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Waterway & Wetland Permits: Culverts
“I want to place a culvert in a river, stream, creek, or waterway. Do I need to obtain a permit and/or pay a fee?” In most cases the answer is yes, however the type of permit, the fee amount may vary depending on your project. Culverts are one of the most popular ways to cross small streams or narrow connections between lakes, and as a result are very prevelant on the landscape. In order to minimize the impact a water crossing has on the environment, culverts require the proper size, design and installation to ensure that they don't cause erosion downstream, flood upstream properties, alter stream habitat or block aquatic organism passage.
Keep in mind that culverts can't be built for any other reason other than to allow passage of people or vehicles across waterways and only municipalities can apply for a permit to enclose a waterway for development purposes. Please use our decision matrix to determine if you need a permit, what type of permit (if needed) and the appropriate fee.
DNR Photo
Don't have Flash player? Visit our text version of the "Determine Permit Required" culverts decision matrix instead. In addition, here are the current Culverts permitting and exemption application materials:
Notice:
Federal law requires landowners of construction sites with one acre or more of land disturbance to address erosion control and storm water management by filing a Water Resources Application for Project Permits (WRAPP) along with the “Construction Erosion and Sediment Control” and “Post Construction Stormwater Management” attachments. If your project involves the disturbance of an acre or more, you will need to obtain required storm water application materials.
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How do I save and open the permit materials in ZIP format? • Culvert Area and Sizing Worksheet [PDF 39KB] • General Permit Attachment: Culvert Without a Professional Engineer Design [ZIP 399KB] • General Permit Attachment: Culvert With a Professional Engineer Design [PDF 415KB] • Individual Permit Application Culvert [ZIP 652KB] |
Culvert Permit Sample Drawings:
Culvert Permit Exemption Materials:
• Replacing a Culvert not Exceeding 24 inches in Diameter [PDF 29KB] • Exemption Determination Request Form [#3500-107, PDF 93KB] |
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 30.123, Wis. Stats. [exit DNR], [PDF 627KB] and Chapter NR 320 [exit DNR], [PDF 168KB].
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].
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