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 federal reservoir (Army Corps of Engineers) · change
What kind of water is it? Not sure · change
Where are the fish coming from? A pet store or aquarium fish dealer · change

State

Never release pet-store or aquarium fish

PFBC

Fish that come from pet stores or tropical and ornamental fish dealers may not be released into Pennsylvania waters, a farm or backyard pond included.

58 Pa. Code § 71a.5

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: 58 Pa. Code § 71a.5(a)(3)(ii) This may be outdated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System (Flow Through) Propagation and Introductions; Fish for Pennsylvania Ponds (updated May 19, 2025) This may be outdated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Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Pond Agencies and Permits in Pennsylvania: Local Government (updated May 19, 2025) This may be outdated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

Army Corps lake: ask the project office first

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the lake's project office)

Ask the lake's Corps project office first; Corps shoreline rules apply. At lakes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages, private docks and other private shoreline uses are allowed only in areas the lake's Shoreline Management Plan designates, and not at all on lakes where construction began after December 13, 1974 or where no private uses existed by then (older permitted facilities can continue).

36 CFR § 327.30, Shoreline Management (eCFR)

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: 36 CFR § 327.30, Shoreline Management on Civil Works Projects This may be outdated

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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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.

Pond & Shore PA plan · lakepennsylvania.us/plan/2rv9g · Checked Oct 4, 2026

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