Who owns the water and the dam?

The dam's owner type is Private (USACE NID, record dated Aug 26, 2026). Checked Oct 4, 2026.

Is there a public launch?

No public launch on this lake is listed by PFBC or DCNR (checked Oct 4, 2026). Nearest listed: Brady's Lake access (PFBC), 3.3 mi straight-line.

Can I run a motorboat?

Set by the lake's owner; ask (Question 6).

What does the dam's federal record say?

The National Inventory of Dams record for this lake's dam was last updated Aug 26, 2026, and the last inspection it reports was Jun 17, 2026. The dam section below shows the full record and what each value means.

Which township or borough is it in?

It is in Tobyhanna Township in Monroe County (PA municipal boundary map, checked Oct 4, 2026).

Lake profile · Poconos

Pocono Lake (Monroe County, PA): what to check before you buy

CHECKED 2026-10-04

Short answers

Who owns the water and the dam?: The dam's owner type is Private (USACE NID, record dated Aug 26, 2026). Checked Oct 4, 2026.
Is there a public launch?: No public launch on this lake is listed by PFBC or DCNR (checked Oct 4, 2026). Nearest listed: Brady's Lake access (PFBC), 3.3 mi straight-line.
Can I run a motorboat?: Set by the lake's owner; ask (Question 6).
What does the dam's federal record say?: The National Inventory of Dams record for this lake's dam was last updated Aug 26, 2026, and the last inspection it reports was Jun 17, 2026. The dam section below shows the full record and what each value means.
Has state sampling found algae problems?: The PA HAB dashboard data has no samples for this lake (checked Oct 4, 2026). State agencies don't usually sample private lakes, so ask who monitors the water (Question 8).
Which township or borough is it in?: It is in Tobyhanna Township in Monroe County (PA municipal boundary map, checked Oct 4, 2026).

The facts, with sources

Facts for Pocono Lake: value, source and the date we checked it
Fact	Value	Source	Checked
Who owns or controls the dam	The dam's owner type is Private (USACE NID, record dated Aug 26, 2026).	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Public launch	No public launch on this lake is listed by PFBC or DCNR (checked Oct 4, 2026). Nearest listed: Brady's Lake access (PFBC), 3.3 mi straight-line.	PFBC access areas (DEP eMapPA)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
NID hazard potential (Pocono Lake)	High Hazard potential describes what could happen downstream if the dam failed. It is not a rating of the dam's condition or of how likely it is to fail (USACE NID Data Dictionary). Condition assessments in the NID can be years old; ask the dam's owner for the latest state inspection report.	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
NID condition assessment (Pocono Lake)	Satisfactory (assessed Aug 25, 2026)	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Year completed (Pocono Lake)	1957	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Dam owner type (Pocono Lake)	Private	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Regulator (Pocono Lake)	Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Emergency action plan reported (Pocono Lake)	not reported (last revised Feb 18, 2026)	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Last inspection reported (Pocono Lake)	2026-06-17	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
NID record date (Pocono Lake)	2026-08-26	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
State HAB sample results	The PA HAB dashboard data has no samples for this lake (checked Oct 4, 2026). State agencies don't usually sample private lakes, so ask who monitors the water (Question 8).	PA HABs Dashboard data	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Lake outline area (USGS NHD)	About 526 acres (USGS NHD outline)	USGS National Hydrography Dataset	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Shoreline municipalities	Tobyhanna Township (Monroe County)	PA municipal boundary map (DEP eMapPA)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Municipal links: Tobyhanna Township	STR ordinance link found	Municipal website	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date

Dam record from the National Inventory of Dams

Pocono Lake (PA00781) — main dam

Hazard potential: High
Condition: Satisfactory (assessed Aug 25, 2026)
Year completed: 1957
Owner type: Private
Regulator: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Emergency action plan reported: not reported (last revised Feb 18, 2026)
Last inspection reported: 2026-06-17
NID record date: 2026-08-26

Hazard potential describes what could happen downstream if the dam failed. It is not a rating of the dam's condition or of how likely it is to fail (USACE NID Data Dictionary). Condition assessments in the NID can be years old; ask the dam's owner for the latest state inspection report.

Open this dam in the NID

State algae sampling, by season

The PA HAB dashboard data has no samples for this lake (checked Oct 4, 2026). State agencies don't usually sample private lakes, so ask who monitors the water (Question 8). Statewide 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
Tobyhanna Township Monroe County	Municipal website	Zoning/Codes Enforcement page (links the township's zoning ordinances on eCode360)	Short-Term Rental page (links the township STR ordinance, amendments and permit portal)	2026-10-04

Questions for this lake

What this lake's facts raise

Private dam
Who owns the dam today, and is that the same body that governs the community? (Get the name from your title work and the community's documents.)
High or Significant hazard
May I see the latest state inspection report and, for a Pennsylvania Category 1 or 2 dam, the engineer's most recent annual report?
Not sampled
Who monitors the water?
No public launch
How do owners launch boats, and is there a fee, sticker or permit?
Short-term-rental ordinance found
Read the Tobyhanna Township short-term-rental page linked in this dossier, and ask whether this address has a current permit.

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

Take it with you

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What we couldn't verify for this lake

Nothing on our checklist is missing for this lake. Facts still change; check the sources.

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
National Inventory of Dams Public Service (FeatureServer layer 0), Pennsylvania records U.S. Army Corps of Engineers geospatial.sec.usace.army.mil/dls/rest/services/NID/National_Inventory_of_Dams_Public_Service/FeatureServer/0 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

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