Every dock, seawall, boat lift and set of steps to the water on Candlewood sits inside a federal project boundary, and the rules for all of it live in one document: FirstLight's Shoreline Management Plan. That plan is being updated, the update is sitting at FERC right now, and almost nobody who owns lakefront here has read it.
I read both versions side by side. Here is what actually changes, what does not, and what it means if you are buying, selling, or planning work on the shoreline.
Where the update stands right now
These are the facts from the federal docket, not from a rumor at the marina.
- Docket: FERC Project No. 2576-215, Housatonic River Pumped Storage Project, applicant FirstLight CT Housatonic LLC.
- Filed: March 27, 2025, as supplemented on March 17, 2026.
- Status: accepted for filing. The notice soliciting comments, motions to intervene and protests was published in the Federal Register on March 31, 2026.
- The comment window has closed. The deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene and protests was April 27, 2026 at 5:00 pm Eastern. That date has passed.
The proposed plan is not in force. As of early September 2026 I can find no record that FERC has approved it, so the currently approved plan still governs what you can do at the water. Everything below is a comparison between the plan in effect and the plan awaiting a decision.
I am flagging the closed comment window on purpose. If you hear that there is still time to weigh in, that information is out of date.
The fee schedule is the headline
The proposed plan rewrites Appendix F, the administrative fee schedule. Both plans stack fees the same way: an application submittal fee that applies to every application, then a review fee on top, then use specific fees on top of that. What changes is the amounts.
Fee | Approved plan, in force | Proposed 2025 plan | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Application submittal fee, every application | $150.00 | $250.00 | Up $100 |
Residential Existing Use Permit, total | $150.00 | $250.00 | Up $100 |
Existing Use Permit with pre purchase or pending sale inspection, total | $400.00 | $500.00 | Up $100 |
Limited activity review fee | $300.00 | $300.00 | No change |
Significant activity review fee | $1,500.00 | $1,000.00 | Down $500 |
Seawall use review fee | $250.00 | $500.00 | Up $250 |
FERC application fee, where FERC approval is required | $10,000 | $10,000 | No change |
A note on how I got the pre purchase number, because it is the one buyers care about. The approved plan charges a $150.00 submittal fee plus a $250.00 pre purchase inspection fee, which totals $400.00. That is exactly the figure printed on FirstLight's own existing use permit information sheet, which is a useful confirmation that the schedule reads the way I am reading it. The proposed plan charges $250.00 submittal plus a $250.00 additional review fee for an application filed with a pending sale inspection request, totaling $500.00.
Notice that the increases are not uniform. Small residential applications go up, and the largest category, significant activity, actually comes down by $500. If you are a homeowner filing a routine existing use permit you pay more. If you are doing major work you pay somewhat less on that one line.
The change that matters more than the money
If you have a seawall, this is the part to read twice.
Under the approved plan, engineering for seawall work is discretionary. The plan says a site specific evaluation and justification by a CT licensed engineer for the repair, replacement, or construction of a new seawall "may be required at FirstLight's discretion."
Under the proposed plan, that becomes mandatory. Extensive repairs, removal and replacement of an existing seawall, or construction of a new seawall "requires a site-specific justification and design by a CT licensed engineer."
Discretionary to required is a bigger deal than a hundred dollars. It means a seawall project that might have been approved on a contractor's drawings now carries an engineer's fee as a baseline cost, on top of a use review fee that doubles from $250 to $500. On a lake where a great many seawalls date to the middle of the last century and are quietly failing, that changes the arithmetic on whether you repair, replace, or leave it alone.
If a seawall on a property you are buying is at the end of its life, price that in now rather than later.
What is not changing, despite what you may hear
This is worth saying plainly, because updates like this generate more alarm than they deserve.
- Vegetated riparian buffers are not new. The approved plan already contains the buffer zones, the required use provisions and the buffer education program. The proposed plan carries the same framework forward with more detail. If somebody tells you the update is introducing buffers to Candlewood, they have not read the current plan.
- The $10,000 FERC application fee is not new. It is already in the approved plan for uses that need separate FERC approval, and the amount does not change.
