. The association "strongly discourages swimming around boats, docks, and marinas that use AC electrical power for any purpose," and lists boat power, outlets, lighting, boat lifts and aerators. It also says devices that detect voltage in the water should never be used as a sign that swimming is safe.

Illinois Extension's rule of thumb: "If you feel a shock, swim away from the dock." Boating Compass advises owners never to swim within 100 yards of any dock using electrical power. That is a boating publication's advice, not a legal limit.

Before you add anything

1. Call the office that approves your dock: the park office at West Point, the committee at Fairfield, the building official at Lake Carroll.
2. Ask whether lights, outlets or a lift need approval, and whether your lot's electrical work needs certification.
3. Hire a licensed electrician for anything that runs power onto the dock.
4. Ask the association or HOA if you have one.
5. Get approvals in writing before you buy.

Our guide to hiring a deck or dock contractor covers licenses. When you are ready, send us the lot and what you want to add.

Questions people ask

Sources

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, West Point Lake Shoreline Management Plan (cover date September 9, 2024): Section 14a, Section 10f (reflectors), the handrail requirements, Section 21 (decorative items) and Exhibit XIV (electrical).
• Fairfield Plantation Property Owners Association, Rules and Regulations for Property Owners (revised February 16, 2026): Sections 3.5.4.4 and 5.2; and the Lakes and Watercraft Rules (revised July 21, 2025): Sections 9.2.1, 9.2.2 and 9.2.8.
• City of Carrollton, Code of Ordinances Section 70-58, Lake Carroll.
• Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association, Electric Shock Drowning FAQ and Preventing ESD.
• University of Illinois Extension and Safe Electricity, Beware of the hidden danger of electric shock drowning (May 28, 2020).
• Boating Compass, Preventing Electric Shock Drowning (September 13, 2022).
• NEC Article 555, Section 555.1 scope, as published by Electrical License Renewal (2017 and 2020 text). We did not read the 2023 text.
• TreatedWood.com (a wood-preservative manufacturer), Installation Tips for Pressure-Treated Wood, Part 3.

Rules change and each lake has its own. Confirm current requirements with the permit office before you build or wire anything.