Your permit plan: Shoreline wall, riprap or bank repair

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 Code § 105.1, Definitions This may be outdated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 3 (GP-3): bank rehabilitation and protection

DEP or your delegated county conservation district

Form: GP-3, 3150-PM-BWEW0503

Fee: $250

General Permit 3 (GP-3) covers bank rehabilitation and bank protection, limited to 500 linear feet along a single reach, and may not be registered more than once to extend a project. It is not for use in wetlands. DEP describes the limit as measured along a stream channel, so ask DEP or your delegated conservation district whether a lakeshore project fits. The registration fee in the regulation is $250.

• 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 Code § 105.13(c)(2) This may be outdated

Erosion and sediment control

Your county conservation district (for DEP)

Any earth disturbance needs erosion and sediment control practices (BMPs). A written erosion and sediment control plan is required once the disturbance reaches 5,000 square feet (or if the work could discharge to a High Quality or Exceptional Value water), and it must be kept on site. Disturbing 1 acre or more generally needs an NPDES permit for construction stormwater. County conservation districts review these plans and may charge a review fee.

• DEP: Erosion and Sediment Control FAQ (PDF)
• Find your county conservation district (PACD)

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: Frequently Asked Questions: Erosion and Sediment Control (rev. Aug 12, 2026), FAQ #5 This may be outdated

PA One Call (811) before you dig

Pennsylvania One Call System

Timing: Notify between 3 and 10 business days before digging.

If you will dig with powered equipment, Pennsylvania law requires notice to PA One Call (call 811 or file online) at least 3 and no more than 10 business days before digging, and this applies to homeowners on their own land. Work may not start before the third business day after notice; weekends and legal holidays do not count. The service is free for homeowners. A contractor must make its own call: ask for its PA One Call serial number.

• PA One Call: Homeowner FAQs

Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source: PA One Call: Homeowner FAQs; PA Act 287 as amended 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