Tybee Island's bulkheads are mostly on its creeks and marsh, where the tide swings nearly 7 feet. The ocean beach depends on sand replenishment instead. Creek walls that leak can usually be refilled and sealed before they need replacing.
866-398-9323Licensed seawall specialists — FL · GA · SC
Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations provides seawall repair in Tybee Island, GA for creekfront homeowners, rental property owners, and marina and restaurant operators. Typical projects include filling voids behind bulkheads on Tybee Creek and Lazaretto Creek, sealing seams on marsh-side walls on the island's west shore, and anchoring walls pushed out by storm flooding. Call 866-398-9323 or use the quote form to book a free on-site inspection.
Tybee is Georgia's easternmost point, a barrier island where the Savannah River meets the Atlantic. The City of Tybee Island covers about 3.2 square miles. It was renamed Savannah Beach in 1929 for publicity, then went back to Tybee in 1978. U.S. 80, finished in the 1920s, crosses the marsh on a causeway. Tybee Creek runs along the south shore. Lazaretto Creek separates the island from McQueens Island, and the west side is lined with marsh. Tybee is about 15 miles from downtown, and our Savannah seawall repair team manages permits and scheduling for island work.
Big on both counts. NOAA's Fort Pulaski gauge, at the river mouth beside the island, records a mean tide range of 6.92 feet and a daily range of 7.5 feet. NOAA predicts tides at Tybee Light within about 1 percent of Fort Pulaski's.
Storms push far past that. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 drove Fort Pulaski's water level to 12.56 feet above mean lower low water, the highest on record there. Irma hit 12.24 feet the next year. Sea level at Fort Pulaski has risen about 1.44 inches per decade since 1935.
The ocean beach is protected by sand, not walls. The Army Corps of Engineers, the city and the state have shared the cost of renourishment. The last major project was in 2020. In 2026, Tybee was cut from the Corps' work plan, and federal officials pledged to prioritize it in 2027. Local reporting put sand loss since 2020 at about 54 percent.
Beach and dune work falls under Georgia's Shore Protection Act, which favors renourishment over hard structures. For private owners, that makes creek and marsh walls the main place bulkhead repair comes up.
With nearly 7 feet of tide twice a day, water trapped behind a bulkhead pushes outward on every falling tide. It finds open seams and weep holes and takes fine sand with it. Hollows form under the cap, the cap cracks, and eventually the wall leans. Storm surge speeds all of this up. When a record tide drains back off the island, it pulls hard on every weak joint.
Void fill: NCFI polyurethane injected behind the wall fills cavities and seals leaks from the land side. Here's how polyurethane injection works on bulkheads.
Caps, boards and drains: See bulkhead repair in the Savannah area.
Leaning walls: Reinforcing a leaning Savannah-area seawall shows how tiebacks anchor it into firm soil.
The city: Tybee Island's planning and zoning FAQ says a permit is required for items such as docks, fences, pools and demolition. Plan on a city building permit for bulkhead work, too.
The state: Georgia DNR's Coastal Resources Division requires a permit for a bulkhead or riprap on any tidally influenced creek or river bank. It asks owners to contact it before maintaining an existing structure. Oceanfront work goes through the Shore Protection Act.
Tybee sits at the mouth of the Savannah River, right on the Georgia-South Carolina line. North across the river, seawall repair in Bluffton and Port Royal seawall repair work under South Carolina's coastal rules instead of Georgia's. Back on the Georgia side, seawalls in Richmond Hill face a smaller river tide on the Ogeechee.
Yes. The city's planning and zoning FAQ lists docks among the items that need a permit. State approval from Georgia DNR may also apply.
Not directly. Sand on the ocean beach doesn't protect creek walls. A thinner beach can mean more storm water over the island, though, so check your wall after any big storm.
Georgia's Shore Protection Act strongly limits hard structures on the beach and prefers sand. We focus on creek and marsh walls, where repair is far more practical.
Yes. Small repairs are worth doing early. We're Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations, an NCFI-certified polyurethane installer serving Florida, Georgia and South Carolina since 1996. We're licensed to perform marine construction in Georgia and South Carolina. Book a free inspection or call 866-398-9323.
In addition to Tybee Island, our licensed seawall repair team serves these nearby Georgia communities:
Service Area: Savannah River south channel and the Atlantic Ocean
We serve all waterfront properties on Savannah River south channel and the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding canals, lakes, and waterways.
Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations also serves these waterfront communities near Tybee Island:
Licensed, insured, NCFI-certified. Serving Florida, Georgia & South Carolina since 1996.
866-398-9323