No new seawalls may be constructed along Maine’s beaches or sand dune system. The Maine Geological Survey estimates that about half of Maine’s sandy beaches are armored with “hard” engineering structures like seawalls that limit the natural ability of beach and dune systems to move in response to storm events and maintain themselves by exchanging sediment.

In an emergency, a property owner can make temporary fixes to an existing seawall to protect private infrastructure from storm damage. The specific activities are outlined in the Natural Resources Protection Act (Title 38 Section 480-W) .

Be neighborly. Think about potential impacts on your neighbor’s property that may result from an activity on your property. At the same time, it may make sense to work with adjacent property owners if a common goal is found or regional approach is being adopted to deal with certain hazards.