St. Joseph County, IN Environmental Rules: Coastal Development (2026)

St. 294(A)(5). Public freshwater lakes are governed by IC 14-26-2, the Lakes Preservation Act, plus rules the Natural Resource Commission adopted at 312 IAC 11-1 through 312 IAC 11-5. The Indiana Register's Information Bulletin #61 lists the state's public freshwater lakes, and Bulletin #60 covers dredging. Jurisdiction under the Act keys off the lake's legally established lake level, the elevation where it meets the shoreline; when no legal lake level exists, the county falls back on the average normal shoreline observed at each site, using breaks like lakebed versus ground and lines of demarcation.

DNR sign-off is required before anyone excavates, fills, or places, modifies, or repairs a temporary or permanent structure over, along, or lakeward of that line. Walls built landward of the shoreline, within ten feet of it and below the legal or normal water level, also need prior DNR approval. General licenses and exemptions can cover temporary piers, dry hydrants, aerators, or glacial stone reface if the specific criteria of the Public Lakes Rules are met. 294(A)(5)(d) that office cannot act on a local floodplain development permit until DNR has issued its permit or letter of authorization, or confirmed the project qualifies for a general license; the county's floodplain development permit can never be less restrictive than DNR's approval, though the county may impose tighter conditions of its own.