Regulatory Sourcebook

Official source for permitting policies, guidelines, regulations and procedures of the Baltimore District Regulatory Branch.  

Individual Permits

Standard Permit, also referred to as an Individual Permit, is required when a proposed project does not meet the criteria to qualify for a General Permit, Nationwide Permit, or Letter of Permission. A Standard Permit usually has a 21-day comment period under public noticing, though it can be as short as 15 days or up to 30 days. A copy of the permit drawings and a description of the project are mailed out to the adjacent property owners and the applicant and their consultant. All other interested parties have to access the public notices from our website. Processing time for these types of permits is usually 60 to 120 days from the receipt of a complete application in non-controversial projects. Controversial or larger projects may take longer.

Letters of Permission

One type of individual permit, the Letter of Permission (LOP), used in the Baltimore District for impacts to waters regulated under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, only when the activity would not have significant individual or cumulative impacts on environmental values, should encounter no appreciable opposition, and does not qualify for a RGP. A Letter of Permission is done through an abbreviated processing procedure which includes coordination with federal and state agencies and adjacent property owners.