Answer to your question is no.
When using 8M + 1-Pier dock build mode does not give any warning about missing S-dock.
On the other hand can it kept as bug if for example player wants only allow M+ size ships traffic? 8M dock contains XS (spacesuit) door.
Defence station & platform missions had no dock requirement in 3.x and pier dock requirement wasn't there either. Normal production stations required dock but no pier dock.
I was tight with budget to maximize profits like jlehtone in earlier versions until 5.x brought value + 50% (max reward x million) type construction missions. Building dock would have decreased profits

Dock for defence station & platform and pier dock requirement may have come in 6.x (not sure as I haven't played that version line but moved from 5.10 to 7.x).