Your permit plan: Build a pond or raise a dam

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.

• DEP: Dam Safety
• 25 Pa. Code § 105.3

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 Code § 105.3, Scope This may be outdated

Small dam across a stream: permit or Environmental Assessment

DEP regional office

Fee: Small dam across a stream: DEP fees from $1,750 plus disturbance fees; confirm with DEP.

A pond dam below the dam-permit thresholds still needs a water obstruction and encroachment permit, or DEP approval of an Environmental Assessment, if it crosses or affects a stream, affects a wetland, or excavates or floods a stream or wetland. DEP strongly discourages ponds built on streams or in wetlands. A pond built away from streams, and not in a floodway, wetland or other body of water, needs no Chapter 105 approval (unless its dam meets the dam-permit thresholds), but a pipe or channel bringing stream water to it may need a permit such as General Permit 4. Once built, every pond is a regulated water of the Commonwealth. For a non-jurisdictional dam across a stream, DEP's pond page lists a $500 Environmental Assessment review fee, and water obstruction and encroachment permit fees of $1,750 plus $800 for every tenth of an acre of permanent disturbance to waters and $400 for every tenth of an acre of temporary disturbance, before engineering, consulting and mitigation costs. The fee schedule in the regulation (25 Pa. Code § 105.13) controls: confirm the exact fee with DEP.

• DEP: Introduction to Ponds and Chapter 105

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Introduction to Ponds and Chapter 105 (FAQ: non-jurisdictional dam across a stream) This may be outdated

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.

• DEP: Erosion and Sediment Control FAQ (PDF)
• Find your county conservation district (PACD)

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 Aug 12, 2026), FAQ #5 This may be outdated

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.

• PA One Call: Homeowner FAQs

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: PA One Call: Homeowner FAQs; PA Act 287 as amended This may be outdated