Is there a public launch?

Public launch on this lake: Harveys Lake access area (PFBC), checked Oct 4, 2026.

Can I run a motorboat?

Gas-powered boats allowed; speed limits apply (58 Pa. Code § 111.40(c)). Checked Oct 4, 2026.

Which township or borough is it in?

It is in Harveys Lake Borough in Luzerne County (PA municipal boundary map, checked Oct 4, 2026).

Lake profile · Northeast & Endless Mountains

Harveys Lake (Luzerne County, PA): what to check before you buy

CHECKED 2026-10-04

Short answers

Is there a public launch?: Public launch on this lake: Harveys Lake access area (PFBC), checked Oct 4, 2026.
Can I run a motorboat?: Gas-powered boats allowed; speed limits apply (58 Pa. Code § 111.40(c)). Checked Oct 4, 2026.
Has state sampling found algae problems?: State sampling data has 4 sample results for this lake (2022–2026); 2 were at Advisory (Yellow) or Avoid Contact (Red) levels. These are single-sample results, not a lake-wide status (checked Oct 4, 2026).
Which township or borough is it in?: It is in Harveys Lake Borough in Luzerne County (PA municipal boundary map, checked Oct 4, 2026).

The facts, with sources

Facts for Harveys Lake: value, source and the date we checked it
Fact	Value	Source	Checked
Motor rule (public waters)	Gas-powered boats allowed; speed limits apply (58 Pa. Code § 111.40(c)).	58 Pa. Code Chapter 111	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Public launch	Public launch on this lake: Harveys Lake access area (PFBC), checked Oct 4, 2026	PFBC access areas (DEP eMapPA)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
State HAB sample results (all seasons)	State sampling data has 4 sample results for this lake (2022–2026); 2 were at Advisory (Yellow) or Avoid Contact (Red) levels. These are single-sample results, not a lake-wide status (checked Oct 4, 2026).	PA HABs Dashboard data	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Lake outline area (USGS NHD)	About 629 acres (USGS NHD outline)	USGS National Hydrography Dataset	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Shoreline municipalities	Harveys Lake Borough (Luzerne County)	PA municipal boundary map (DEP eMapPA)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Municipal links: Harveys Lake Borough	STR ordinance not found online	Municipal website	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date

Dam record from the National Inventory of Dams

No dam in the National Inventory of Dams is mapped to this lake. Ask who controls the outlet and water level.

State algae sampling, by season

State harmful algal bloom sample results matched to Harveys Lake
Season	Samples	Advisory (Yellow)	Avoid Contact (Red)	No HAB issue detected
2026	1	1	0	0
2022	3	1	0	2

These are results of individual samples taken at particular spots and times. They are not a lake-wide status. Current results: PA HABs Dashboard.

Township and borough links

Zoning and short-term-rental rules come from the municipality, and a community's own rules can add more. We link to the municipality's pages; we don't summarise them.

Municipality	Municipal website	Zoning	Short-term rentals	Checked
Harveys Lake Borough Luzerne County	Municipal website	Zoning Documents page (borough code on eCode360)	We didn't find a short-term-rental ordinance online for Harveys Lake Borough on Oct 4, 2026. That doesn't mean rentals are unrestricted, and a community's own rules can also apply.	2026-10-04

Questions for this lake

What this lake's facts raise

Algae samples
Who tests the lake water, how often, and where are results posted?
Short-term-rental ordinance not found
Ask Harveys Lake Borough whether it regulates short-term rentals, and get the answer in writing.
Natural lake, no NID dam
Ask who controls the outlet and water level.

The Lake Dossier for Harveys Lake has the full question set for every flag, plus a document request list.

Take it with you

Lake Dossier: Harveys Lake$14 Kit + this dossier$19 Bundle: every lake$39

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What we couldn't verify for this lake

A dam record in the National Inventory of Dams (none is mapped to this lake)
Who owns or controls the lake and its outlet

Something here out of date? Use "Flag as out of date" next to the fact. See Corrections and how we gather the facts. Every page has a Markdown copy.

Sources

National Hydrography Dataset, Waterbody - Large Scale (The National Map) U.S. Geological Survey hydro.nationalmap.gov/arcgis/rest/services/nhd/MapServer/12 Checked 2026-10-04
eMapPA External Extraction layer 245 Municipalities Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection gis.dep.pa.gov/depgisprd/rest/services/emappa/eMapPA_External_Extraction/MapServer/245 Checked 2026-10-04
Municipal website, zoning and short-term-rental link check (compiled by Deed & Dock) Deed & Dock (WeldonPC) /sources#municipal-links Checked 2026-10-04
eMapPA External Extraction layer 81 PFBC Access Areas (OWNER field not downloaded) Pennsylvania DEP / Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission gis.dep.pa.gov/depgisprd/rest/services/emappa/eMapPA_External_Extraction/MapServer/81 Checked 2026-10-04
58 Pa. Code Chapter 111 Special Regulations Counties Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin (Legislative Reference Bureau) pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/058/chapter111/chap111toc.html Checked 2026-10-04
PA HABs Dashboard data layer HABS2018_2021_FIXED (feeds dashboard 9b653809b2724ff299dc1b5b3d1c546b) Pennsylvania HABs Task Force (PA DEP / PA Department of Health) services1.arcgis.com/Nifc7wlHaBPig3Q3/arcgis/rest/services/HABS2018_2021_FIXED/FeatureServer/0 Checked 2026-10-04
Pennsylvania HABs Dashboard Pennsylvania HABs Task Force arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/9b653809b2724ff299dc1b5b3d1c546b Checked 2026-10-04
National Inventory of Dams web application (field definitions and help text) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nid.sec.usace.army.mil/nid/ Checked 2026-10-04

Cite this page

Harveys Lake (Luzerne County, PA): what to check before you buy. Deed & Dock (lakepennsylvania.net). https://lakepennsylvania.net/lakes/harveys-lake. Facts checked 2026-10-04.