General Permits
Nationwide Permits
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) are issued by the Corps Regulatory Headquarters on a national basis every five years, and are designed to streamline Department of the Army (DA) authorization of projects that result in minimal individual and cumulative impacts to the nation's aquatic environment. The NWPs authorize many different categories of activities, such as residential and commercial developments, utility lines, linear transportation projects, and more. To ensure activities authorized by NWPs cause no more than minimal adverse environmental effects, the Corps Regulatory Division Engineers are authorized to add regional conditions to protect local aquatic ecosystems.
There are a total of 57 NWP (numbers 1 through 60, with three NWPs revoked nationwide), of which 36 offer the ability to self-regulate. The terms of these NWPs do not require notification to the Corps (i.e., the submittal of a pre-construction notification (PCN) form) for either some or all of the activities they authorize. The terms of the NWP will state specifically when notification is required. If notification isn’t addressed, that means notification is not required for any activities that NWP authorizes. However, there are general and regional conditions that require notification even when the terms of the NWP do not. Project proponents working under an NWP that does not require notification are responsible for ensuring that their project does not require notification by one of these conditions. The General and Regional Conditions can be found on our state-specific webpages (see below). Project managers at the Corps are always available to help applicants determine if their project requires notification to the Corps, or a screening tool in our Regulatory Request System can help make that determination.
An activity may be authorized under an NWP only if it meets both the general and regional conditions of the specific NWP and any special conditions added by the Corps district. The activity must also comply with any applicable Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification issued by a certifying authority and any applicable Coastal Zone Management Act Consistency Determination concurrence issued by the state.
After more than 30 years of solely utilizing Regional General Permits for authorizing minimally impactful activities, the New England District Regulatory Division will begin utilizing NWPs when the 2026 NWPs become effective on March 15, 2026. The use of NWPs throughout New England will provide consistency from state-to-state for both the regulated public and the district. For more information on the New England District's transition to the use of the NWPs, please see the following resources:
Regional General Permits
Regional General Permits (RGPs) are issued by a Corps District or Division for a specific activity that would not result in more than minimal individual and cumulative impacts to the aquatic environment. As the name implies, RGPs are issued for use within a specific geographic region. An activity may be authorized under an RGP only if it meets the specific terms and conditions of that RGP, and also complies with any applicable Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) issued by a certifying authority and any applicable Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) Consistency Determination concurrence issued by the state. Corps Districts or Divisions use RGPs to streamline review and authorization of commonly proposed activities that are not authorized by the NWPs, but would still result in no more than minimal individual and cumulative impacts to the aquatic environment.
New England District has issued a set of state-specific RGPs. After March 15, 2026, when New England District implements the NWPs, many of the state-specific RGPs will no longer be available for use. However, any activities which received RGP verification will still be authorized until the expiration of the RGP.
Choose your state to see which General Permits (NWPs and RGPs) are available for use:
When an applicant wants to obtain authorization under an NWP or an RGP, they submit a pre-construction notification to their local Corps district. The district then reviews their proposed activities to ensure that they comply with all permit terms, general conditions, regional conditions (if an NWP), WQC conditions, and CZMA Consistency Determination concurrence conditions. The district also ensures that the proposed activities comply with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). If compliance is demonstrated, the applicant receives a letter from the district verifying that their proposed activities are authorized by the applicable NWP or RGP.
Individual Permits
Letters of Permission
A Letter of Permission (LOP) is a Department of the Army authorization that is issued on an activity-specific basis by the local Corps district. Certain proposed activities that do not qualify for authorization by an NWP or RGP may be authorized under LOP procedures. Section 10 LOPs are often used to authorize activities that are solely jurisdictional under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (that is, proposed work or structures within navigable waters of the U.S. with no associated discharge of dredged or fill material), the work is minor and would not have significant individual or cumulative impacts on environmental values, and is not anticipated to encounter any appreciable opposition (33 CFR 325.2(e)(i)). Proposed activities to be authorized by a Section 10 LOP must comply with Section 7 of the ESA, Section 106 of the NHPA, and the MSA. Additionally, proposed activities to be authorized by a Section 10 LOP must obtain an activity-specific Clean Water Act Section 401 WQC (if required by the appropriate certifying authority) and CZMA Consistency Determination concurrence.
Section 404 LOPs can be used to authorize activities that involve the discharge of dredged or fill material, but do not qualify for authorization by an NWP or RGP. Procedures for authorization under a Section 404 LOP are developed by the local Corps district through a process which involves coordination with the appropriate resource agencies, potential consultations under Section 7 of the ESA, Section 106 of the NHPA, and the MSA, a public interest review, and applying for a general Clean Water Act Section 401 WQC and CZMA Consistency Determination concurrence. Currently, the New England District does not have any Section 404 LOP procedures; however, the district is currently developing Section 404 LOPs for development projects and dam removals.
Standard Individual Permits
A standard Individual Permit (IP) is a Department of the Army authorization that is issued on an activity-specific basis by the local Corps district. Proposed activities that do not qualify for authorization by an NWP, RGP, or LOP are evaluated under standard IP procedures. Standard IP procedures require an analysis of alternatives, a public interest review, and, if applicable, a Clean Water Act Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines analysis. As with the review of activities under a general permit (NWP or RGP) and LOPs, the proposed activities must comply with Section 7 of the ESA, Section 106 of the NHPA, and the MSA. Additionally, the proposed activities must obtain an activity-specific Clean Water Act Section 401 WQC and CZMA Consistency Determination concurrence.
Ready to apply? Please visit our Regulatory Request System
Updated: March 4, 2026