Submit Permit Applications, Potential Violations, Jurisdictional Determination Requests, and Pre-application and Interagency Meeting Requests via the Regulatory Request System rrs.usace.army.mil
Submit Inquiries, Agency Permits/Certifications, FOIA requests, and Monitoring Reports to cespn-rg-info@usace.army.mil

Apply For a Permit

Apply Online • Learn about Regulatory • Track Request Status

The Regulatory Program has introduced a NEW national online application portal and management platform called the Regulatory Request System (RRS) to modernize its permitting process and meet user expectations by providing a straightforward transparent process for the submittal of permit requests.

 

Contact Information

Submittal Process:

  • Submit Permit Applications, Potential Violations, Jurisdictional Determination Requests, and Pre-application and Interagency Meeting Requests via the Regulatory Request System rrs.usace.army.mil
  • Email Inquiries, Agency Permits/Certifications, FOIA requests, and Monitoring Reports to cespn-rg-info@usace.army.mil

For emails please include the type of request and Corps File Number, if known, in the Subject Line.

Even if it is necessary to provide a hard copy of the application materials, a digital copy must still be submitted in PDF format.

We can receive emails with attachments up to 35 MB in size.  Larger files can be transmitted using the DoD SAFE web app (https://safe.apps.mil/​).  If you require use of DoD SAFE for your documentation submittals, please coordinate with Corps staff at CESPN-RG-Info@usace.army.mil to upload and transfer your files.

Please direct any inquiries and issues with the RRS to: rrs@usace.army.mil

 

Regulatory Mission

The Department of the Army's Regulatory Program is one of the oldest in the federal government. Initially, it served a simple purpose: to protect and maintain the navigable capacity of the nation's waters. Changing public needs, evolving policy, court decisions and new statutory mandates have changed several aspects of the program including its breadth, complexity and authority.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through the Regulatory Program, administers and enforces Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (RHA) and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Under RHA Section 10, a permit is required for work or structures in, over or under navigable waters of the United States. Under CWA Section 404, a permit is required for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States. Many waterbodies and wetlands in the nation are waters of the United States and are subject to the Corps' regulatory authority.

The Regulatory Program is committed to protecting the Nation's aquatic resources and navigation capacity, while allowing reasonable development through fair and balanced permit decisions. The Corps evaluates permit applications for essentially all construction activities that occur in the Nation's waters, including wetlands.

The USACE Regulatory Program – Importance to the Public

Announcements

19 March 2025 - Army Corps of Engineers Announces the Release of Updated Wetland Delineation Data Sheets and Updated Automated Wetland Determination Data Sheets (ADS)
3/19/2025
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announces the release of updated ENG Forms 6116 (1-9), which are the wetland identification data sheets that are used for the ten Regional Supplements to...
12 March 2025 - EPA and Army Announce Guidance and a "WOTUS Notice: The Final Response to SCOTUS"
3/12/2025
On March 12, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army announced a joint memorandum issuing guidance to field staff on implementation of “continuous surface connection”...
30 January 2025 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is announcing the availability of the draft changes to the 2024 NWPL and its web site to solicit public comments
1/30/2025
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as part of an interagency effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture...
8 January 2025 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Jointly Announce the Availability of the National Ordinary High Water Mark Field Delineation Manual for Rivers and Streams (National OHWM Manual)
1/8/2025
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly announce the availability of the Final National Ordinary High Water Mark Field Delineation Manual...
6 January 2025 - Public Notices Module Now Available - Enhances RRS Functionality!
1/6/2025
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is excited to announce the launch of the Public Notice module on the Regulatory Request System (RRS). Released in January 2025, this new feature allows users...
27 November 2024: Availability of New and Updated Engineer (ENG) Forms for the USACE Regulatory Program
11/27/2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announces the availability of new and updated Engineer (ENG) forms for use in our delivery of the USACE Regulatory Program. These new and updated forms are...
7 November 2024: USACE Antecedent Precipitation Tool (APT) Service Has Been Restored
11/7/2024
NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), headquartered in Asheville, NC, has restored service to its data center following the impacts from Hurricane Helene. The USACE Antecedent...
9 October 2024: The USACE Antecedent Precipitation Tool (APT) is Temporarily Down
10/9/2024
NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), headquartered in Asheville, NC, has been affected by Hurricane Helene. The NCEI data center is currently shut down. NOAA NCEI’s network...
23 September 2024 – Definition of “Waters of the United States” – Rule Status and Litigation Update
9/24/2024
On December 30, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of the Army (“the agencies”) announced the final "Revised Definition of 'Waters of the United States'" rule. On...
19 September 2024 – Principles of Delivery for Mitigation Bank Decisions
9/20/2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a document titled “Principles of Delivery for Mitigation Bank Decisions” to implement policy direction provided by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil...
Archived Announcements

Local News

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Expand List item 37311Collapse List item 37311  28 JAN 2025 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as part of an interagency effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, is announcing the availability of the draft changes to the 2024 NWPL and its web address to solicit public comments. 

The public now has the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes to wetland indicator status ratings for one plant species in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain and Eastern Mountains, and Piedmont regions and one species in the Midwest and Northcentral and Northeast regions. Additionally, changes to eight species in the Alaska Region are proposed and available for public comment. The Federal Register Notice (FRN) for the 2024 NWPL update can be found here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/28/2025-01798/national-wetland-plant-list .  The public comment period ends on 31 March 2025.

