A question has come up over at ECN and I thought I would ask you since we have a lot of buildings on piers here.
To be clear we are not talking about a Marina or a floating building.
How do you deal with a building that is out over the water on a pier? (St Pete pier, Naples Pier etc)

Do you require a shore side disconnect? How is the ground electrode system made up for the building (per 250.32(A))?
Is this a 5 wire feeder? (hot, hot, N, EGC, GEC)
What color is the GEC

I think you need to take the most common sense approach and consider any applicable portions of Articles 553, 555, and maybe even 682. Even though non of those articles apply directly.

Shore side disconnect?

- YES.

Grounding electrode?

- Any of the 250.52 electrodes present at the structure (concrete piers with rebar reinforcement, under ground, under the water metal water pipe, or even ground rods driven into the earth under the water)

5 wire feeder?

- that may be an option. If the DEC is located in the same raceway with the circuit conductors, I would request it be identified different from the ungrounded and grounded conductors. I wouldn/t be opposed to green if it was distinguishable from the EGC in some manner.

I agree the rebar in concrete pilings is an attractive ground if you have access to it but that would have had to happen when the pier was built. I suppose that is something to consider if you know there will be a building out there when you permit the pier.