Under an agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources any boat dock application on jurisdictional waters of the Corp of Engineers shall be processed by the ACOE.

The jurisdictional waters of the ACOE in Iowa are defined as the Mississippi River, the Missouri River, the Des Moines River from the mouth to Fort Dodge, the first three miles from the mouth of the Iowa River and all Federal reservoirs and impoundments.

Docks on the Missouri River are permitted by the Omaha District of the ACOE. The dock application can be found at:
https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/od-rne/applications.html
or obtained by calling John Moeschen or Matt Wray at 402/896-0896.

Docks on the Mississippi River, the Des Moines River from the mouth to Fort Dodge, the first three miles from the mouth of the Iowa River and all Federal reservoirs and impoundments are permitted by the Rock Island District of the ACOE. The application can be dowloaded below or may be obtained by calling Ms. Sue Apple at 309/794-5376.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dock Permit Application (*.pdf file)