The Village of Four Seasons is an established, governed resort community on the Horseshoe Bend peninsula in Camden County, at the Lake of the Ozarks. Built up around the Lodge of Four Seasons and its golf courses, it is a managed community of lakefront homes, golf-view residences, and condominiums, with its own village government and homeowners association. Building a custom home here means working within community standards as well as the usual lake considerations — slope, Ameren shoreline rules, and county permitting. This page covers what to know. If you are weighing a custom home builder in Four Seasons, this page walks the community review, the permits and how Cloke approaches a build here.
About the Village of Four Seasons
Four Seasons began as a resort. In 1964, Harold Koplar opened the Lodge of Four Seasons on Horseshoe Bend, and by the mid-1970s he and other developers were building out the surrounding Village to attract vacation and year-round homeowners. The Village of Four Seasons was formally incorporated in 1987 and today has roughly 2,400 residents across about five square miles of the peninsula.
Golf defines much of the community. Two courses anchor it — “The Cove,” an 18-hole championship course originally designed by the renowned Robert Trent Jones, and “The Ridge” — and many homesites are oriented to the fairways or the water. As an incorporated village with its own city hall and an active homeowners association, Four Seasons is a managed community with governance and standards, which gives it a more curated, resort-neighborhood feel than the open lakefront elsewhere on the lake.
Building a custom home in Four Seasons
Building in Four Seasons is different from building on an open lot, because the community itself is part of the process. Homesites are typically lakefront, golf-course, or lake-view parcels within an established neighborhood, and the community’s architectural and HOA standards shape what can be built and how. That is a benefit — it protects the character and value of the surrounding homes — but it means coordinating with the community’s review in addition to the county.
The peninsula terrain still slopes toward the water, so lakefront lots carry the same foundation, retaining, and access considerations found across the lake. A builder familiar with governed lake communities can help a project move smoothly through both the community’s requirements and the county’s.
Docks and the shoreline
Docks and shoreline structures at Four Seasons are permitted through Ameren, which manages the shoreline for the entire Lake of the Ozarks. In a community like this, dock planning may also involve community or association considerations, but the shoreline permit itself runs through Ameren’s program and its rules on placement and setbacks. It is separate from county building permits and worth addressing early where a dock is planned. Ameren administers the shoreline under a federal license, the Osage Project, FERC No. 459. The project boundary generally follows the 662-foot contour, two feet above full pool at 660.0 feet on the U.E. datum, and work below the 658.5-foot ordinary high water mark falls under the Army Corps of Engineers’ General Permit 38. Within the Village, that Ameren review runs on its own calendar, independent of both the county and the community’s architectural review.
Permitting and inspections
The Village of Four Seasons is in Camden County, so county offices handle building permits and inspections. On top of that, the community’s architectural review board reviews plans before construction begins. This is the layer that most often surprises buyers coming from outside the area. The board has real authority over setbacks, exterior materials and colors, and it reviews on its own meeting schedule, which commonly adds weeks at the front of a project — a resubmittal after a requested change means waiting for the next meeting. Designing to the community’s covenants from the beginning, rather than adjusting after a review, is often the difference between a schedule that holds and one that slips before ground is broken. Confirming both the county requirements and the community’s standards for a specific lot is an early step in planning a build here.
Utilities and site work
Depending on the parcel, homes may connect to community utilities or to an on-site septic system. Where septic applies, the Village is in Camden County, so the permit is issued by the Camden County Waste Water Department rather than the health department, and a soil morphology test comes before the system can be designed. On sloped or wooded lots within the Village, the cost of site preparation, retaining, and access remains a real part of the budget and is best planned for early.
Working with a custom home builder in Four Seasons
Cloke Custom Homes is a custom home builder based at the Lake of the Ozarks, led by owner Charles Cloke. Building within a governed resort community calls for a builder comfortable working through community architectural standards as well as county requirements, and who knows the Horseshoe Bend terrain. Cloke works from a fixed, itemized budget so homeowners can see where their money goes, and Charles is personally involved and on-site at the stages of the build where his attention matters most.
For how building costs are determined at the lake, see the guide on the cost to build a custom home at the Lake of the Ozarks. The most reliable way to understand what a specific Four Seasons lot will require is to walk it with a builder before buying. Book a lot walkthrough with Charles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Village of Four Seasons?
It is an incorporated, HOA-governed resort community on the Horseshoe Bend peninsula in Camden County, built around the Lodge of Four Seasons and its two golf courses. It offers lakefront homes, golf-view residences, and condominiums.
Which county is Four Seasons in?
The Village of Four Seasons is in Camden County. County offices handle building permits and inspections, and the community’s own architectural standards apply as well.
Are there community rules for building in Four Seasons?
Yes. As a governed village with an active homeowners association, Four Seasons has architectural and community standards that apply to new construction, in addition to county permitting. These help protect the character and value of the neighborhood.
Do I need a permit for a dock in Four Seasons?
Yes. Docks and shoreline structures are permitted through Ameren’s shoreline management program, which applies lake-wide and is separate from county and community requirements.
How long does architectural review add to a Four Seasons build?
The community’s architectural review board approves plans before construction begins and meets on a set schedule, so allowing several weeks at the front of the project is realistic. A resubmittal means waiting for the next meeting, which is why designing to the covenants from the start protects the timeline.
What is the 662 line at the Lake of the Ozarks?
662 feet is the elevation the federal project boundary generally follows, two feet above full pool at 660.0 feet. Ground below it is inside Ameren’s jurisdiction under the Osage Project, FERC No. 459 — a separate approval from both the county and the Village’s architectural review.