Skip to main content

Marinas

Marina - Menominee
Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Marinas

Marinas are any facility that includes infrastructure for dockage and mooring services to multiple people including the public or private persons.  Marinas can be commercial, private, and residential facilities and have dock structures or moorings that are permanent or seasonal.

Marina construction projects require permits under several EGLE administered statutes, including Inland Lakes and Streams, Wetlands Protection, and Great Lakes Submerged Lands. They may also involve Critical Dune, High Risk Erosion Area, or Floodplain regulations. Many of these regulations share some common overarching concepts, such as avoidance and minimization of impacts and the protection of the public trust.

These statutes require EGLE to consider factors such as whether a permit is in the public interest, whether there will be an unacceptable disruption to aquatic resources, riparian rights, and the public trust, or that no feasible and prudent alternatives exist. These statutes as well as others are part of a consolidated permit application, called the Joint Permit Application (JPA), where EGLE staff provide a simultaneous review under all applicable authorities.

Marina Design

To meet state and federal regulations, marina developments must avoid and minimize harmful impacts to inland lakes and streams, the Great Lakes, and other protected resources. Avoiding and minimizing impacts includes siting and designing the project appropriately based on these resources.

A Natural shoreline with shoreline protection methods

The final marina design should balance marina capacity, services, and access, while minimizing environmental and public trust impacts, dredging requirements, protective structures, and other site development costs.  Although any given project may not be able to include all recommended avoidance and minimization practices or BMPs, projects that can incorporate most or all these are more likely to satisfy permit review criteria.  Reducing the size, configuration, or dimensions of individual project components, such as docks or shoreline protection, can lead to minimization of impacts, and is part of the regulatory review process for permit applications on marinas.

Marina development guidebook

Because recreation and boating on Michigan’s waters is highly valued in Michigan, EGLE has created “Water Resources Friendly Marina Development:  Recommendations for Michigan,” with the objective of encouraging access and enjoyment of these waters while protecting Michigan’s environment and natural resources.  The above marina design elements, BMPs, and other methods for avoidance and minimization of impacts to aquatic ecosystems are explored in much greater detail in this guidebook.

Water Resource Friendly Marina Development

EGLE/USACE JPA

EGLE/USACE Joint Permit Application

MiEnviro

MiEnviro Portal - Permitting and compliance database

Part 301

Inland Lakes and Stream Protection

Part 303

Wetlands Protection

Part 325

Great Lakes Submerged Lands