Nationwide Permits

   Nationwide permits (NWPs) are general permits issued on a nation-wide basis to streamline the Department of the Army (DA) authorization of activities that will result in no more than minimal individual and cumulative adverse effects on the aquatic environment.  To qualify for the use of a NWP, perspective permittees must comply with all of the terms, general conditions (GCs), and regional conditions (RCs) of the NWP, including any requirements for the submittal of a pre-construction notification (PCN).  Many of the NWPs, GCs, and RCs require the submittal of a PCN before commencing the work, to ensure that activities authorized by those NWPs have minimal individual and cumulative adverse effects on the aquatic environment.  If the proposed activity complies with the terms, GCs, and RCs of the NWP, a DA NWP verification letter will be sent to the prospective permittee.  The NWP verification letter may include additional case specific Special Conditions (SC) to ensure the activity will result in no more than minimal individual and cumulative adverse effects. The verification letter will indicate the specific period of time that the verification is valid, which is generally until the NWP expires (i.e., March 14, 2026), unless the NWP authorization is modified, suspended, or revoked.  Per regulation, the NWPs must be reissued every five years.  The reissuance process involves a full interagency and public interest review. 

Links to NWP pages:

2021 Nationwide Permits
2017 Nationwide Permits

Grandfathering Provision  

Activities which have commenced (i.e., are under construction) or are under contract to commence in reliance upon an NWP will remain authorized provided the activity is completed within twelve months of the date of an NWP's expiration, modification, or revocation, unless discretionary authority has been exercised on a case-by-case basis to modify, suspend, or revoke the authorization in accordance with 33 CFR 330.4(e) and 33 CFR 330.5 (c) or (d). Activities completed under the authorization of an NWP which was in effect at the time the activity was completed continue to be authorized by that NWP. For permittees holding verified authorizations for activities for any of the 52 existing NWPs replaced by the January 2021 and December 2021 final rules, if the previously verified activity continues to qualify for NWP authorization under any of the 52 NWPs reissued in those two final rules, that verification letter continues to be in effect until March 18, 2022, unless the district engineer specified a different expiration date in the NWP verification letter.. For permittees with verifications for activities that were authorized by the 2017 NWPs, but no longer qualify for authorization under the 52 existing NWPs that were reissued in the January 2021 and December 2021 final rules (i.e., a reissued NWP has been modified so that the activity that was previously authorized by that NWP is no longer covered by that NWP), those activities continue to be authorized by the 2017 NWP for 12 months after the expiration date of those NWPs (i.e., March 14, 2021, for the 12 NWPs reissued in January 2021; February 24, 2022, for the 40 NWPs reissued in December 2021) as long as those activities have commenced (i.e., are under construction) or are under contract to commence in reliance upon an NWP prior to the date on which the NWP expires. That authorization is contingent on the NWP activity being completed within twelve months of the date of an NWP’s expiration, modification, or revocation, unless discretionary authority has been exercised by a division or district engineer on a case-by-case basis to modify, suspend, or revoke the authorization in accordance with 33 CFR 330.4(e) and 33 CFR 330.5(c) or (d). This provision applies to activities that were previously verified by the district engineer as qualifying for NWP authorization, but no longer qualify for NWP authorization under the modified or reissued NWP.   If those activities no longer qualify for NWP authorization because they do not meet the terms and conditions of the 2021 NWPs (including any RCs imposed by Division Engineer), the prospective permittee will need to obtain an individual permit (Letter of Permission or Standard Permit) or seek authorization under a Regional or Programmatic General Permit, if available.

Section 401 Water Quality Certifications

   For any activity that may result in a discharge of a pollutant into waters of the U.S., prospective permittees must obtain Section 401 Water Quality Certification, or waiver thereof, from the appropriate State, authorized Tribe, or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for activities located on tribal lands in which a tribe does not have Section 401 Certification authority.  Section 401 Certification, or waiver, is required prior to the commencement of any activity under a NWP.  In accordance with GC 25, where States and authorized Tribes, or EPA have not previously certified compliance of an NWP with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, individual 401 Water Quality Certification must be obtained or waived (see 44 CFR 330.4(c)).  The terms and conditions of individual 401 Water Quality Certifications are incorporated into the NWP verification by becoming a Special Condition of the permit.  

401 Water Quality Certification Status of the Nationwide Permits

California 401 Summary Table
Nevada 401 Summary Table
Utah 401 Summary Table

Commencement or Construction of Activities Under a NWP

If a PCN is required by the terms, GCs, or RCs of the NWP, the prospective permittee may not begin construction of an activity under a NWP until either: (1) he or she is notified in writing by the District that the activity may proceed under the NWP with any special conditions imposed; or (2) 45 calendar days have passed from the District’s receipt of the complete PCN and the prospective permittee has not received written notice from the District.  However, the 45-calendar day limit does not apply in the following circumstances:

  1. If the permittee is required to submit a PCN pursuant to GC18 that listed species or critical habitat might be affected or in the vicinity of the project, or to submit a PCN pursuant to GC 20 that the activity may have the potential to cause effects to historic properties, the permittee cannot begin the activity until receiving written notification that there is “no effect” on listed species or “no potential to cause effects” on historic properties, or that any consultation required under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and/or Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) has been completed (See Compliance with Section 7 of the ESA and Section 106 of the NHPA below for additional information). 
  2. If the proposed activity requires a written waiver to exceed specified limits of a NWP, the permittee may not begin the activity until the District issues the wavier.
  3. If the district or division engineer notifies the permittee in writing that an individual permit is required within 45 calendar days of receipt of a complete PCN, the permittee cannot begin the activity until an individual permit has been obtained.
  4. If an NWP activity requires review by, or permission from, the Corps pursuant to 33 U.S.C. 408 because it will alter or temporarily or permanently occupy or use a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) federally authorized Civil Works project (a “USACE project”) (see General Condition 31)

Pursuant to GC 25, where the certifying authority (state, authorized tribe, or EPA, as appropriate) has not previously certified compliance of an NWP with CWA section 401, a CWA section 401 water quality certification for the proposed discharge must be obtained or waived (see 33 CFR 330.4(c)). If the permittee cannot comply with all of the conditions of a water quality certification previously issued by certifying authority for the issuance of the NWP, then the permittee cannot begin the activity until individual water quality certification, or waiver thereof, has been obtained and submitted to the District office.

