Ameren’s permitting page states the enforcement fees in a single block. A dock or property owner who fails to get a permit, fails to follow a permit, or fails to follow Ameren’s policies can be charged Ameren’s costs, including attorney’s fees and interest. The listed amounts:
- Failure to obtain a permit: $2,000
- Failure to comply with permit conditions: $2,000
The fee worksheet adds that a facility installed without a permit may face an enforcement fee of double the permit fee or more, up to $2,000, and that a second $2,000 can apply when the facility does not meet the guidelines. Enforcement fees sit on top of permit fees. Paying them is not a retroactive permit.
Ameren also says it can direct you to remove a dock built before a permit was issued.
How people get here
A dock was lengthened. A roof was added. Foam was swapped for barrels. A used dock was towed to a new cove over the winter. The old permit, if there was one, described a different structure. The permit guide is the forward path. This page is the “it is already built” path.
What to do now
- Stop further work. More unpermitted construction does not improve the conversation.
- Do not tear the dock out before you know whether Ameren wants it removed or permitted in place. A certified builder can help you see which modifications would be approvable today. Placement rules still apply. A dock that blocks the cove center will not become legal because you are willing to pay the fee.
- Gather whatever paper you have: old permits, a survey, photos, the deed.
- Choose “permit help” on the form and write “already built” in the notes. The request goes to one independent certified builder, who can tell you whether they will put their name on an application. This website cannot negotiate the fee with Ameren and cannot promise the dock can stay.
Selling the property does not wash the problem off. Buyers should be asking the questions in the transfer guide. A seller who “includes the dock” without a permit is including a liability.