- The permit still does not run with the land. Both plans keep the same rule. The approved plan states it directly: "The permit does not transfer upon sale of the property and new property owners must apply." The proposed plan says the same thing about existing use permits. That is covered in detail in your Candlewood dock permit does not come with the house.
- The pre purchase inspection program survives. Both plans let a buyer start the application before closing. It is still the single most useful piece of diligence available on a lakefront purchase here.
What this means if you are buying
Practically, not much changes about the process, and a little changes about the cost.
- Budget $500 rather than $400 for an existing use permit application filed with a pending sale inspection request, if the update takes effect before you file. Until then the approved schedule applies.
- Start earlier than you think you need to. Fees are the small number here. The processing window is the big one, and it has not gotten shorter.
- Look hard at any seawall, stone, or shoreline stabilization on a property you are considering. The proposed plan makes engineered design a requirement rather than a maybe, and that cost lands on whoever owns it when the work becomes unavoidable.
- Do not assume the dock is transferable. It is not, under either plan, and that is unrelated to this update.
What this means if you are selling
Find your permit before you list, the same as always. A pending update does not change the questions a buyer's agent should be asking, and it does not change the fact that unpermitted shoreline work is discovered at the worst possible moment. The full sequence is in how to sell a Candlewood lake house.
One addition specific to this moment: if your property has a seawall in poor condition, understand that the cost of curing it may rise if the proposed plan is approved. That is a reason to get an honest assessment now rather than to discover it inside a negotiation.
Common questions about the 2025 Shoreline Management Plan update
Has FERC approved the new Candlewood shoreline plan?
Not that I can confirm. The application was filed on March 27, 2025 and supplemented on March 17, 2026, and FERC accepted it for filing with a Federal Register notice on March 31, 2026. As of early September 2026 the approved plan remains the one in force. Confirm current status with FirstLight before relying on either version.
Can I still submit a comment to FERC on the plan?
No. The deadline for comments, motions to intervene and protests was April 27, 2026 at 5:00 pm Eastern, under Project No. 2576-215. That window has closed.
Will my Candlewood dock permit fee go up?
Under the proposed schedule, yes for most homeowners. The application submittal fee goes from $150.00 to $250.00, and an existing use permit filed with a pending sale inspection request goes from $400.00 to $500.00 in total. The significant activity review fee goes the other way, from $1,500.00 down to $1,000.00.
Does the update change whether a dock permit transfers to a buyer?
No. Neither plan lets a permit ride along with the deed. The approved plan states that the permit does not transfer upon sale of the property and new property owners must apply, and the proposed plan keeps that rule for existing use permits.
Does the update introduce shoreline buffer requirements?
No. Vegetated riparian buffers, buffer zones and the buffer education program are already in the approved plan. The proposed plan carries that framework forward rather than creating it.
What changes for seawalls?
Two things. The use review fee for seawall work doubles from $250.00 to $500.00, and engineering moves from discretionary to required. The approved plan says an evaluation and justification by a CT licensed engineer may be required at FirstLight's discretion. The proposed plan says extensive repairs, removal and replacement, or a new seawall requires a site specific justification and design by a CT licensed engineer.
Sources: FirstLight's approved Shoreline Management Plan and its proposed 2025 Shoreline Management Plan update, compared directly; and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission notice for Project No. 2576-215, FirstLight CT Housatonic LLC, Notice of Application to Update Shoreline Management Plan Accepted for Filing, scheduled for Federal Register publication on March 31, 2026. Fee figures are quoted from Appendix F of each plan.
Related reading: your dock permit does not come with the house, who actually owns the shoreline on Candlewood Lake, and what it actually costs to own a Candlewood lake house.
More on this area: Candlewood Lake waterfront overview.
If you own lakefront here and want to know how the shoreline rules apply to your specific property before you spend money on it, reach me through ConnorCTHomes.com.
Connor Kostyra, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, CT Lic. RES.0836348.
Connor CT Homes is a marketing brand. Real estate services are provided through RE/MAX Rise, 1297 Main Street, Watertown, CT 06795.
This article is general information about a federal licensing process, not legal advice, and not a substitute for a survey. It compares two versions of a plan, one of which is not in effect. Requirements and fees change. Confirm current rules and current fees directly with FirstLight before relying on anything here.