Compliance with Section 7 of the ESA and Section 106 of the NHPA

Section 7 of the ESA

No activity is authorized by any NWP if that activity is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of a threatened or endangered species as listed or proposed for listing under the Federal ESA, or to destroy or adversely modify the critical habitat of such species. 

Federal Permittees

Federal permittees should follow their own procedures for complying with Section 7 of the ESA.  GC 18 requires federal permittees to provide the District with appropriate documentation to demonstrate compliance with those requirements.  The District will review the documentation submitted by the federal permittee and determine whether it is sufficient to address ESA compliance for the NWP activity, or whether additional ESA consultation is necessary.  In addition, the Sacramento District RCs for California, Nevada, and Utah, requires that, for activities in which the District designates another federal agency as the lead for compliance with Section 7 of the ESA, the lead federal agency shall provide all relevant documentation to the District demonstrating previous consultation efforts, as it pertains to the Regulatory permit area.  This information would be submitted with the PCN for the project.  In order to expedite the NWP verification process, the Sacramento District encourages federal permittees to coordinate with the District prior to initiating Section 7 consultation, so that the District can designate the agency as the lead agency for compliance with ESA and to ensure that any consultation efforts include the Regulatory permit area.

Non-Federal Permittees

GC 18 requires that non-federal permittees submit a PCN to the District if any listed species or designated critical habitat might be affected or is in the vicinity of the activity, or if the activity is located in designated critical habitat, and the permittee shall not begin work on the activity until notified by the District that the requirements of the ESA have been satisfied and the activity is authorized.  For activities that might affect Federally-listed endangered or threatened species or their designated critical habitat, the PCN must include the names(s) of the endangered or threatened species that might be affected by the proposed work or that utilize the designated critical habitat that might be affected by the proposed work.  The District will notify the non-federal applicant of the Corps’ effect determination within 45 days of receipt of a complete PCN. If the District determines that the activity may affect Federally-listed species or critical habitat, the District must initiate Section 7 consultation in accordance with the ESA.  The District cannot verify the proposed work meets the terms and conditions of the NWP until such time consultation is completed.  As a result of formal or informal consultation with the U.S.  Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and/or National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under Section 7 of the ESA, the District may add special conditions to the NWP verification.  

For additional information on the requirements of the Federal ESA, including specific information required to initiate consultation with the USFWS and/or NMFS, click here.

Section 106 of the NHPA

No activity which may affect properties listed, or properties eligible for listing, in the National Register of Historic Places, is authorized until the District has complied with the provisions of 33 CFR 325, Appendix C, and the requirements of Section 106 of the NHPA have been satisfied.

Federal Permittees

Federal permittees should follow their own procedures for complying with the requirements of Section 106 of the NHPA.  General Condition 20 requires that federal permittees provide the District with the appropriate documentation to demonstrate compliance with those requirements.  The District will review the documentation submitted by the federal permittee and determine whether it is sufficient to address NHPA compliance for the proposed NWP activity, or whether additional NHPA consultation is necessary.  In addition, the Sacramento District regional conditions for California, Nevada, and Utah, requires that, for activities in which the District designates another federal agency as the lead for compliance with Section 106 of the NHPA, the lead federal agency shall provide all relevant documentation to the District demonstrating previous consultation efforts, as it pertains to the Regulatory area of potential effect (APE).  This information would be submitted with the PCN for the project.  In order to expedite the NWP verification process, the Sacramento District encourages federal permittees to coordinate with the District prior to initiating Section 106 consultation, so that the District can designate the agency as the lead agency for compliance with the NHPA and to ensure that any consultation efforts include the Regulatory APE.

Non-federal Permittees

General Condition 20 requires that non-federal permittees submit a PCN to the District if the proposed activity has the potential to cause effects to any historic properties listed on, determined to be eligible for listing on, or potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Place, including previously unidentified properties.  The non-federal permittee shall not begin any work on the activity until notified by the District that the requirements of the NHPA have been satisfied and the activity is authorized.  For such activities, the PCN must state which historic properties may be affect by the proposed work, or include a vicinity map indicating the location of the historic properties or the potential for the presence of historic properties.  Assistance regarding information on the location of or potential for the presence of historic resources can be sought from the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), or Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO), as appropriate, and the National Register of Historic Places.  If the District determines that the proposed activity has the potential to affect historic properties, the District will consult with the SHPO and/or THPO under Section 106 of the NHPA.  The District will notify the prospective permittee within 45 days of a complete PCN whether NHPA Section 106 consultation is required.  The District cannot verify the proposed work meets the terms and conditions of the NWP until such time consultation is complete.  If the activity would result in an adverse effect to a historic property, the District would coordinate with the SHPO and/or THPO to seek ways to avoid or minimize effects to the affected historic property.  The results of the consultation may be added as a special condition to the NWP verification.

For additional information on the requirements of the NHPA, including the information required to initiate consultation with the SHPO and/or THPO, click here.

Additional Information

2021 Nationwide Permits, General Conditions, and Definitions

Frequently Asked Questions for the Nationwide Permit Program

NWP Process Flowchart