Dam safety compliance

Connecticut dam safety requirements

CT DEEP State Dams & Dam Safety program — what a private owner actually has to do, and when.

Frequently asked questions

When is a Connecticut dam's inspection report due?

Not later than 30 days from the date the owner receives the professional engineer's written inspection report — a triggered filing window, not a fixed calendar date. There's also a hard backstop: 15 March, tied to when DEEP's own notification letter went out the prior year.

Why doesn't Dam-Sure show a next-due date for my Connecticut dam yet?

Because Connecticut's public dam inventory publishes no per-dam inspection-date field at all — nothing to anchor a 30-day window against. Fabricating a due date with nothing to anchor it to would be worse than admitting there's nothing computable yet. Look up your dam to see its record as published; this is a known, tracked gap, not a bug.

How often must a Connecticut dam be inspected?

On a schedule set per hazard class (Class A through D) by CT DEEP, with a professional engineer required for high- and significant-hazard dams. Dam-Sure's inspection tool captures your own routine checks with GPS-tagged checkpoints from your phone — crest, both slopes, spillway, toe, outlet, seepage — building a dated record between the engineer's visits.

How to self-inspect a small dam

Even without a computable filing deadline here yet, routine self-inspection still matters — it's the record an engineer or DEEP will ask for after the fact. Dam-Sure's inspection tool walks through six checkpoints, the same order a formal engineer inspection follows:

  1. Crest — walk the full length of the crest, checking for cracking, settlement, or unusual vegetation.
  2. Upstream slope — check the upstream slope for erosion, slumping, or animal burrows.
  3. Downstream slope — check the downstream slope for seepage, wet areas, or sinkholes.
  4. Spillway — confirm the spillway is clear of debris and vegetation and free to pass flow.
  5. Outlet works / drains — check outlet works and drains for blockage, damage, or unusual flow.
  6. Instrumentation — read and record any installed instrumentation, such as piezometers or staff gauges, where present.

Sourced from RCSA §22a-409-2(c)(3) and CT DEEP's own dam safety program guidance. See CT DEEP: State Dams & Dam Safety for the primary source. This page is informational, not legal advice — verify current requirements with CT DEEP directly.

Requirements for other states: Georgia · Massachusetts · North Carolina · New York · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Wisconsin