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Riprap & Dock Work in Hardy, VA

Hardy is where the Roanoke River comes into Smith Mountain Lake, and that river is also the line between Bedford and Franklin counties. If your lot is in Hardy, the side of the river you're on decides your county land-disturbance rule, where you get a dock building permit, and whether recording your AEP permit costs $48 or $43. This page sorts out both sides for riprap, dock repair, new docks and lifts, along with costs.

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Narrow upper arm of the lake in fall color, with a worn red clay bank on one side and covered docks across the water
A narrow upper arm of the lake in fall color, with a worn red clay bank on the near shore and covered docks across the water.

Hardy at a glance

Counties
Southwestern Bedford County and northeastern Franklin County; the Hardy ZIP code covers parts of both
On the lake
Where the Roanoke River enters Smith Mountain Lake
Road
State Route 634 (Hardy Road), about nine miles southeast of Roanoke
Public launch
Hardy Ford, one of the boat launches Virginia DWR maintains on the lake
Nearby
Booker T. Washington National Monument, also in Hardy

Which side of the river are you on?

Bedford County makes up the northern half of the lake, with the Roanoke River as the dividing line, and Hardy spreads across both sides of it. The ZIP code won't tell you which county you're in, because it covers parts of Bedford and Franklin alike. Your real estate tax bill will. AEP's rules are the same on both banks; the county pieces differ like this:

Bedford County side

Land Disturbing Permit for any disturbance within 200 feet of the water, or over 10,000 square feet anywhere; an acre or more also needs state VPDES coverage.

Building permits from Community Development in Bedford, (540) 586-7616. The county's dock disclaimer says its permit is no substitute for AEP's.

AEP permit recorded with the Bedford County Circuit Court Clerk: $48.

Franklin County side

County permit at 3,000 square feet or more within 200 feet of surface water; the state regulates 10,000 square feet and up.

Building permits from Building Inspections in Rocky Mount, 540-483-3047. Power inspections need the nine-digit AEP work order number.

AEP permit recorded with the Franklin County Circuit Court Clerk: $43.

So 90 feet of riprap with a 10-foot work strip, 900 square feet, needs the county permit on the Bedford bank but falls under Franklin's local trigger on the other. AEP's stabilization form asks for the county erosion and sediment permit either way, so a Franklin-side owner should call the county's erosion and stormwater line, 540-483-3027 ext. 2324, and ask what it issues for a job that small.

Docks where the water is narrow

If your Hardy lot faces a narrow cove or channel, AEP's reach rule may be the one that limits the dock. A dock may extend no more than one-third of the cove's width or 100 feet from the 795-foot base elevation, whichever is less, and a 30-foot passage lane has to stay open (50 feet if a boat ramp sits toward the end of the cove). Across 150 feet of water, that's a 50-foot reach at most. The dock also keeps 15 feet from the dock delineation line, and a lot needs at least 100 feet of shoreline at base elevation for a dock, unless it was subdivided before September 2, 2003.

Size follows shoreline length: 1,500 square feet and two slips for 100 to 300 feet, 2,250 square feet and three slips for 301 to 600 feet, and 3,000 square feet and four slips for 601 to 900 feet, with slip area and roof overhangs counted. Roofs top out at 19 feet flat or 26 feet pitched. The new docks page has the rest, and the permits guide covers the paperwork.

Older docks, repairs and lifts

If your dock is older, find out whether AEP counts it as a legacy dock, meaning it predates August 31, 2003 and hasn't been modified since the Shoreline Management Plan, or it never received an Occupancy and Use Permit. If it is, AEP won't let living space or permanent sanitation from that era be enlarged or rebuilt. Decking, siding, shingles, paint and stain don't need AEP's permit when the size, layout and location stay put; anything that makes the dock bigger does. Permits issued on or after August 31, 2003 require white reflectors every 20 feet along the outer edges, worth checking during a repair. Any new or expanded PWC lift needs AEP approval. See dock repair and boat lifts.

Riprap on a Hardy bank

AEP's process doesn't change with the county. Riprap is allowed only where erosion is active, with vegetation and bioengineering considered first; a Corps permit must be issued before AEP signs off; and every owner of record signs the application. Stone has to be at least VDOT Class I, laid no steeper than 2:1 with the toe buried 12 inches. Trees cut for access get bundled and sunk along your shoreline in water 15 feet deep or less, and extra clearing for equipment may need a separate Vegetation Removal Permit. The riprap page explains each step.

Costs, with sources

By HomeAdvisor's 2025 national numbers, a floating dock costs $15 to $35 a square foot and a piling dock $20 to $40, so a 600-square-foot piling dock would come to $12,000 to $24,000. Lake figures can be far higher: in the SML Insiders' Guide, two local builders estimate about $100,000 to $150,000 or more for 1,500 square feet of dock with upgrades. At Angi's 2025 rate of $70 to $400 a linear foot, the 90-foot bank above would run $6,300 to $36,000. Fixr's January 2025 range for a boat lift is $2,000 to $20,000. The cost guide has more.

Hardy questions

Which county permits a contractor's work on my Hardy lot?

The county your parcel is taxed in. Hardy straddles the Bedford–Franklin line and its ZIP code covers both, so the address alone doesn't answer it.

Can a contractor enlarge an older dock?

Only with AEP approval and within today's size limits. Habitable space or sanitation on a legacy dock can't be expanded at all.

Does a contractor need a permit to fix a bank that's just starting to slough?

For new stone, yes: AEP and Corps permits. A sloughing or undercut bank counts as active erosion, which is what AEP requires before it allows riprap, but AEP still wants planting or bioengineering considered first.

Can riprap be placed from the water instead of the yard?

AEP's application asks whether the stone goes in from land or from water, so either is possible. Ask the contractor which they plan and how they'll protect the lawn, path or trees along the way.

How this site helps

Call (540) 410-1330 or send a request and we'll connect you with one independent local contractor who works on the lake. They look at the site and price it themselves; the decision is yours. Contractors are responsible for their own licensing, insurance, permits, pricing and warranties. Look up a Virginia license on DPOR's License Lookup, and see how to hire for what to ask.

Related pages

Other lake communities

Sources

Bank or dock work in Hardy?

Describe the job by phone or with the form, and we'll put you in touch with one independent local contractor who works on Smith Mountain Lake.

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