Dock cost calculator: price by size and type
Updated
Calculator
Dock cost calculator
Free · no sign-up| Item | Typical | Low–high |
|---|---|---|
| Floating dock, installed 248 sq ft × $15–$40/sq ft (pressure-treated decking, fresh water, US average) | $6,800 | $3,700–$9,900 |
| Ladder $200–$800 each | $500 | $200–$800 |
| Permit $200–$2,000 for a local permit | $1,100 | $200–$2,000 |
| Total | $8,400 | $4,100–$12,700 |
Need the material list, not just a price?
Draw the dock in the free designer. A free account adds the take-off: lumber with a cut list, decking, floats and hardware.
Dock builders: give your customers this designer with your name on it
Planning ranges from the published US sources below, checked October 2026. Low and high use the ends of every range. Not a quote: local prices, sites and permits vary.
How this estimate works
then labor (≈50% of that) × regional labor index, or $0 for DIY
total = dock + add-ons + permit
Each total is worked out three times: low from the low end of every range, high from the high end, typical from the midpoints. The spread is the full spread of the published figures, not a statistical interval. Labor is about half of an installed dock[1,3], which is how region and DIY enter the math.
1. Installed cost by dock type
Rates assume pressure-treated decking in fresh water, built by a contractor. Where sources disagree we use the newest figure and note the other.
| Dock type | Rate used | Sources and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Floating | $15–$40/sq ft | [2,1,3] HomeGuide lists $15–$35. |
| Pipe / removable | $20–$40/sq ft | [2] |
| Fixed piling (pier) | $20–$40/sq ft | [2,1,3] |
| Roll-in (wheel-in) | $25–$35/sq ft | [2] |
| Lift-up | $30–$50/sq ft | [2] |
| Modular (plastic) | $40–$50/sq ft | [2] |
| Crib | $50–$100/sq ft | [4,3,2] Fixr’s January 2025 figure is lower, $30–$50. |
| Suspension / cantilever | $60–$120/sq ft | [4,2] Fixr lists $50–$100. |
2. Decking
A multiplier on the whole dock, because all-in rates change with the decking. Most factors come from one contractor’s rate card, where only the decking changes; cedar is our own estimate, labeled as such.
| Decking | Multiplier | How we got it |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated pine | × 1 | Baseline · The baseline: the dock-type rates assume pressure-treated decking. |
| Cedar | × 1–1.1 | Our estimate · Our estimate. Sources disagree: Fixr prices cedar decking at or below pressure-treated.[2] |
| Composite | × 1.3–1.5 | Derived · ShoreProtect’s all-in rates: composite $60–$95 vs pressure-treated $40–$75 per sq ft.[5] |
| Aluminum | × 1.1–1.3 | Derived · Fixr (aluminum $25–$75 vs pressure-treated $20–$70) and DockPermitGuide ($20–$40 vs $15–$30).[2,6] |
| Ipe (tropical hardwood) | × 2–2.4 | Derived · ShoreProtect’s all-in rates: ipe $95–$150 vs pressure-treated $40–$75 per sq ft.[5] |
| Concrete | × 1.5–1.75 | Derived · ShoreProtect’s all-in rates: concrete $70–$115 vs pressure-treated $40–$75 per sq ft.[5] |
3. Salt or brackish water
Salt water needs corrosion-resistant hardware and often heavier materials. ShoreProtect says salt and brackish sites “add a coastal adjustment”[5] but not how much, and no other source we found gives a number. We use × 1.1–1.4: our estimate, and the least certain factor here.
4. Region and labor
Region scales only the labor half: each region’s hourly dock labor rate[6], midpoint divided by the five-region average ($110/hr), gives the index. “US average” leaves national rates as they are.
| Region | Dock labor | Labor index | Effect on a contractor-built dock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast e.g. NY, MA, ME | $100–$150/hr | 1.14 | +7% |
| Southeast e.g. FL, GA, SC | $75–$125/hr | 0.91 | −5% |
| Midwest e.g. MI, MN, WI | $60–$100/hr | 0.73 | −14% |
| Pacific Northwest e.g. WA, OR | $90–$140/hr | 1.05 | +2% |
| West Coast e.g. CA | $100–$160/hr | 1.18 | +9% |
5. Add-ons and permit
Permits vary most. Where the Army Corps is involved, most general and nationwide permits have no fee and a non-commercial individual permit is $10[8]; the cost is in the drawings and the time. The dock permit guide covers what to submit.
Worked example
The calculator opens on an L-shaped floating dock: a 4×30 ft walkway and an 8×16 ft platform (248 sq ft), pressure-treated, fresh water, US average, contractor-built, one ladder and a permit. A similar layout is in our L-shaped floating dock plans.
| Line | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dock: 248 sq ft × $15 / $27.50 / $40 | $3,720 | $6,820 | $9,920 |
| Ladder | $200 | $500 | $800 |
| Permit | $200 | $1,100 | $2,000 |
| Total | $4,100 | $8,400 | $12,700 |
Totals are rounded to the nearest $100. The dock alone works out to $15–$40 per sq ft, $27.50 typical.
Make it a 6×40 ft piling pier with composite decking in Southeast salt water, six bumpers, a 60 ft power run and a 160 sq ft gable roof, and the range moves to about $13,900–$29,700; the roof alone adds about $6,100.
From a price range to a material list
To buy materials or compare quotes line by line you need a take-off: draw the dock in the free dock designer, and a free account adds the take-off with a cut list, a quote and printable drawings. Pricing a lift too? Use the boat lift cost calculator; prices by type and material are in the dock cost guide.
Dock cost questions
How much does a 10×20 dock cost?
What is the cheapest kind of dock to build?
How much does composite decking add?
How much can I save building a dock myself?
Do I need a permit, and what does it cost?
Why is my contractor’s quote higher than this?
Can I get an itemized material list instead of a square-foot price?
Know the budget? Draw the dock.
Lay out your dock in the free designer on a phone or computer. A free account adds the material list, a quote and printable drawings.
Sources
- 1.Angi — How much does it cost to build a dock?. $15–$40 per sq ft, floating $15–$40, piling $20–$40; labor about half the cost; permits $200–$2,000 (2026 figures) (accessed Oct 2026)
- 2.Fixr — How much does it cost to build a dock?. Per-sq-ft cost by dock type and decking material, and add-on prices (page updated January 31, 2025) (accessed Oct 2026)
- 3.HomeGuide — Cost to build a dock. Floating $15–$35 and piling $20–$40 per sq ft; labor about half the total (accessed Oct 2026)
- 4.Angi — Types of docks. Crib docks $50–$100 and suspension docks $60–$120 per sq ft (2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
- 5.ShoreProtect — Dock cost calculator. All-in rates by decking — pressure-treated $40–$75, composite $60–$95, ipe $95–$150, concrete $70–$115 per sq ft — and roofs at $28 / $38 / $48 per covered sq ft; a freshwater baseline that includes pilings and mobilization, with an unpublished coastal adjustment added for salt or brackish sites; contractor with offices in Bellaire, Texas and Wheeling, Illinois, serving eight states (page updated July 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
- 6.DockPermitGuide — How much does a boat dock cost in 2026?. Regional hourly labor rates for a 200 sq ft wood dock, and decking cost by material (verified July 2, 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
- 7.JSC Contracting — Dock cost in Central Florida (2026). $40–$60 per sq ft baseline (June 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
- 8.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District — Regulatory frequently asked questions. Most general and nationwide permits have no fee; an individual permit is $10 for a non-commercial project (accessed Oct 2026)
Rates checked October 2026. Prices change; these are planning figures, not quotes.