Waterway & Wetland Permits: Dredging

“Do I need to obtain a permit and/or pay a fee when I want to...”

Dredge or Remove Bed Materials

If you want to dredge or remove bed materials (muck, sand, gravel, silt, organic material, etc.) from the bed of a lake, river, creek or stream, follow the steps below before starting your project.

Step 1: Determine if your waterway has a special designation that might affect the exemption or permit requirements.

Step 2: Determine if your project is exempt.

Step 3: Determine if your project qualifies for a General Permit or Individual Permit.

Step 1

Determine if your waterway has a special designation that might affect the exemption or permit requirements.

Visit the search page below, enter the information about your waterway, and record any designations that it may have.

• Designated Waters Search

If you have questions about using the Designated Waters Search tool, you may visit our Designated Waters Search Tutorial to learn how.

Step 2

Determine if your project is exempt.

If you are removing a total of less than 2 cubic yards of bottom material in any given year you do not need a permit. If you are removing bottom material from a farm drainage ditch that was NON-Navigable BEFORE it was ditched you don't need a permit provided you follow the standards found in NR 345.04 (1)(c).

In addition, manual dredging with handheld devices that have no auxiliary power and remove a total of less than 3 cubic yards of material are generally exempt from permit requirements. HOWEVER, this manual dredging is NOT exempt for waters designated as "areas of special natural resource interest" (ASNRI) or where there are "public rights features" (PRF).

If your project will not be in an ASNRI, PRF, or a perennial tributary to a trout stream, you may qualify for an exemption if your project meets specific standards. Click on the checklist below to help you determine if your project qualifies for an exemption.

• Checklist: Manual Dredging [PDF 72KB]

If you would like assistance from the DNR to determine if an activity is eligible for an exemption, download and print the Exemption Determination Request [PDF 64KB], or obtain the form at your local DNR Service Center. Fill in all of the requested information, sign the form, and submit it by mail or FAX to the address on the form. You will receive a response within 15 days of our receipt of your request (provided the owner of the project site has signed the form).

If your dredging project is NOT exempt, you'll need to apply for a General Permit or an Individual Permit.

Step 3

To determine if you need to apply for a General Permit or Individual Permit, please review the list of available general permits to determine if you project can meet the necessary standards for eligibility.

• General Permit Attachment Utility Crossing Installation Dredging [PDF 78KB]
• General Permit Attachment Drainage District Dredging [PDF 78KB]
• General Permit Attachment Maintenance Dredging of a Previously Dredged Area [PDF 218KB]
• General Permit Attachment Manual Dredging [PDF 201KB]
• General Permit Attachment Removal of Plant and Animal Nuisance Deposits [PDF 544KB]
• General Permit Attachment Invasive and Non-native Species Management [PDF 559KB]

Send the completed application attachments, along with the Water Resources Application for Project Permits (WRAPP) [#3500-053, PDF 46KB] cover sheet, fee and Fee Sheet [#3500-053A, PDF 93KB], to the permit intake address based on the county where your project is located on our Permit Intake & Contacts page. Please note: if you are applying for more than one permit, you only need to include one WRAPP cover sheet with your application materials. For more information about how your application is reviewed, see our Web page on the Permit Process.

In addition, don't forget to look at the sample drawings listed near the bottom of this page to ensure that your plans submitted with your application have all the necessary components for review. Otherwise your application may be delayed.

If your project cannot meet the general permit standards please apply for an individual permit.

• Individual Permit Application for Dredging Lakes [#3500-53I, PDF 39KB]
• Individual Permit Application for Dredging Streams [#3500-53J, PDF 39KB]

Send the completed application materials, along with the fee and Fee Sheet [#3500-053A, PDF 93KB], to the permit intake address based on the county where your project is located on our Permit Intake & Contacts page. For more information about how your application is reviewed, see our Web page on the Permit Process.

In addition, don't forget to look at the sample drawings listed near the bottom of this page to ensure that your plans submitted with your application have all the necessary components for review. Otherwise your application may be delayed.

Groom/Disk the Exposed Lakebed Area

If you want to groom/disk the exposed lakebed area (beach, vegetation, etc.) on your property, an individual permit is required to groom/disk material from the bed of a navigable waterway.

