If a dock or pier is private property, and as long as they aren’t causing a public safety or navigation problem, government agencies aren’t likely to intervene.
The old framed wharf at the foot of Queen Street, which sits in the shadow of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and used to be home to the American Molasses Co., is on private property and fenced off from the public.
The structure isn’t in or impacting the Cape Fear River shipping channel or considered a public health hazard, which could trigger some enforcement action under Wilmington’s public nuisance ordinance.
The N.C. Division of Coastal Management also has very limited rules covering derelict waterfront structures. They primarily come into force if the public is impacted, such as a damaged pier or house along the beachfront, or if a property owner seeks to rebuild.
Date posted: August 3, 2010
User-contributed question by:
Concerned Boater
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