Your permit plan: Dock, pier, lift or boathouse

Chapter 105: your project is a water obstruction

DEP, or your county conservation district if it has Chapter 105 delegation

Under Pennsylvania's Chapter 105 rules, a "body of water" includes any natural or artificial lake or pond, and a "water obstruction" includes a pier, wharf, wall, fill or other structure in, along, across or projecting into it. For ponds and lakes, a structure counts if, at normal pool level, it is in the water or touching the water's edge. The rules cover temporary structures as well as permanent ones. DEP says any change to a pond's cross-section that is not maintenance, such as a new dock, pier or island or making the pond bigger, needs a water obstruction and encroachment permit.

• DEP: Chapter 105 General Permits
• Which conservation districts handle Chapter 105 (map, PDF)

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: 25 Pa. Code § 105.1, Definitions This may be outdated

General Permit 2 (GP-2): small docks and launch ramps

DEP or your delegated county conservation district

Form: GP-2, 3150-PM-BWEW0502 (register through DEP ePermitting, DEP's preferred route)

Fee: $175

General Permit 2 (GP-2) covers the installation, modification and maintenance of small docks of 750 square feet or less and boat launching ramps; other size restrictions may apply. The registration fee in the regulation is $175. Small projects often fit a DEP general permit, but only if they meet every term of it.

What to have ready

• Read the GP-2 permit terms (DEP eLibrary, 3150-PM-BWEW0502) and check your dock fits them before you register.
• Your dock's total area in square feet, and a simple plan of it.
• Who owns the lakebed, and any owner or association approval (see the owner card).

• DEP: Chapter 105 General Permits
• Fee schedule: 25 Pa. Code § 105.13

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Chapter 105 General Permits This may be outdated

General Permit 11 (GP-11): repair or replace an existing structure

DEP or your delegated county conservation district

Form: GP-11, 3150-PM-BWEW0511

Fee: $750

General Permit 11 (GP-11) covers maintenance, testing, repair, rehabilitation or replacement of existing, currently serviceable water obstructions and encroachments, allowing only minor changes with minimal environmental impact. The registration fee in the regulation is $750 plus disturbance review fees where they apply.

What to have ready

• Photos of the existing structure as it is today.
• What will change (materials, size, footprint), even if minor.

• DEP: Chapter 105 General Permits

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Chapter 105 General Permits; fees from 25 Pa. Code § 105.13(c)(2) This may be outdated

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).

• DEP: Introduction to Ponds and Chapter 105
• DEP: Stream and Wetland program contacts

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