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Educational summary, not legal or engineering advice. Confirm with the agency before you start. Checked Oct 4, 2026.

Permit plan · Build a pond or raise a dam

Your permit plan: Build a pond or raise a dam

Based on your answers. Cards are in the order you'll usually need them. Checked Oct 4, 2026.

Your answers (change any of them)
  1. Who owns the water and the lakebed? A lake owned by our community or association · change
  2. Where will the pond or dam be? Away from streams, and not in a wetland or floodway · change
  3. Will the water be deeper than 15 feet and hold more than 50 acre-feet? Yes, both · change
State

DEP dam permit

DEP Division of Dam Safety

A DEP dam permit is needed for a dam across a stream or other watercourse if any one of these is true: the drainage area above it is more than 100 acres, the deepest water at the dam is more than 15 feet, or it can hold more than 50 acre-feet. A dam that is not on a watercourse and has no contributing drainage needs one only when the water is deeper than 15 feet and it also holds more than 50 acre-feet.

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: 25 Pa. Code § 105.3, Scope This may be outdated

State

Erosion and sediment control

Your county conservation district (for DEP)

Any earth disturbance needs erosion and sediment control practices (BMPs). A written erosion and sediment control plan is required once the disturbance reaches 5,000 square feet (or if the work could discharge to a High Quality or Exceptional Value water), and it must be kept on site. Disturbing 1 acre or more generally needs an NPDES permit for construction stormwater. County conservation districts review these plans and may charge a review fee.

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Frequently Asked Questions: Erosion and Sediment Control (rev. Aug 12, 2026), FAQ #5 This may be outdated

State

PA One Call (811) before you dig

Pennsylvania One Call System

Timing: Notify between 3 and 10 business days before digging.

If you will dig with powered equipment, Pennsylvania law requires notice to PA One Call (call 811 or file online) at least 3 and no more than 10 business days before digging, and this applies to homeowners on their own land. Work may not start before the third business day after notice; weekends and legal holidays do not count. The service is free for homeowners. A contractor must make its own call: ask for its PA One Call serial number.

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: PA One Call: Homeowner FAQs; PA Act 287 as amended This may be outdated

Info

Start with your conservation district and NRCS

County conservation district; USDA NRCS

Before building a new pond, contact your county conservation district and the local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service office early: Penn State calls NRCS one of the first contacts (soils, siting, feasibility) and the conservation district a must-visit for erosion and earth-moving requirements. PFBC calls the conservation district "the first stop", and DEP suggests calling DEP to learn which authorizations apply.

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Pond Agencies and Permits in Pennsylvania (updated May 19, 2025) This may be outdated

Also check

Owner

Your association comes first

Your lake community or association

Your association's rules and approvals come first; they don't replace state permits. Ask for its approval in writing before you apply to the state.

A summary, not legal or engineering advice. The regulation, the permit documents and the product label control. Confirm with the agency before you start.

Pros for this work

Optional. We use it only to show pros who serve your area. It isn't saved with your plan.

Get this plan as a PDF, $9

Your cards plus a timeline counted back from your start date, a document checklist for each permit, a call list with links, questions to ask contractors and a tracker. Delivered instantly.

This is not a permit or an application. We don't file anything for you. Agency fees are paid only to the agency.

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Pond & Shore PA plan · lakepennsylvania.us/plan/30s40 · Checked Oct 4, 2026

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