USACE encourages public input in the form of data, comments, literature references, or field experiences, to help clarify the status of the species reviewed for this update. Comments on these proposed changes should be emailed to nwpl@usace.army.mil. Users are encouraged to submit literature citations, herbaria records, experiential references, monitoring data, photographic documentation, and other relevant information. Specific knowledge of, or studies related to, individual species are particularly helpful. When providing input or information on the draft changes to the 2024 NWPL update, commenters should use their regional botanical and ecological expertise, field observations, reviews of the most recent indicator status information, appropriate botanical literature, floras, herbarium specimens with notation of habitat and associated species, habit data, relevant studies, and historic list information. Providing ratings without supporting documentation or information is not recommended. All submitted comments and information will be compiled and sent to the National Panel for their review and consideration.

USACE administers the NWPL for the United States and its territories.  The NWPL provides plant species indicator status ratings, which are used in determining whether the hydrophytic vegetation factor is met when conducting wetland delineations under the Clean Water Act and wetland determinations under the Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act. Other applications of the NWPL include wetland restoration, establishment, and enhancement projects.  Additions or deletions to the NWPL represent new records, range extensions, nomenclatural and taxonomic changes, and newly proposed species.  The latest review process began in 2024 and included review by Regional Panels and the National Panel. 

Additional information on the NWPL can be found at the NWPL website (https://wetland-plants.sec.usace.army.mil/), including a new video on how to use the newly redesigned site, which can be found here: https://wetland-plants.sec.usace.army.mil/reference/.

Expand List item 31430Collapse List item 31430  27 JAN 2023 - New Model Amendment to Incorporate Advance Mitigation Language for BEIs that Utilize the 2008 or 2017 BEI Template

The San Francisco District is pleased to announce the availability of the Model Amendment to Incorporate Advance Mitigation Language for BEIs that Utilize the 2008 or 2017 BEI Template (Model Amendment).

The San Francisco District, in collaboration with other agencies on the California Mitigation Banking Project Delivery Team (PDT), updated the Bank Enabling Instrument (BEI) template in 2021 to allow the sale of credits without transfers.  As a follow-on action, and at the request of Caltrans and mitigation bank sponsors, the PDT has worked for the past year to develop a mechanism to allow the incorporation of the advance mitigation language included in the 2021 BEI template into currently approved BEIs.

The Model Amendment incorporates the 2021 BEI template language that allows for the sale without a transfer of credits at a mitigation bank and the inclusion of new credit sale and associated transfer templates.  It also includes a process for bank sponsors to request the reduction of the Performance Security by 50% once a mitigation bank enters the Long-Term Management Period.

The Model Amendment was designed to be used by bank sponsors requesting an amendment to BEIs developed using the 2008 or 2017 version of the BEI template.  Bank sponsors should verify that sections referenced in the Model Amendment accurately reflect the sections in the BEI template.  The language included in the model amendment may be useful when proposing an amendment for these mitigation banks.  We recommend bank sponsors whose BEIs were approved prior to the development of templates should coordinate their desire to amend their BEI and should incorporate similar language to the model amendment, where feasible.

The Model Amendment has been posted to the South Pacific Division’s Public Notice page at Model Amendment to Incorporate Advance Mitigation Language for Bank Enabling Instruments > South Pacific Division > Public Notices and References (army.mil)

Expand List item 31273Collapse List item 31273  30 December 2022 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army announced a final rule establishing a durable definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army announced a final rule establishing a durable definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The rule was published in the Federal Register today, 18 January 2023. The effective date of this rule is set for 20 March 2023

In developing the rule, EPA and Army considered the text of the relevant provisions of the Clean Water Act and the statute as a whole, the scientific record, relevant Supreme Court case law, and the agencies’ experience and technical expertise after more than 45 years of implementing the longstanding pre-2015 regulations defining ‘‘waters of the United States.’’  The final rule advances the objective of the Clean Water Act and ensures critical protections for the nation’s vital water resources, which support public health, environmental protection, agricultural activity, and economic growth across the United States.  The final rule is available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/01/18/2022-28595/revised-definition-of-waters-of-the-united-states.  Additional information regarding the rule is available on EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/wotus .

Expand List item 28639Collapse List item 28639  20 October 2021 - Waters of the U.S. Public Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement Activities

The Corps’ South Pacific Division issued a notice regarding the USEPA and the Department of the Army announcement of a process for stakeholders to submit nomination letters for a slate of nominees to potentially be selected for one of the geographically focused roundtables on revisions to the definition of Waters of the United States.  See https://www.spd.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public-Notices-and-References/Article/2816963/waters-of-the-us-wotus-public-outreach-and-stakeholder-engagement-activities/.

Expand List item 28214Collapse List item 28214  3 September 2021 – Current Implementation of Waters of the United States

The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the agencies) are in receipt of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona’s August 30, 2021, order vacating and remanding the Navigable Waters Protection Rule in the case of Pascua Yaqui Tribe v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In light of this order, the agencies have halted implementation of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and are interpreting “waters of the United States” consistent with the pre-2015 regulatory regime until further notice. The agencies continue to review the order and consider next steps. This includes working expeditiously to move forward with the rulemakings announced on June 9, 2021, in order to better protect our nation’s vital water resources that support public health, environmental protection, agricultural activity, and economic growth. The agencies remain committed to crafting a durable definition of “waters of the United States” that is informed by diverse perspectives and based on an inclusive foundation. Additional information is available on EPA’s website at: https://www.epa.gov/wotus/current-implementation-waters-united-states.

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Regulatory Links

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Contact Information

Department of the Army
San Francisco District, Corps of Engineers
Regulatory Division
450 Golden Gate Ave., 4th Floor
San Francisco, California 94102-3404

Phone Number: (415) 503-6795
Fax Number: (415) 503-6693

Email: CESPN-RG-Info@usace.army.mil