Pennsylvania
SWPPP requirements in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania issues its own construction general permit. Below is what we can say honestly: who may prepare the plan, what the plan has to do, and where to get the requirements we have not verified.
Not verified for Pennsylvania, confirm with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), Bureau of Clean Water
We have not read the Pennsylvania construction general permit, so we will not publish its inspection frequency, its stabilisation deadlines or its filing path. Those numbers differ between states and the federal ones are not a safe stand in: a state permit must be at least as protective as the federal one, and several are considerably stricter.
Go to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), Bureau of Clean Water
What is on this page and is verified: the preparer credential answer below, and the coverage trigger the screening applies. See which permit governs Pennsylvania.
Who may prepare the plan
No preparer credential foundNo preparer credential was found for Pennsylvania. On what we have verified, a generated plan can be adopted by the operator without a credentialed signature. Local ordinances can still be stricter than state law.
PADEP PAG-02 instructions state the developer need not be a licensed professional. 25 Pa. Code 102.4(b)(3) requires only trained and experienced.
No permit section cited. Confirm this with your permitting authority.
Coverage trigger
Worked through at 3 acres
The project disturbs 3 acres, at or above the 1 acre threshold, so it needs permit coverage.
The trigger people miss is the second one. A half acre lot inside a 40 acre subdivision is covered, because the larger common plan of development or sale is what counts, not the lot.
Read these before you act on the answer
- We have identified PAG-02 NPDES General Permit for Discharges of Stormwater Associated with Construction Activities as the governing permit but have not loaded its requirements. The requirements below are not shown because we will not substitute the federal permit's rules for a state's. Confirm with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), Bureau of Clean Water.
- No preparer credential was found for Pennsylvania. On what we have verified, a generated plan can be adopted by the operator without a credentialed signature. Local ordinances can still be stricter than state law.
- Basinwise does not perform the physical site inspections the permit requires. Those must be carried out on site by a qualified person.
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What a plan has to cover, under the federal permit
This is EPA's list, from the 2022 Construction General Permit. It does NOT govern in Pennsylvania, where the state issues its own permit and sets its own contents. It is here as a shape to expect, not as the requirement you will be held to.
General SWPPP requirementPart 7.1Verified
- All operators associated with a construction site under this permit must develop a SWPPP consistent with Part 7 prior to their submittal of the NOI. The SWPPP must be kept up-to-date throughout coverage under this permit. If a SWPPP was prepared under a previous version of this permit, the operator must review and update it before submitting an NOI.
All Site OperatorsPart 7.2.1Verified
- Include a list of all other operators who will be engaged in construction activities at the site, and the areas of the site over which each operator has control.
Stormwater TeamPart 7.2.2Verified
- Identify the personnel (by name and position) on the stormwater team pursuant to Part 6.1, their individual responsibilities, and which members are responsible for conducting inspections. Include verification that each member has received the Part 6.2 training, and documentation that inspection personnel have received the Part 6.3 training (EPA inspector training certificates, or documentation of a current non-EPA program certification plus confirmation the program satisfies the Part 6.3b minimum elements).
Nature of Construction ActivitiesParts 7.2.3a - 7.2.3iVerified
- A description of the nature of your construction activities, including the age or dates of past renovations for structures undergoing demolition
- The size of the property (in acres, or length in miles if a linear construction site)
- The total area expected to be disturbed by the construction activities (to the nearest quarter acre, or nearest quarter mile if a linear construction site)
- A description of any on-site and off-site construction support activity areas covered by this permit
- The maximum area expected to be disturbed at any one time, including on-site and off-site construction support activity areas
- A description and projected schedule for: commencement of construction activities in each portion of the site (clearing and grubbing, mass grading, demolition, site preparation, final grading, and creation of soil and vegetation stockpiles requiring stabilization); temporary or permanent cessation of construction activities in each portion; temporary or final stabilization of exposed areas for each portion; and removal of temporary stormwater controls and construction equipment or vehicles and cessation of construction-related pollutant-generating activities
- A list and description of all pollutant-generating activities on the site, with an inventory of pollutants or pollutant constituents associated with each, taking into account where potential spills and leaks could occur and any known hazardous or toxic substances such as PCBs and asbestos that will be disturbed or removed
- Business days and hours for the project
- If conducting construction activities in response to a public emergency, a description of the cause of the emergency, information substantiating its occurrence (e.g. a State disaster declaration), and a description of the construction necessary to reestablish affected public services
Site MapParts 7.2.4a - 7.2.4kVerified
- Boundaries of the property
- Locations where construction activities will occur, including: locations of earth-disturbing activities (noting any phasing) including demolition; approximate slopes before and after major grading (noting any steep slopes); locations where sediment, soil or other construction materials will be stockpiled; any receiving water crossings; designated points where vehicles will exit onto paved roads; locations of structures and other impervious surfaces upon completion; and locations of on-site and off-site construction support activity areas
- Locations of any receiving waters within the site and all receiving waters within one mile downstream of the site's discharge point(s), identifying whether any are listed as impaired or identified as a Tier 2, Tier 2.5 or Tier 3 water
- Any areas of Federally listed critical habitat within the action area of the site
- Type and extent of pre-construction cover on the site (e.g. vegetative cover, forest, pasture, pavement, structures)
- Drainage patterns of stormwater and authorized non-stormwater before and after major grading activities
- Stormwater and authorized non-stormwater discharge locations, including discharges to storm drain inlets (noting whether the inlet conveys stormwater to a sediment basin, sediment trap or similarly effective control), discharges directly to receiving waters, and locations where turbidity benchmark monitoring will take place
- Locations of all potential pollutant-generating activities identified in Part 7.2.3g
- Designated areas where construction wastes covered by the Part 2.3.3e.ii exception will be stored
- Locations of stormwater controls, including natural buffer areas and any shared controls utilized to comply with this permit
- Locations where polymers, flocculants or other treatment chemicals will be used and stored
Non-Stormwater DischargesPart 7.2.5Verified
- Identify all authorized non-stormwater discharges in Part 1.2.2 that will or may occur.
