Thinking about becoming a Duke Energy lake neighbor?

This is the most common question Lake Services receives from potential buyers and realtors. A buyer who wants to know if existing structures are in compliance should ask the seller to provide a copy of the pier permit and application. If the existing structure matches what was permitted, the structure was permitted and should be compliant. A seller who doesn’t have permitting records can request a copy from Lake Services at no charge. However, Lake Services will only provide records that are in the seller’s name. If the seller never transferred the structure, he or she must submit an application to transfer the permit into his or her name in order to access the record. The transfer process will then identify any compliance issues. If the seller can’t provide any permitting history, or the existing structure differs from what was originally permitted, there may be a lake use permitting compliance issue. If the buyer proceeds to purchase the property and there are compliance issues, Duke Energy will likely expect the new owner to correct these issues.

Lake Services addresses these questions by processing a permit application. In other words, Lake Services doesn’t pre-approve lake structures. If the ability to construct a new structure or modify an existing structure is important to a potential buyer, that buyer should require the seller to obtain Duke Energy approval for such modifications prior to closing on the property. Duke Energy approvals are good for one year and can be transferred to the buyer after they have acquired the property.

The permit transfer process is initiated by submitting a complete construction application, available on the Duke Energy website, to Lake Services. As part of the transfer process, a Lake Services representative will inspect the facility to ensure it was properly permitted and has not been modified without Duke Energy approval. If the Lake Services representative identifies noncompliance issues, the applicant/current owner will likely be responsible for correcting the issue.