The sequence

Nine verifications, in the order that saves you money.

1. The permit number itself

   Before anything else, establish that a Lake Use Permit exists for the structure in the water. Not a receipt, not an email, not the seller’s recollection. A permit number.

   Ask the seller: what is the Lake Use Permit number for the pier and the lift?

2. Who holds the permit of record

   The permit is issued to a person, and the name on it may be a previous owner, a neighbor who shares access, or an entity that no longer exists. If the holder of record is not your seller, the transfer conversation starts now, not at closing.

   Ask Duke Energy Lake Services: who is the permit holder of record at this address?

3. As-built against as-permitted

   This is where most of the money is. Compare what is physically in the water against the dimensions and configuration on the permit drawing. Extra slips, an added roof, a second lift, a longer walkway or a wider platform can all put a structure out of compliance with its own permit.

   Ask for: the permit drawing, then walk the dock with it in your hand.

4. Shoreline classification

   Duke assigns a classification to each stretch of shoreline under its shoreline management plan, and that classification governs what may be built, modified or removed there. A property can be beautiful, deep and completely closed to the dock you had in mind.

   Ask: what is the shoreline classification for this frontage, and what does it permit?

5. Water depth at the structure, at low water

   Lake levels move. A slip that floats a boat in June may sit on mud in a drawdown year. Depth should be measured at the end of the slip, recorded, and read against the lake’s normal operating range rather than the level on the day you visited.

   Ask: what is the measured depth at the slip, and on what date was it measured?

6. Buffer and vegetation compliance

   Shoreline buffer rules restrict clearing, grading and vegetation removal between the house and the water. A cleared lawn running to the waterline can look like a feature and be a violation the new owner inherits.

   Ask: has any vegetation, grading or fill work been done inside the buffer?

7. Which FERC project governs this lake

   Not every lake in the region is a Duke lake, and not every Duke lake sits under the same federal license. Establish the project number before you apply any rule you read somewhere else.

   Ask: which FERC project and which shoreline management plan applies here?

8. Any open compliance matter

   An open notice, a pending correction or an unresolved inspection item travels with the shoreline, not with the seller. Ask the question in writing so the answer is in writing.

   Ask in writing: is there any open compliance matter on this shoreline?

9. Who fixes it, and by when

   Once something is found, it becomes a negotiation item like any other. It belongs in the contract with a named responsible party and a date, not in a verbal assurance that it will get sorted out before closing.

   Put in the contract: who cures it, at whose cost, by what date.