Permit plan · Pipe or pump stream water to a pond

Your permit plan: Pipe or pump stream water to a pond

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 a utility or company · change
Is the stream classified High Quality (HQ) or Exceptional Value (EV), or will the intake be in a wetland? Yes · change

State

Individual Chapter 105 permit (Joint Permit Application)

DEP (regional office), or your delegated county conservation district

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

Chapter 105 work that doesn't qualify for a waiver or a general permit needs an individual water obstruction and encroachment permit through DEP's Joint Permit Application, reviewed by DEP's regional office or a delegated conservation district. DEP recommends a pre-application meeting. In most cases the same application also covers the federal Army Corps authorization. Small dam across a stream: DEP fees from $1,750 plus disturbance fees; confirm with DEP.

What to have ready

Ask DEP for a pre-application meeting; DEP recommends it.
Expect a site plan, a location map, photos and a project description; larger projects need more (25 Pa. Code § 105.13).

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Sources: Apply for a Water Obstruction and Encroachment Joint Permit (Chapter 105); Introduction to Ponds and Chapter 105 (FAQ: non-jurisdictional dam across a stream); Pennsylvania State Programmatic General Permit-7 (PASPGP-7), Part I and Part VI (dated April 27, 2026) This may be outdated

State

Water withdrawal registration

DEP; river basin commissions

If your total withdrawal from a stream or other source in a watershed averages more than 10,000 gallons per day in any 30-day period, DEP's Chapter 110 rules require you to register the withdrawal and report use every year. Depending on the amount and purpose, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission or the Delaware River Basin Commission may also need to approve it, and a withdrawal may never dry up or degrade the water source.

DEP: Water Withdrawal Registration & Reporting

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Water Withdrawal Registration & Reporting (25 Pa. Code Chapter 110) This may be outdated

Federal

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Clean Water Act Section 404)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, usually through DEP's joint application

Placing fill or dredged material in waters of the United States, including many wetlands, needs federal authorization under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In Pennsylvania the Army Corps and DEP share one joint application: under the Pennsylvania State Programmatic General Permit (PASPGP-7), DEP or a delegated county conservation district can issue both the state and the federal authorization in most cases, and forwards the rest to the Corps. PASPGP-7 runs until June 30, 2031.

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Pennsylvania State Programmatic General Permit-7 (PASPGP-7), Part I and Part VI (dated April 27, 2026) 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

Ask the lake's owner first

The utility or company that owns the lake

The owner's shoreline permit is required in addition to state permits. Ask the owner for its shoreline rules and approval before you apply; its approval doesn't replace state permits, and state permits don't replace its approval.

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/34j4 · Checked Oct 4, 2026

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