Beach nourishment projects in Dare County are designed to last approximately five years under normal conditions. At the end of each five-year interval, renourishment (maintenance) projects are necessary to restore the shoreline. 

Upcoming Beach Nourishment Projects

*Please note that this information is subject to change. More detailed information regarding any plans and potential schedules for future renourishment/maintenance projects in Dare County will be provided as it becomes available. 

Latest Beach Nourishment Updates

Dare County, in partnership with Current TV, has released a new video highlighting the upcoming beach nourishment project scheduled to take place in the villages of Buxton and Avon on Hatteras Island in the summer of 2026. 

April 30, 2026 Update 

Buxton Beach Nourishment Project Update
Recommended Dune Alignment to Strengthen Coastal Protection and Infrastructure Resilience 

Dare County has mailed a letter to a a small number of affected oceanfront property owners regarding Coastal Science and Engineering’s (CSE) recommended dune alignment for the 2026 Buxton beach nourishment project. To keep the broader community informed, a copy of that information is provided below. The recommended alignment is designed to enhance storm protection, reduce flood risk, and support the long-term resilience of critical infrastructure, including N.C. Highway 12, while maintaining appropriate access to nearby properties. 

Project Letter: 

April 30, 2026

RE: Recommended Dune Alignment Beach Nourishment to Protect Critical Infrastructure

Dear Property Owner:

This memorandum is prepared at the County’s request and contains CSE’s recommended dune alignment for the upcoming beach renourishment project at Buxton. 

Two of the primary benefits of beach renourishment projects are the reductions in storm wave impacts and flood risk. To reduce storm wave impacts, nourishment templates often feature wide beach widths. This reduces wave heights and helps mitigate storm-driven run-up along the beach. To reduce flood risk, nourishment templates often feature dunes.

A dune feature will be constructed along the developed portion of the 2026 renourishment project. The best way to maximize the lifetime of a dune is to construct it as far landward as possible and construct a straight crest at the same elevation. Placing the dune as far landward as possible allows space for a wide dry-sand beach. This reduces the erosional power of storm waves along the seaward dune face. Keeping a straight dune crest at a continuous design elevation above expected storm water levels helps prevent storm waves from overtopping the dune where the crest is relatively low or concave.

The recommended dune alignment for Buxton is shown in Figure 1. There are three considerations in selecting this location. First, this places the dune as far landward as possible while remaining just seaward of occupiable oceanfront structures. Second, it connects the dune to the relatively high natural dunes north and south of the village shoreline along the national seashore, which will reduce storm impacts on the FUDS site south of Buxton and improve the project function of protecting NC Highway 12 north of Buxton. Third, it leaves an open corridor along a portion of the former Tower Court roadbed that will allow access to properties just landward of the newly constructed dune.

Please contact us if you have further comments or need any additional information.

Sincerely,

Dustin Peele
Assistant County Manager

Figure 1:

April 16, 2026 Update:

Dare County’s contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, is planning to start beach nourishment in the Village of Avon, prior to performing beach nourishment in the Village of Buxton. The exact location where they will begin in Avon has not yet been determined by the contractor. Great Lakes expects to start pumping sand onto the beach in Avon between May 6, 2026 and May 14, 2026, depending on weather conditions. 

Great Lakes currently estimates that it will take approximately 2 weeks (14 days) to place approximately 375,000 cubic yards of material on the beaches in Avon (weather dependent). The contactor also expects it to take approximately one week to demobilize all of their equipment and begin moving it to Buxton.

Great Lakes expects to start pumping sand on the north end of Buxton and then continue working south; however, this is subject to change based on their ability to do so. Great Lakes expects to start placing material on the beaches in Buxton the first week of June 2026. Great Lakes expects for the base amount of approximately 1,351,616 cubic yards to take approximately 65 days to place on the beach in Buxton (weather dependent). If the county receives notification from FEMA regarding additional funding, more material will be placed on the beach, which could extend the project in Buxton until end of September 2026. 

During the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, February 12, 2026, Dare County Chief Financial Officer Matt Motyka shared an overview of the county’s Beach Nourishment Model before providing an update on the projects that are scheduled for 2026, which include those planned to take place within the unincorporated villages of Buxton and Avon on Hatteras Island, as well as the Town of Nags Head. 

Due to rising construction and dredging costs since the most recent nourishment projects were completed in 2022, the county is reviewing and refining its funding model to ensure the Beach Nourishment Fund remains sustainable. Costs are increasing faster than revenues flowing into the fund, which is supported primarily by the Occupancy Tax. 

Motyka also noted that there is uncertainty regarding FEMA reimbursement for the planned 2026 beach nourishment projects in Buxton and Avon. If FEMA funding is not received, the county would have fewer financial resources available for the project, which would result in a consequential reduction in the volume of sand placed on the beach. The county is therefore evaluating two scenarios—one that factors in FEMA funding being received and one that does not.

As next steps, Motyka shared that the Town of Nags Head voted at its February 4, 2026 meeting  to proceed with its 2026 beach nourishment project. Additionally, he requested that the Dare County Board of Commissioners authorize an allocation of $13,067,426 from the county’s Beach Nourishment Fund to support the Town of Nags Head project. The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the allocation, advancing plans for the 2026 nourishment efforts.

Public Meeting Announcement (February 11, 2026):

Dare County will host a public meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 to provide general information and answer questions from the community about the Buxton beach nourishment project that is scheduled to begin this summer. The meeting will be held at the Fessenden Center, which is located at 46830 N.C. Highway 12 in Buxton—and also livestreamed on the Dare County YouTube channel for those who are unable to attend in person. For more information about the public meeting, click here. 

May 2025 Update:

Permitting and design work for the beach nourishment projects scheduled to take place in 2026 in Avon and Buxton are ongoing. Erosion rates are being monitored and will impact the volume of sand that is placed on each beach. Both projects are currently expected to begin in the early summer of 2026. Additional information will be posted once further details are available. 

January 2025 Update:

The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted during its January 6, 2025 meeting to authorize Dare County Finance Director David Clawson to sign the Designation of Applicant’s Agent (DAA) and State-Applicant Disaster Assistance Agreement (SAA). These agreements are necessary to apply to receive federal and state funding following loss of sand in the project area in Buxton during Potential Tropical Cyclone #8 last September.  

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared Dare County eligible for disaster assistance due to the storm’s impacts, which resulted in approximately 175,000 cubic yards of sand loss in Buxton. A post-storm survey conducted by Coastal Science and Engineering placed the cost of replacing this sand at $10.2 million. If the funding is approved, the county plans to integrate this effort into its larger 2026 maintenance project, leveraging efficiencies and cost savings.

2026-2027 Beach Nourishment Project Schedule