For work in Maryland, use the following applications listed below, as appropriate. You may download, write, or call the offices below for an application. It is important that you provide complete information in the application, as requested.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Baltimore District - CENAB-OPR
2 Hopkins Plaza
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
(410) 962-3670
nab-regulatory@usace.army.mil
Maryland Department of the Environment
Water Management Administration
Wetlands and Waterways Program
Montgomery Park Business Center
Suite 430
1800 Washington Boulevard
Baltimore, Maryland 21230-1708
NOTE: If sending application, mail it to the attention of Regulatory Services Coordination Office.
If you need to contact the office directly, either write at the address listed above or call the following:
Regulatory Services Coordination Office - (410) 537-3752
Nontidal Wetlands and Waterways Division - (410) 537-3456
Tidal Wetlands Division - (410) 537-3571
Aquaculture In Maryland:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are accepting Joint Applications for State Commercial Shellfish Aquaculture leases and Corps of Engineers Federal Permits in the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries and the Coastal Bays. The joint permit application should be submitted to Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Service, Shellfish Program B-2, 580 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401. DNR will forward your joint application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or you can also send to the Corps at the same time as DNR to help decrease review processing times. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must issue a permit before you may conduct shellfish aquaculture activities on your lease from DNR. Click to view more info and to download the Joint State/Federal Application for Commercial Shellfish Aquaculture leases. Additional information can also be found on Maryland Department of Natural Resources' web page on the Shellfish Aquaculture Program.
Work In Maryland (non-Aquaculture)
For work in tidal waters and wetlands in Maryland that are eligible for authorization under the Maryland State Programmatic General Permit (MDSPGP), use the most recent version of the Abbreviated Joint Federal/State Application for the Alteration of any Tidal Wetland and/or Tidal Waters in Maryland, also known as the "short form."
For work in waterways or wetlands in Maryland, use the attached Maryland Department of the Environment and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Joint Application.
Living Shorelines
For a living shoreline project, applicants are encouraged to submit additional information, found in checklists here, to streamline our review process. These checklists contain additional information that may be requested as a part of our review process for a proposed living shoreline project, including those that propose to impact submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV); are designed for coastal resiliency, sea level rise, and climate change; incorporate coarse woody debris; will be utilized for Chesapeake Bay TMDL goals or to achieve Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) targets; or propose to utilize beneficially used dredged material.
To improve early agency coordination of living shoreline and coastal resiliency projects, the Maryland Department of the Environment and Corps Baltimore District have formed the Maryland Tidal Shoreline Project Review Team (SPRT). The SPRT affords applicants and agents the opportunity to present their proposed project to resource agencies and receive coordinated feedback prior to submission of a Joint Permit Application (JPA). SPRT recommendations are not decisional. For additional information on SPRT, please visit https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/WetlandsandWaterways/Pages/Shoreline-Project-Review-Team.aspx.
Permits Types
In the Baltimore District, we use two types of General Permits to authorize work in Maryland: the Maryland State Programmatic General Permit-6 and the Nationwide Permits (NWPs). These General Permits may be used to authorize impacts to waters of the United States that have been determined to result in no more than minimal adverse environmental effects. The majority of projects qualify for authorization under one of these General Permits. For projects with the potential for more than minimal environmental impacts, authorization may be obtained through a Letter of Permission or an Individual Permit. Additional information on State Programmatic General Permits, NWPs, Letters of Permission and Individual Permits may be found on our
Permit Types and Processes page. In some instances, issued authorizations may require compensatory mitigation to offset unavoidable impacts to aquatic resource functions and services. Information on compensatory mitigation requirements may be found on our
Mitigation.
Maryland State Programmatic General Permit-6 (MDSPGP-6)
MDSPGP-6 authorizes work in waters of the United States within the state of Maryland for activities that would cause no more than minimal adverse environmental effects, individually and cumulatively, subject to the permit’s specific terms and conditions. This programmatic general permit has been developed in cooperation with Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) that has regulatory authority over waters in the state of Maryland. MDSPGP-6 became effective October 1, 2021 and will expire September 30, 2026. A revision to add clarifications and make corrections to the MDSPGP-6 was issued on November 3, 2022.
General and Activity-Specific Permit Conditions for the MDSPGP-6 - Permittees must comply with all of the General Conditions of the MDSPGP-6 and the Activity-Specific Conditions based on the permit Category (A or B) and type of activity (i.e. a(3) Piers, c(1) Utility Lines, etc.) used to authorize the work.
Notable Modifications - Take a look at the biggest changes from the MDSPGP-5.