Procedures for Inspection, Maintenance, and Corrective ActionParts 7.2.7a - 7.2.7eVerified
- The inspection schedule you will follow, based on whether your site is subject to Part 4.2 or Part 4.3, or whether it qualifies for any of the reduced inspection frequencies in Part 4.4
- If conducting inspections under Part 4.2.2, Part 4.3 or Part 4.4.1b, the location of the rain gauge or the address of the weather station you will use to obtain rainfall data
- If reducing your inspection frequency in accordance with Part 4.4.1b, the beginning and ending dates of the seasonally defined arid period for your area or the valid period of drought
- If reducing your inspection frequency in accordance with Part 4.4.3, the beginning and ending dates of frozen conditions on your site
- Any maintenance or inspection checklists or other forms that will be used
Procedures for Turbidity Benchmark Monitoring from Dewatering Discharges (if applicable)Part 7.2.8Verified
- If required to comply with the Part 3.3 turbidity benchmark monitoring requirements, describe the procedures you will follow to collect and evaluate samples, report results to EPA, keep records of monitoring information, and take corrective action when necessary. Include the specific type of turbidity meter you will use and any manuals or manufacturer instructions on how to operate and calibrate it. Describe any coordinating arrangement with other permitted operators on the same site, including which parties are tasked with specific responsibilities. If EPA has approved an alternate turbidity benchmark, include the data and documentation relied on to request it.
Compliance with Other RequirementsParts 7.2.9a - 7.2.9cVerified
- Threatened and Endangered Species Protection: include the documentation required in the Endangered Species Protection section of the NOI in NeT, or the ESA worksheet in Appendix D, supporting your eligibility
- Historic Properties: include the documentation required in Appendix E supporting your eligibility with regard to the protection of historic properties
- Safe Drinking Water Act Underground Injection Control (UIC) requirements: if using infiltration trenches, commercially manufactured pre-cast or pre-built proprietary subsurface detention vaults/chambers/devices designed to capture and infiltrate stormwater, or drywells, seepage pits or improved sinkholes, document any contact with the applicable State agency or EPA Regional Office responsible for underground injection wells. Such controls would generally be considered Class V UIC wells
SWPPP CertificationPart 7.2.10Verified
- Your signatory must sign and date your SWPPP in accordance with Appendix G, Part G.11.
Post-Authorization Additions to the SWPPPParts 7.2.11a - 7.2.11cVerified
- A copy of your NOI submitted to EPA along with any correspondence exchanged between you and EPA related to coverage under this permit
- A copy of the acknowledgment letter you receive from NeT assigning your NPDES ID (i.e. permit tracking number)
- A copy of this permit (an electronic copy easily available to the stormwater team is also acceptable)
Read the permit itself at the source document.
What people ask about SWPPP requirements in Pennsylvania
What are the SWPPP requirements in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania issues its own construction general permit, and we have not read it. We will not publish its inspection frequency or stabilisation deadlines from memory or by analogy with the federal permit. Confirm the requirements with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), Bureau of Clean Water. The preparer credential answer on this page is separate and we have verified it where the badge says so.
Who may prepare a SWPPP in Pennsylvania?
No preparer credential was found for Pennsylvania. On what we have verified, a generated plan can be adopted by the operator without a credentialed signature. Local ordinances can still be stricter than state law.
How often must a Pennsylvania site be inspected?
The inspection frequency is set by the Pennsylvania construction general permit, which we have not read. Confirm it with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), Bureau of Clean Water.
The permit makes you keep the record, not just know the answer
Screening is free. Pro generates the site specific plan document and retains the inspection and corrective action log.