This includes grooming/disking in areas of the beds of waterways that are currently exposed because of low water levels. Certain grooming/raking with handheld devices may qualify for an exemption.

Permits are often issued to groom areas that are open to the public. These areas are usually larger and grooming by hand would be too time consuming. If you own lake frontage, it is recommended that any grooming that you find necessary to access the water be done in a small area by hand. Most of the time grooming by hand, if you follow the exemption standards, does not require a permit. Minimizing your impact is critical to protecting this fragile ecosystem. These areas may contain endangered plant species and are important protectors of water quality. Please keep in mind that any disturbed area becomes more susceptible to invasion by exotic invasive plant species like Phragmites [PDF, 66KB].

For more information on the values of these areas please go to Our Beautiful Great Lakes Shorelines [PDF, 66KB]

Please be aware that if you are applying to dredge by grooming/disking or to use motorized equipment for the purpose of controlling Phragmites [PDF 66KB] or another aquatic invasive plant, you will need to develop an invasives control plan. The plan will be reviewed by the Department as part of the permit process. The plan must include the following elements.

• A description of the existing condition including the types of plants present and their abundance.
• A strategy for the control of the invasive species.
• A plan for the re-establishment of the native plant community.
• A monitoring plan to assess the success or failure of the control plan.

In addition, don't forget to look at the sample drawings listed near the bottom of this page to ensure that your plans submitted with your application have all the necessary components for review. Otherwise your application may be delayed.

Cut/Mow the Vegetation

If you want to cut/mow the vegetation that is growing on the exposed lakebed, choose which one of the following examples fits your situation:

• If you will be using motorized equipment (riding lawn mowers, tractors, ATVs, etc.) for cutting/mowing as a way to manage emergent vegetation on exposed lakebed you can apply for a general permit or an individual permit. Please be aware that the general permit is only available for projects located on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Sawyer's Harbor or the Fox River from its mouth up to the dam at DePere,
• If you will be cutting/mowing the vegetation by hand, where “by hand” means using equipment that will only operate under your own power (e.g., using a push lawn mower, clippers, etc), a permit is only required if you remove native vegetation in an area that exceeds a single 30 foot wide path per property measured along the shoreline or if you are removing state or federally listed threatened or endangered plant species.
  Please note: the following non-native invasive species may be removed by hand in an unlimited area without a permit:
  1. Phragmites [PDF, 66KB],
  2. eurasian water milfoil,
  3. curly leaf pondweed, and
  4. purple loosestrife

If you own lake frontage, it is recommended that any cutting or mowing that you find necessary to access the water be done in a small area by hand. Minimizing your impact is critical to protecting this fragile ecosystem. These areas may contain endangered plant species and are important protectors of water quality. Please keep in mind that any disturbed area becomes more susceptible to invasion by invasive plant species like Phragmites [PDF, 66KB].

For more information on the values of these areas please go to Our Beautiful Great Lakes Shorelines [PDF, 66KB] .

In addition, don't forget to look at the sample drawings listed near the bottom of this page to ensure that your plans submitted with your application have all the necessary components for review. Otherwise your application may be delayed.

Remove Large Nuisance Deposits

If you want to remove large nuisance deposits of Cladophora, dead fish, zebra or Quagga, etc. mussels using motorized equipment you can apply for a general permit or a individual permit. Please be aware that the general permit is only available for projects located on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Sawyer's Harbor or the Fox River from its mouth up to the dam at DePere.

In addition, don't forget to look at the sample drawings listed near the bottom of this page to ensure that your plans submitted with your application have all the necessary components for review. Otherwise your application may be delayed.

Certain manual removal of nuisance deposits with handheld devices may qualify for an exemption. Longer term individual permits are frequently issued to local units of government and groups of homeowners that have continual problems with these large nuisance deposits. The individual permits can be issued for up to ten years.

Laws

Applicable statutes and codes include Section 30.20, Wis. Stats. [exit DNR], [PDF file] and Chapter NR 345 [exit DNR], [PDF file].

Local permits and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulations may also apply. We advise you to contact your local zoning office and your regional U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office [exit DNR].