Kickoff Training - View the PowerPoint training slides for full details on the changes in the MDSPGP-6, including revisions to existing activities and conditions, new activities, new project criteria that will require Category B review, new and revised General Conditions, and changes to the standard operating procedures.
View the September 30, 2021 Public Notice on the issuance of the MDSPGP-6.
View the November 3, 2022 Public Notice announcing the clarifications and corrections to the MDSPGP-6.
Nationwide Permits
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) are general permits issued on a nationwide basis to authorize minor activities with minimal evaluation time. NWPs have been established to reduce the regulatory reporting burden for specific activities that have no more than minimal impacts to the aquatic environment. Most NWPs have been suspended in Maryland since the MDSPGP-6 provides comparable Department of the Army authorization.
On January 8, 2026, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) published a final rule in the Federal Register (91 FR 786) announcing the reissuance of 56 existing NWPs the issuance of one new NWP and the decision to not reissue one NWP. These 56 NWPs will go into effect on March 15, 2026, and will expire on March 14, 2031:
- NWP 1. Aids to Navigation
- NWP 2. Structures in Artificial Canals
- NWP 3. Maintenance
- NWP 4. Fish and Wildlife Harvesting, Enhancement, and Attraction Devices and Activities
- NWP 5. Scientific Measurement Devices
- NWP 6. Survey Activities
- NWP 7. Outfall Structures and Associated Intake Structures
- NWP 8. Oil and Gas Structures on the Outer Continental Shelf
- NWP 9. Structures in Fleeting and Anchorage Areas
- NWP 10. Mooring Buoys
- NPW 11. Temporary Recreational Structures
- NWP 12. Oil or Natural Gas Pipeline Activities
- NWP 13. Bank Stabilization
- NWP 14. Linear Transportation Projects
- NWP 15. U.S. Coast Guard Approved Bridges
- NWP 16. Return Water From Upland Contained Disposal Areas
- NWP 17. Hydropower Projects
- NWP 18. Minor Discharges
- NWP 19. Minor Dredging
- NWP 20. Response Operations for Oil or Hazardous Substances
- NWP 21. Surface Coal Mining Activities
- NWP 22. Removal of Vessels
- NWP 23. Approved Categorical Exclusions
- NWP 24. Indian Tribe or State Administered Section 404 Programs
- NWP 25. Structural Discharges
- NWP 26. [Reserved]
- NWP 27. Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration, Enhancement, and Establishment Activities
- NWP 28. Modifications of Existing Marinas
- NWP 29. Residential Developments
- NWP 30. Moist Soil Management for Wildlife
- NWP 31. Maintenance of Existing Flood Control Facilities
- NWP 32. Completed Enforcement Actions
- NWP 33. Temporary Construction, Access, and Dewatering
- NWP 34. Cranberry Production Activities
- NWP 35. Maintenance Dredging of Existing Basins
- NWP 36. Boat Ramps
- NWP 37. Emergency Watershed Protection and Rehabilitation
- NWP 38. Cleanup of Hazardous and Toxic Waste
- NWP 39. Commercial and Institutional Developments
- NWP 40. Agricultural Activities
- NWP 41. Reshaping Existing Drainage and Irrigation Ditches
- NWP 42. Recreational Facilities
- NWP 43. Stormwater Management Facilities
- NWP 44. Mining Activities
- NWP 45. Repair of Uplands Damaged by Discrete Events
- NWP 46. Discharges in Ditches
- NWP 47. [Reserved]
- NWP 48. Commercial Shellfish Mariculture Activities
- NWP 49. Coal Remining Activities
- NWP 50. Underground Coal Mining Activities
- NWP 51. Land-Based Renewable Energy Generation Facilities
- NWP 52. Water-Based Renewable Energy Generation Pilot Projects
- NWP 53. Removal of Low-Head Dams
- NWP 54. Living Shorelines
- NWP 55. Seaweed Mariculture Activities
- NWP 56. [Reserved]
- NWP 57. Electric Utility Line and Telecommunications Activities
- NWP 58. Utility Line Activities for Water and Other Substances
- NWP 59. Water Reclamation and Reuse Facilities
- NWP 60. Activities to Improve Passage of Fish and Other Aquatic Organisms
On March 13, 2026, the Baltimore District issued Special Public Notice 26-08, announcing the final suspensions and regional conditions for these 2026 NWPs in the State of Maryland. The document identifying the suspended NWPs can be found here. A copy of the NWPs definitions, general conditions, and regional conditions can be found here.