SW

Stormwater Directory

Compare Regulations

Compare state-level permit requirements side-by-side (up to 4 states)

MN(3 more)

Rows with an amber indicator differ across selected states.

Field
MN
Minnesota
NPDES ProgramState-Delegated
Permitting AgencyMinnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
Permit NameNPDES/SDS General Permit for Stormwater Associated with Construction Activity (Permit No. MNR100001)
Construction Threshold≥ 1 acre of land disturbance (or < 1 acre if part of a larger common plan of development or sale); Minnesota's permit also applies to all construction activity that discharges to a Special Water or impaired water regardless of acreage
NOI Lead TimeNOI must be submitted online at least 7 days before land disturbance begins; for sites discharging to Special Waters (MN Rule 7050), the NOI must be submitted at least 30 days before disturbance; permit coverage is automatic after the 7-day (or 30-day) waiting period if the NOI is complete
Application MethodOnline only via MPCA's ePERMITTING system (mpca.state.mn.us/epermitting); paper NOIs are not accepted for the Construction Stormwater General Permit; the online system requires the operator to submit the SWPPP electronically as an attachment
Permit Fee$400 for projects disturbing 1–5 acres; $1,000 for > 5 acres; fee is paid online at the time of NOI submission; annual permit fee of $400 applies for each subsequent permit year; additional $400 fee per year for sites discharging to impaired waters requiring additional BMPs
SWPPP RequiredYes
PE Certification RequiredNo
SWPPP Template AvailableYes
Inspection FrequencyEvery 7 days and within 24 hours after any rain event that produces ≥ 0.5 inches of rainfall in 24 hours; for sites during frozen conditions (November 1–March 31) when land disturbance is suspended and site is in compliance, inspections may be reduced to once per month; inspection records must be retained for 3 years after permit termination
Inspector QualificationMinnesota requires that at least one person associated with the project has completed MPCA's Construction Stormwater Trained Inspector designation — operators must document that their designated inspector has completed either: (1) MPCA's online Construction Stormwater Inspector training, or (2) a Minnesota-approved equivalent course such as CISEC or CPESC; this trained inspector requirement is codified in the permit language and is one of the more formal state-specific inspector credential requirements in the region
Post-Construction RequiredYes
Turbidity StandardNo numeric in-stream NTU limit for most sites; however, sites discharging to Special Waters (e.g., trout streams, Outstanding Resource Value Waters) must meet a discharge turbidity benchmark of 25 NTU during active land disturbance; for sites with dewatering or basin discharge, a settling basin effluent turbidity of 150 NTU is required before discharge