Some Oak Island beachfront homes could not be rebuilt if they were destroyed. (StarNews file photo)

Some oceanfront homes on Oak Island could not be rebuilt should they be destroyed because they sit too close to the water to qualify for permits.

In 2000, the N.C. Division of Coastal Management marked a “first line of vegetation” on the beach in advance of a large-scale beach renourishment project, said Donna Coleman, local permit officer for the Coastal Area Management Act at Oak Island.

State regulations require that nothing be built within 30 times the annual erosion distance from that line – which equals 60 feet total. Further, front yards must extend 20 feet from the edge of the property.

Several homes built before the 2000 line currently are “non-conforming” according to those rules, Coleman said. That means they would not qualify for a CAMA permit.

Homeowners are allowed to repair and maintain homes up to 50 percent of the value of the structure. Anything more than that requires a CAMA minor permit.

Thus, if the home were destroyed, it would not be able to be rebuilt.

Date posted: September 13, 2011

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Cindy B