Guides
Stormwater compliance, explained plainly
Evergreen guidance on permit coverage, inspection frequency, stabilisation deadlines and preparer credentials. Where the answer depends on the permit that governs your own site, we link the cited jurisdiction page rather than stating a number that might not be yours.
How often you have to inspect a construction site, and what changes it
The federal permit gives you two routine options, one override that beats both, and one reduction you have to earn. Getting the override wrong is the expensive mistake, because it applies whether or not you noticed it.
Read the guideSPCC plan or SWPPP: they are different rules, and you may need both
An SPCC plan and a stormwater plan are triggered by different things, sit under different regulations and are signed by different people. Here is how to tell which applies to your site, and where we stop being useful.
Why a SWPPP template is not a SWPPP, and what the permit actually asks for
Templates are how most plans start and how most findings happen. Here is the contents list the federal permit mandates, section by section, and the parts a template structurally cannot fill in.
The Multi-Sector General Permit expired, and new facilities cannot get coverage
EPA's industrial stormwater permit expired on 28 February 2026 and is administratively continued. Existing permittees carry on. New facilities and new operators are in a genuinely awkward position, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.
The half acre lot that needs a permit: the larger common plan trigger
Everyone knows the one acre threshold. The trigger that catches people is the second one, which pulls small lots inside a bigger development into coverage even though the lot alone is well under an acre.
Who is allowed to write your stormwater plan, and why the answer is not yes or no
States differ on which credentials qualify, whether a state course sits on top, and what triggers the requirement at all. Four ways this question is routinely answered wrong, and how to get it right for your state.
Stabilization Deadlines: the 14-Day Clock and What Changes It
The federal SWPPP stabilization deadline isn't one number. Initiation and completion run on separate clocks, and acreage, water sensitivity and climate all change them.
The Complete SWPPP Requirements Checklist: Every Federal Trigger and Deadline
Every federal SWPPP requirement in one place, coverage trigger to termination, each with its deadline and permit citation, and a link to the full answer.
The 2022 Construction General Permit Expires in 2027: What to Know Now
EPA's 2022 CGP expires 16 February 2027 and no successor has been proposed yet. What usually changes at reissuance, and what to do now.
Corrective Action Deadlines Under the 2022 CGP: Immediate, Next Business Day, or 7 Days
The CGP sets a fix deadline and a separate 24-hour documentation deadline for every corrective action. Most operators only track the first one.
How long you must keep SWPPP records (the clock starts later than you think)
Inspection reports and the corrective action log carry an explicit three year rule under EPA's CGP, and the clock starts at coverage end, not at the date you wrote the record.
Does a Texas SWPPP Need a PE Stamp? What TCEQ Actually Requires
TCEQ's construction general permit names no SWP3 preparer credential. Here is what TXR150000 actually says, and where a PE genuinely belongs on a Texas project.
QSD vs QSP: California's Two Different SWPPP Credentials
California's Construction General Permit requires a QSD to sign the SWPPP and a QSP to inspect it on site. Two credentials, not one interchangeable title.
SWPPP or erosion control plan: are they the same document?
A SWPPP comes from your NPDES stormwater permit. An erosion control plan is often a separate local grading requirement. Here is how to tell them apart.
What the Construction General Permit Covers, and What It Doesn't
EPA's permit, your state's permit, and an individual permit all answer to "the CGP." Confusing them is how operators file under the wrong document.
A guide explains the mechanism. Your permit decides the number.
Screen your own site against the permit that governs it, with the section cited behind every requirement.