Your permit plan: Stock triploid grass carp

PFBC triploid grass carp permit

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC)

Form: PFBC-TGC-005 (rev. 7/24), mailed to PFBC

Fee: $85

You need a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission triploid grass carp permit for each waterbody before you buy or stock triploid grass carp. The application fee is $85, and PFBC returns it if the permit is denied. Grass carp stocked under a valid PFBC grass carp permit don't need a separate Notice of Stocking; report them as that program directs.

What to have ready

• One application for each waterbody, with the fee (see the form).
• The exact surface area in acres (no range or estimate), plus maximum and average depth: try the pond size calculator.
• A photo of the installed outlet screen (or, if the pond never overflows, a photo looking toward the low point).
• A DEP approval letter if the screen is on a DEP-regulated dam.
• Latitude and longitude, or a map and directions.
• The plants you want controlled, with how dense each is.
• If the pond isn't entirely on your land: an application from every other landowner (no extra fee).

• PFBC: Apply to stock triploid grass carp
• Application form PFBC-TGC-005 (PDF)
• Pond size calculator

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Sources: 58 Pa. Code § 71a.10, Triploid grass carp; 58 Pa. Code § 71a.5, Notice of Stocking to the Commission; Pond Measurements: Area, Volume and Residence Time (updated May 19, 2025) This may be outdated

Screen the outlet so grass carp can't escape

PFBC

Water leaving a grass carp pond must be screened so the fish cannot escape: PFBC's form calls for bars or grating with 1-inch vertical spacing and a photo of the installed device, even for repeat applicants. A device on a DEP-regulated dam or its outlet needs DEP approval before it is installed, with the approval letter sent in with the application. If the pond never overflows, you show that instead, with a photo looking toward the low point.

• Application form PFBC-TGC-005, instructions 12 and 18 (PDF)

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Triploid Grass Carp Stocking Permit Application (PFBC-TGC-005, rev. 7/24), instructions 12 and 18 This may be outdated

Buy only from a PFBC-approved dealer

PFBC

Only triploid (sterile) grass carp certified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may be stocked, bought from a PFBC-approved dealer, with a bill of sale showing the certification. The permit must be shown to an officer on request.

• PFBC approved dealer list (PDF)
• This year's approved dealers, by state

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: 58 Pa. Code § 71a.10(f), Triploid grass carp: prohibited acts This may be outdated

Submerged Lands License Agreement (navigable waters only)

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

Fee: On state-owned navigable waters, docks also need a Submerged Lands License Agreement.

On a stream, river or lake that has been legally determined to be a navigable water of the Commonwealth, where the state owns the bed, a dock or other permitted structure also needs a Submerged Lands License Agreement with DEP. DEP publishes the lists of covered waters. The regulation sets a $250 annual charge for a private recreational dock owned and used only by the adjacent riparian owners, and no charge when the dock is built under a general permit; DEP makes the final determination.

• DEP: Submerged Lands License Agreement
• DEP list of waters in the program (PDF)

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Submerged Lands License Agreement This may be outdated

Environmental Inspection Report (larger waterbodies)

PFBC

Waterbodies larger than 5 surface acres need an Environmental Inspection Report completed by a qualified biologist, fisheries scientist or environmental scientist. PFBC publishes these applications in the Pennsylvania Bulletin for public comment, which PFBC says significantly increases review time. PFBC may also ask for a report on a smaller waterbody.

• Application form PFBC-TGC-005, instruction 10 (PDF)

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Triploid Grass Carp Stocking Permit Application (PFBC-TGC-005, rev. 7/24), instruction 10 This may be outdated

Regulated dam: DEP approval before installing the screen

DEP Division of Dam Safety

Screen every outlet (1-inch bar spacing), send a photo; DEP approval first if the dam is DEP-regulated. Dam permit if drainage > 100 acres, depth > 15 feet or storage > 50 acre-feet (on a watercourse).

• DEP: Dam Safety

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Sources: Triploid Grass Carp Stocking Permit Application (PFBC-TGC-005, rev. 7/24), instructions 12 and 18; 25 Pa. Code § 105.3, Scope This may be outdated

The wait between stockings

PFBC

A grass carp permit is valid for the number of fish and the time period it states. PFBC policy is that permit holders wait two years before applying again for the same waterbody, and every new stocking needs a new application.

• Application form PFBC-TGC-005 (PDF)

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Triploid Grass Carp Stocking Permit Application (PFBC-TGC-005, rev. 7/24), Additional Information This may be outdated