Boathouses & Covered Slips
Single-level covered structures inside the 1,500-square-foot cap, with lifts, lighting and storm-rated substructure — non-habitable, and without plumbing fixtures, as the rules require.
Lakes We Serve · Wood County, TX
Boathouses, boat docks and bulkheads on Lake Fork.
The most famous bass lake in Texas is also one of its most tightly written. Every private structure on Lake Fork stands on Sabine River Authority ground under an approved plan — and the basin is still full of the timber they left standing.
403′
Conservation pool, ft msl
412′
SRA project boundary
1,500
Sq ft cap, boathouse or pier
4:1
Flattest permitted cut slope
Who Holds the Bank
On Lake Fork the permit relationship is the project.
The Sabine River Authority owns the ground between the 403-foot pool and the 412-foot project boundary. Your structure goes there.
Lake Fork Reservoir impounds Lake Fork Creek, a tributary of the Sabine, principally in Wood County and reaching into Rains and Hopkins. Construction started in October 1975; the dam was finally closed in February 1980, and the 403-foot conservation pool was reached on December 11, 1985. It was built as water supply for Texas Utilities under contracts to Dallas, Longview and other municipalities, and contents can exceed conservation pool and inundate land up to the 412-foot boundary.
Published surface acreage does not agree: the Texas Water Development Board's 2009 survey gives 26,889 acres, TPWD gives 27,264, and 27,690 is widely repeated elsewhere. Shoreline is commonly cited at about 315 miles, though neither SRA nor TWDB publishes a figure. TPWD puts maximum depth around 70 feet.
Because the Authority owns the strip your dock occupies, every private dock, boathouse, pier and retaining wall here requires a Private Limited Use Permit; commercial uses require a Commercial Limited Use Permit. Much of the lake is still undeveloped, so the permitting relationship — rather than a neighborhood covenant or a city ordinance — is what actually shapes what gets built. The Lake Fork Division office is at 353 Private Road 5183, Quitman, TX 75783, 903-878-2262.
The June 2025 Rules
What SRA will and will not approve.
These come from the Rules and Regulations the SRA Board approved on June 19, 2025. They are worth reading before a design is drawn, not after.
1
The plan clears before anything else does
A detailed site plan showing the permit area, conservation pool elevation and all property lines must be submitted and approved, drawn to the current International Building Code, National Electrical Code and NFPA standards — and every other agency's approval must be in hand before SRA signs off. SRA then issues a written Authorization to Construct, and reserves the right to require changes.
2
Single level, 1,500 square feet, 150 feet out
Boathouses and piers may not be habitable, must be single level, and may not exceed 1,500 square feet excluding the walkway. Extension is capped at 150 feet from the conservation pool elevation or 20 percent of the cove width, whichever is less — on the narrow creek arms that second figure is usually the binding one.
3
Materials, decking, flotation and plumbing
Everything touching water and all structural framing must be steel, treated wood or an approved equivalent, with treated 2x6 or synthetic deck board as the minimum decking. Flotation must be encapsulated foam; Styrofoam blocks are prohibited. Household plumbing fixtures on the structure are prohibited outright. Houseboats and barges may not be moored or anchored adjacent to any private dock, pier or bulkhead.
4
Walls and dredging need SRA and the Corps
Retaining walls, excavation and dredging require the discretion of both the Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in accordance with any Corps-issued permit. No dredging may bring conservation pool within 200 feet of the project boundary; spoil goes above conservation pool behind sediment controls; slopes finish no steeper than 4:1; wall materials are pre-approved. Contractors carry liability insurance naming SRA as additional insured with a waiver of subrogation.
What the Rig Hits
They left the trees standing, and they are still there.
Lake Fork's defining feature is also its defining construction constraint.
Most of the standing timber was deliberately left in the basin when the lake filled. Flooded and submerged timber is found throughout, and outside the buoyed boat lanes it is a genuine hazard — which is exactly as true for a barge and pile rig as it is for a bass boat. Getting equipment to a site, and getting it out, is a real part of scoping a job here.
Aquatic vegetation is extensive: hydrilla, Eurasian milfoil, coontail, American lotus, water primrose, water hyacinth, alligatorweed and pennywort. Water is moderately clear, and numerous bridges cross the arms — which matters when equipment has to come up a creek arm rather than across open water. Soft creek-bottom margins in those arms complicate pile work and are the reason bearing gets confirmed on site rather than assumed from a neighbouring property.
Scope of Work
What Shoretech builds on Lake Fork.
Designed inside the SRA limits, and detailed for timber, soft creek bottoms and barge access.
Boat Docks, Piers & Walkways
Fixed and floating docks with encapsulated-foam flotation and approved decking, sized against both the 150-foot limit and the 20 percent cove rule.
Bulkheads, Seawalls & Retaining Walls
Galvanized steel, vinyl, FRP composite and heavy timber walls, with materials submitted for SRA pre-approval and matched to the shoreline location.
Precision Dredging
Slip and access dredging under SRA and Corps discretion, with spoil placed above conservation pool behind sediment control and finished slopes no steeper than 4:1.
Around the Lake
Where the waterfront clusters.
A sprawling V-shaped lake that draws more than 300 tournaments a year, with development concentrated around Alba, Yantis and Quitman.
Towns and communities
- Quitman, about 5 miles southeast
- Alba
- Yantis
- Emory
- Golden
- Mineola, nearby
Marinas and access
- Lake Fork Marina & Motel, Alba, on the west arm
- Pope's Landing Marina, on Mustang Creek
- Minnow Bucket Marina, 3035 SH 154, Quitman
- Oak Ridge Marina
- SRA public ramps and buoyed boat lanes
Shoretech Marine is based in Trinity, Texas. Lake Fork is inside the working footprint and Dave travels as far as a project warrants across Texas and western Louisiana — call to talk through barge access and scheduling.
Questions We Hear
Lake Fork FAQ.
Who issues the permit for a dock or boathouse on Lake Fork?
The Sabine River Authority of Texas, from its Lake Fork Division office at 353 Private Road 5183, Quitman, 903-878-2262. Private structures need a Private Limited Use Permit and commercial uses need a Commercial Limited Use Permit. The same division issues On-Site Sewage Facility permits, which matters on a lakeside build.
What has to be on the plans before SRA will approve them?
A detailed site plan showing the permit area, the conservation pool elevation and all property lines, drawn to the current International Building Code, National Electrical Code and NFPA standards — with every other agency's approval already in hand. SRA then issues a written Authorization to Construct, and reserves the right to require changes.
Are there restrictions on materials and flotation?
Yes, and they are specific. Everything touching water and all structural framing must be steel, treated wood or an approved equivalent, with treated 2x6 or synthetic deck board as the minimum decking. Flotation must be encapsulated foam; Styrofoam blocks are prohibited. Household plumbing fixtures are prohibited, and the structure may not be habitable.
Does the submerged timber affect how a dock gets built?
Mostly through access. The timber was deliberately left standing when the basin filled and remains a genuine hazard outside the buoyed boat lanes — for a barge and pile rig as much as for a bass boat. With soft creek-bottom margins in the arms, it is why a site visit beats a phone quote here.
Can I moor a houseboat or barge at my dock?
No. Under the SRA rules, houseboats and barges may not be moored or anchored adjacent to any private dock, pier or bulkhead on the lake.
Nearby Water
More lakes in this region.
Start With a Conversation
Planning a project on Lake Fork?
Tell Dave which arm you are on, how wide the cove is and how a barge would reach you. On this lake the permit and the access route get worked out together, before anything is drawn.