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Waterway & Wetland Permits: Fish and Wildlife Habitat

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“I want to place a fish crib or other fish or wildlife habitat structure on the bed of a lake or river. Do I need to obtain a permit and/or pay a fee? ” Installing a fish or wildlife habitat structure is generally exempt from permit requirements, provided your project meets certain standards and is not in a specially designated water.

Fish and Wildlife Habitat


DNR Photo

For projects in designated waters, a general permit or an individual permit is required. Follow the steps below before starting your project:

  1. Determine if your waterway has a special designation that might affect the exemption or permit requirements.
  2. Determine if your project is exempt
  3. Determine if you need to apply 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.

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.

Certain types of fish and wildlife habitat structures are generally exempt from permit requirements. To qualify for the exemption, key requirements are that the fish and wildlife habitat structure may not be located in an "areas of special natural resource interest" (ASNRI), and that you report the placement of the structure to your local DNR fisheries biologist.

If your fish and wildlife habitat project will not be in an ASNRI, you may qualify for an exemption if your project meets specific standards. Choose one of these checklists that most closely resembles your project type to help you determine if your project qualifies for an exemption:

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 25KB], 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 fish and wildlife habitat 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 your project can meet the necessary standards for eligibility, please choose the activity from the list that mostl closely resembles your project:

If your project meets the standards, send the completed attachment, 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 activity, you only need to include one WRAPP cover sheet with your General Permit Attachments. 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.

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.


Fish and Wildlife Habitat
Permit Application Materials


How do I save and open the permit materials in ZIP format?

General Permit Attachments: • Individual Permit Application: Fish and Wildlife [ZIP 423KB]

Fish and Wildlife Habitat
Permit Additional Materials

Fish and Wildlife Habitat Sample Drawings:

Fish and Wildlife Habitat Exemption Materials:

Please send your completed application materials to the permit intake address based on the county where your project is located on our Permit Intake & Contacts page.


Laws

Applicable statutes and codes include Section 30.12, Wis. Stats. [exit DNR], [PDF 627KB] and Chapter NR 323, Wis. Adm. Code [exit DNR], [PDF 39KB].

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].

Last Revised: Friday December 09 2011