What Riprap, Dock Work & Lifts Cost on Smith Mountain Lake

Budgeting for riprap, a dock repair, a new dock or a lift on Smith Mountain Lake? This page gathers the published price ranges, each labeled with its source and date, works them out for common shoreline lengths and dock sizes, and explains what pushes a lake job up or down, what the permits cost, and what a written quote should spell out. These are national figures plus one local reference point, not a price for your lot.

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Riprap stone following the curve of a small lake cove, with bare winter trees above the bank — Riprap following the curve of a small cove. Shoreline length and access for the stone are two of the things that move the price.

Riprap by the linear foot

Most riprap is quoted per linear foot of shoreline. Angi's riprap guide, using 2025 national data, puts it at $70 to $400 per linear foot including materials and labor. Its average project is $20,000, typical projects land between $10,000 and $30,000, and the full range runs from $2,200 to $120,000. Most projects cover 100 to 300 linear feet.

Angi's per-foot range, worked out

100 feet: $7,000 to $40,000
150 feet: $10,500 to $60,000
200 feet: $14,000 to $80,000
300 feet: $21,000 to $120,000

For a local reference point: we have a house on the lake in Huddleston, and in January 2021 we paid about $24,000 for about 200 ft of riprap on our own shoreline, about $120 a foot. That sits in the lower part of Angi's national range, but it's one job, nearly six years ago, and says nothing about access, slope or stone on your bank.

Riprap by the ton

Some contractors price the stone separately. Hello Gravel's January 9, 2026 guide puts riprap stone at $30 to $100 a ton, installed riprap at $80 to $300 a ton, and delivery at $50 to $200 a ton for sites far from a quarry. Those are national figures.

As an example only: if a contractor's plan called for 100 tons of stone, Hello Gravel's installed range would come to $8,000 to $30,000 before any delivery surcharge. The real tonnage comes from the cross-section drawn for your permit, and AEP's form says to use no more material than erosion control needs.

What moves a riprap price on the lake

Access. Angi names steep slopes, trees and high-wave areas as the conditions that push riprap toward $400 a foot.
Land or water. AEP's application asks whether stone goes in from land or from the water. How the stone reaches your bank changes the equipment, and extra clearing for equipment access can bring in a Vegetation Removal Permit.
AEP's spec. Stone has to be at least VDOT Class I, the face no steeper than 2:1, and the toe buried at least 12 inches. At 2:1, a bank 4 feet high runs 8 feet out, so a flatter face covers more ground than a steep pile would.
Trees and replanting. Woody material removed for the work is bundled and sunk along the adjacent shoreline in water no deeper than 15 feet, and vegetation removed is replanted or mitigated, or fish habitat structures go in.
Erosion controls. Controls go in before clearing and grading, and bare soil is stabilized within 7 days after final grade.
Paperwork. The AEP application needs a site plan, a plan view and a cross-section with every dimension, plus the Corps permit documentation.
Distance from the quarry. Hello Gravel's delivery charge applies to sites far from one.

Gray riprap along a steep, wooded cove bank, with lake homes and boathouses across the water — Riprap along a steep, wooded cove bank. Slope, trees and getting stone to the bank all show up in the price.

What the permits cost

AEP charges no permit fee. Occupancy and Use Permits, the ones for docks, stairs and similar structures, are recorded with the county Clerk of Circuit Court, and the application (updated July 31, 2026) lists the recording fees: Bedford $48, Franklin $43 and Pittsylvania $48. AEP's FAQ names Occupancy and Use and assignment permits as the ones recorded with the clerk, and the Shoreline Stabilization Permit application lists no recording fee.

County land-disturbance permits are separate, and each county sets its own fees, so ask Bedford County Community Development, Franklin County's erosion and stormwater staff, or Pittsylvania County Community Development what yours will be. Angi's national permit figure of $525 to $3,050 doesn't describe the AEP side here, since AEP's permit is free. A new dock also needs a survey by a licensed surveyor for the AEP application, so get the surveyor's price before you set a budget.

Dock repair costs

HomeAdvisor's 2025 national figures put an average dock repair at $3,201, within a range of $889 to $5,663. Repairing a piling runs $200 to $700 each, and replacing one $300 to $1,600. So, as an example, replacing four pilings would come to $1,200 to $6,400 at those rates.

Many repairs skip the permit cost entirely. AEP needs no permit for replacing surface materials, siding or roof shingles, or for painting or staining, as long as the dock's dimensions, configuration and location stay the same. A new structure, or any change that makes the dock bigger, needs AEP approval. Dock repair covers legacy docks and the rest.

New dock costs

HomeAdvisor's 2025 national data puts the average new dock at $14,907, with typical jobs from $4,059 to $25,879. By the square foot, floating docks run $15 to $35 and piling docks $20 to $40.

Size drives the math on this lake. AEP allows 1,500 square feet and two slips for a lot with 100 to 300 feet of shoreline. At HomeAdvisor's rates, 1,500 square feet works out to $22,500 to $52,500 floating, or $30,000 to $60,000 on pilings. Two lake dock builders quoted in the SML Insiders' Guide put a 1,500-square-foot dock with upgrades at about $100,000 to $150,000 or more; those are their figures. When quotes differ that much, compare what each includes: roof, lifts, enclosure, electrical and permits. New docks and boathouses has the size rules.

Boat lift costs

Fixr's January 31, 2025 guide puts boat lifts at $2,000 to $20,000, averaging $8,000. HomeAdvisor says a lift adds $1,000 to $15,000 to a dock project. For repairs, HomeAdvisor lists $175 to $500 for a boat lift, averaging $340, and $25 to $50 per linear foot for lift cable.

Any new or expanded PWC lift needs AEP approval, and a lift built into the dock counts as a slip. Boat lifts explains how lifts count toward a dock's size.

What a written riprap quote should spell out

Linear feet along the 795-foot base elevation, and how far the stone reaches from it.
Stone class and size, and tonnage if priced by the ton.
Finished slope and toe depth, matching AEP's 2:1 and 12-inch rules.
What goes under the stone, if anything.
Whether the stone goes in from land or water, and any clearing for access.
How trees and woody material are handled, and any replanting or habitat work.
Erosion controls and final stabilization.
Who prepares the Corps, AEP and county applications, and what you'll be asked to sign.
What's excluded, the payment schedule, and the warranty.

Contractors set their own prices and are responsible for their own licensing, insurance, permits and warranties.

Cost questions

Why do riprap quotes on the lake vary so much?

Angi points to access first: steep slopes, trees and high-wave areas push the price up. On the lake, the method matters too: whether stone comes by land or water, how many trees have to be bundled and sunk, how high the bank is at a 2:1 slope, and how far the stone travels from the quarry.

Does AEP charge for a riprap permit?

No. AEP charges no permit fee. County permit fees still apply, and Occupancy and Use Permits carry a $43 or $48 county recording fee.

Does resetting old riprap avoid the permit costs?

Rearranging existing riprap within its original length, width and height is routine maintenance and needs no permit, so there's no permit paperwork to pay for. Adding stone takes the full AEP and Corps permits.

Can a contractor's price include the permit work?

Ask; the quote should say who prepares the drawings and applications. Either way, every owner of record signs the AEP stabilization application. A contractor can be listed on it but can't sign for you.

Do national cost figures apply on Smith Mountain Lake?

As a starting range. AEP's stone, slope and tree rules are specific to this lake, and the one local riprap figure above is a single job, our own from January 2021. Plan around a written price from someone who has seen your shoreline.

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 shoreline or dock and quote it in writing, and you pay nothing for the introduction.

Sources

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