The Dare County Waterways Commission is a seven-member board whose mission is to serve as a liaison between Dare County and the various federal agencies that are involved in the continual maintenance of waterways throughout Dare County.

This board maintains the flow of information between the Dare County Waterways Commission members, the Dare County Board of Commissioners, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as various state and federal elected officials.

The commission also assists Dare County citizens with completing "no-wake zone" requests and coordinates those efforts with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Additionally, the Dare County Waterways Commission monitors conditions and recommends necessary action that needs to be taken for the channels and county-owned boat ramps, boating access locations and piers throughout Dare County.

The Dare County Waterways Commission was established by the Dare County Board of Commissioners in January 1983 and holds monthly meetings on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Typically, during odd months, the meetings are held in Manteo, and during even months they are held in Buxton. 

Since its creation, the board's mission has evolved to include the responsibility of advising the Dare County Board of Commissioners of the conditions of county waterways, as well as issues regarding the federal funding appropriations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which in turn enables the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide for the continual maintenance and stability of Dare County waterways.

For more information regarding surveys of Dare County waterways, visit U.S. Corps of Engineers Surveys for Oregon Inlet & Other Areas of Dare County.

For more information about the Dare County Waterways Commission, please contact Dare County Grants and Waterways Administrator Barton Grover at 252-475-5628 or Barton.Grover@DareNC.gov.