(a) The Department of Natural Resources is authorized to issue revocable permits for the construction, maintenance, and use of boat docks on High Falls Lake by the owners or lessees of private property abutting the high-water mark of such lake. Such permits shall constitute limited revocable licenses. Such permits shall be issued for periods of three years from the date of issuance and shall be transferable. The fee for such permit for each three-year period shall be fixed by rule or regulation of the Board of Natural Resources in a reasonable amount not to exceed $50.00. The fees collected for such permits shall be miscellaneous funds for purposes of use by the Department of Natural Resources pursuant to Code Section 12-3-2.

(b) No person shall construct or maintain a boat dock below the high-water mark of High Falls Lake without a valid permit from the Department of Natural Resources. It shall be the duty of the owner of any dock on High Falls Lake to keep such dock in good repair. All such docks shall conform to standards for construction, design, maintenance, and repair specified in rules and regulations of the department and restrictions or conditions in the permit. It shall be the duty of the owner of such dock to remove any dock which is not in compliance with such rules and regulations or permit.

(c) It shall be the duty of the owner of any dock or the holder of any permit issued under this Code section to notify the department when he or she sells or otherwise transfers the property for which the boat dock is permitted.

(d) The department and any official or employee thereof is authorized to inspect any boat dock on High Falls Lake and to remove or cause to be removed any such dock for which a permit is not in effect or which violates the standards for construction, design, maintenance, and repair or the permit conditions imposed by the department.

(e) This Code section shall not affect the validity of any permit in effect on March 1, 1993, and the owners of docks for which such permits are in effect on March 1, 1993, may maintain such docks and enjoy the use thereof for the remainder of the period for which such permits were issued, subject to the terms and conditions thereof.

(f) The Board of Natural Resources is authorized to adopt rules and regulations necessary or convenient to carry out this Code section and is authorized to impose reasonable terms and conditions on the granting of permits and the construction of boat docks on High Falls Lake by the owners or lessees of private property abutting the high-water mark of such lake.

(g) Any permit may be revoked by the department for any violation of this Code section, any rule or regulation of the Board of Natural Resources, or any condition contained in such permit.