Stream Permit
DO I NEED A PERMIT?
Activities and structures in or near a stream or its adjacent floodway are regulated by this program. In most cases, a permit is required before starting any activity that changes, expands or diminishes the course, current or cross-section of a stream, floodway or body of water. Typical activities that are commonly permitted include driveway culverts, highway bridges, utility line stream crossings, stream bank stabilization projects, etc.
WHAT IS A REGULATED STREAM/FLOODWAY?
A regulated stream is any channel with defined bed and banks that can convey water. It can be natural or man made, perennial or intermittent.
Some municipalities have flood insurance studies and maps prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that indicate the floodway boundary for some streams. In the absence of such a study, the floodway shall be considered to extend 50 feet landward from the top of each streambank.
TYPES OF PERMITS
A Small Projects application may be made for projects in streams and floodplains where insignificant impacts on safety and protection of life, health, property and the environment can be demonstrated without detailed studies or engineering calculations. Examples of small projects include, but are not limited to: bridges, culverts, streamside retaining walls, on-grade construction and excavations within the floodplain, low flow crossings, small buildings and similar structures within the floodplain and removal of unlimited amounts of unvegetated gravel bars. For all other projects including those projects affecting wetland and those projects where safety and environmental impacts must be determined through technical studies, a Standard application must be made.
General Permits were created for activities or structures that do not pose a significant threat to flooding or the environment. A General Permit is a pre-approved set of conditions, construction limits, dimensions and other criteria which apply to many common types of projects. If the work that an applicant is proposing meets all of the conditions of the General Permit, then the applicant need only register his/her intent to use the General Permit, and receive acknowledgement. The conditions of each permit are included in Part One and Part Two of the permit. Follow the LINK below to find these conditions.
Link to
General PermitsIn order to use these General Permits, one must complete and submit the following:
FEDERAL AUTHORIZATION
Most activities that need a DEP General Permit are also regulated by the Federal
Government, through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In most cases, the Conservation
District will include the PENNSYLVANIA STATE PROGRAMMATIC GENERAL PERMIT PASPGP-3 with
the General Permit Acknowledgement, which will give your project Federal Authorization.
The Conservation District will review your project to determine if it exceeds the
conditions of PASPGP-3. If it does, we will forward a copy of your application to the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers for an individual review. If this happens, you will receive
separate permit authorization from the Corps. In either case, you need only submit your
permit application to the Conservation District, and we will notify you of the status of
your Federal Authorization.
If you have any questions about permits or permit coverage, call the Conservation District office.
| Use these links for specific program information |