Boat Docks & Piers
Fixed docks, walkways and fishing piers built for a steady pool and a shoreline of flooded timber and heavy native plant growth.
Lakes We Serve · TX
Marine construction on Lake Hawkins.
Wood County owns this lake, and its rules reach all the way to the high water mark. A permanent structure on that ground needs the Commissioners Court's permission — which is a very different process from a permit desk.
Where the County's Ground Begins
Section 9, and the high water mark.
Permits here come from the Wood County Commissioners Court in Quitman — 100 S. Main Street, 903-763-1236.
The Wood County Lake Rules, revised December 5, 2014, define the "lakes" as all county-owned land and premises including land covered in whole or in part by water, measured to the high water mark. Read plainly, that definition takes in the strip your pier crosses and the ground your wall would sit on.
Section 9 is the operative one: no building, fence or other permanent structure may be constructed on that county property except by special permission of the Commissioners Court, applied for through the commissioner in charge of that lake. Lake Hawkins is the Precinct 3 lake, so that commissioner is your route in. The lake keeper reports violations, and fines run from $10 to $500 a day.
None of that makes a project impossible — the shoreline is full of private homes and cabins. It does mean the sequence is: talk to the precinct commissioner, get the Commissioners Court's permission in hand, then build. Not the reverse.
What We Build Here
Small-lake waterfront work, done to the county's rules.
Roughly 776 acres of spring-fed water, four county boat ramps, and a mix of private homes and cabins around a county park at the dam.
Boathouses & Covered Slips
Covered slips, lifts and storage — sized to a small lake and taken to the precinct commissioner as a permanent structure, because that is what they are.
Bulkheads, Seawalls & Retaining Walls
Erosion control in galvanized steel, vinyl, FRP composite or heavy timber, aligned to the existing bank rather than pushed toward the water.
Precision Dredging
Slip and access dredging with spoil pumped for reuse — useful on a lake where lotus, spatterdock and waterlily thrive in the shallows.
Around the Lake
Wood County water, and what needs a yes first.
Lake Hawkins is one of four small lakes Wood County built in the early 1960s for flood regulation and recreation, four miles northwest of Hawkins.
Communities we reach
- Hawkins
- Holly Lake Ranch
- Big Sandy
- Mineola
- Quitman
- Wood County
Ask before you build
- Boat docks and piers
- Boathouses and covered slips
- Bulkheads and retaining walls
- Fences at the water's edge
- Steps, ramps and landings
- Anything else permanent
The county's rules put permanent structures on county property — measured to the high water mark — behind special permission of the Commissioners Court, with fines of $10 to $500 a day for building without it. Confirm your specific structure with the Precinct 3 commissioner before ordering material.
See the lakes we build onKnow the Water
Spring-fed, and clear enough to sight-fish.
Little Sandy Creek, a Sabine River tributary, in Wood County.
Lake Hawkins is noticeably clearer than most East Texas lakes and about 30 feet at its deepest, with flooded timber and heavy native plant growth — American lotus, spatterdock, waterlily and watershield. The springs also keep it comparatively steady: the level holds up better than neighbouring lakes in drought, and Texas Parks and Wildlife puts typical fluctuation at 2 to 4 feet. Steady water is good news for fixed piers and full-height walls, which can be built tight to a line that will still be there next summer.
Development is a mix of private homes and cabins around the lake plus the county's own park at the dam, which carries a fishing pier, RV and tent sites and about 700 feet of white-sand beach. Four county boat ramps serve the lake — worth knowing when planning barge access and material staging for a shoreline job.
Questions We Hear
Lake Hawkins FAQ.
Who gives permission for a dock or bulkhead at Lake Hawkins?
The Wood County Commissioners Court in Quitman (100 S. Main Street, 903-763-1236), applied for through the commissioner in charge of the lake — Lake Hawkins is the Precinct 3 lake. It is special permission from the court, not a counter-service permit, so allow time for it.
My property is private. Do the county rules still reach it?
They reach the county's land, and the Wood County Lake Rules define that to include land covered in whole or part by water, measured to the high water mark. That is exactly the ground a pier, wall or set of steps occupies — so confirm where your line ends and the county's begins before anything is built.
What happens if someone builds without permission?
The lake keeper reports violations, and fines run $10 to $500 a day. An unpermitted structure is also a problem you inherit if you buy a place that already has one.
Does the clear, spring-fed water change how you build?
It changes what shows. Clear water is unforgiving of sloppy piling work and untidy backfill, and the heavy native plant growth in the shallows means access and staging get planned rather than improvised.
Does Shoretech work on Lake Hawkins?
Lake Hawkins is inside Shoretech's service area. Dave travels as far as necessary for the right project, and Wood County is regular ground for East Texas work. Call to talk through the county approval, scope and scheduling.
Nearby Water
More lakes in this region.
Start With a Conversation
Planning a project on Lake Hawkins?
Tell Dave where your line sits, what the bank is doing, and what you want on the water. We will shape the scope so the Commissioners Court has something clean to say yes to.