Permit plan · Stock bass, bluegill or other fish

Your permit plan: Stock bass, bluegill or other fish

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

Your answers (change any of them)

Who owns the water and the lakebed? A lake owned by our community or association · change
What kind of water is it? Not sure · change
Where are the fish coming from? Fish I caught in another pond, lake or stream · change

State

PFBC Notice of Stocking (free, before you stock)

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC)

Form: HuntFishPA online, or form PFBC-NOS-001 on paper

Timing: File before you stock; keep a copy at the pond.

Since January 1, 2024, anyone who stocks fish into Pennsylvania waters, including private and farm ponds, must file a Notice of Stocking with PFBC first. It is free, filed online through HuntFishPA or on paper form PFBC-NOS-001, one notice per waterbody (one notice can cover several stockings there in the same calendar year), and your hatchery or dealer may file it for you. A copy must be at the pond while fish are stocked. Not needed: closed decorative ponds with no outflow to other waters, aquarium fish kept indoors, stocking under a grass carp permit, and waters inside a licensed propagation facility. Fish from another state need PFBC's written permission before release, and fish from pet stores or ornamental fish dealers may never be released. A Waterways Conservation Officer may warn you or issue a $150 citation.

What to have ready

Your name and address.
The waterbody's name and location (latitude and longitude preferred) and the size of the stocking area.
The stocking date range and how many stocking events.
Each species, its size, and the approximate number or pounds.
The producer, hatchery or dealer, and its state.
A printed or electronic copy to keep at the pond on stocking day.

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: 58 Pa. Code § 71a.5, Notice of Stocking to the Commission This may be outdated

State

Moving fish you caught elsewhere

PFBC

Moving a fish species from one Pennsylvania water into another drainage where that species is not always present needs PFBC's prior written consent. When you stock fish you caught elsewhere, the Notice of Stocking lists them as "Wild Caught" with the water they came from.

PFBC: Notice of Stocking FAQs

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Notice of Stocking FAQs; 58 Pa. Code § 71a.5(a)(2) This may be outdated

State

Stock only approved species for your watershed

PFBC

Fish you stock must also appear on PFBC's "Species by Watershed Approved for Open System (Flow Through) Propagation and Introductions" list for your watershed (Ohio, Erie/Genesee, Susquehanna, Potomac or Delaware). The 2026 list is posted on PFBC's Notice of Stocking pages. Penn State Extension notes that tilapia are considered a non-native, invasive fish in Pennsylvania and are illegal to stock here except as permitted in controlled aquaculture facilities.

PFBC: approved species by watershed

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Sources: Species by Watershed Approved for Open System (Flow Through) Propagation and Introductions; Fish for Pennsylvania Ponds (updated May 19, 2025) This may be outdated

Also check

Local

Also check with your municipality

Your township, borough or city (and county)

Ask about zoning, building and floodplain permits. Your county, township or municipal government may have its own rules, codes or permits for pond construction or maintenance, so check with every level of local government before you start, especially for a new pond.

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

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.

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

Pond & Shore PA plan · lakepennsylvania.us/plan/2rs90 · Checked Oct 4, 2026

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