Is a permit required to dig in a stream bed?
Perhaps. If the stream is perennial (flows most of the time), or is more than 30 feet wide between the banks (even if it is dry most of the time), the State claims the bed and the sand and gravel in it as State-owned. A permit from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is required to “disturb or take” streambed materials from a streambed claimed by the State. Contact the Wetlands Conservation Program at 512/389-4583.
