Galveston District > Missions > Regulatory

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Galveston District Regulatory Division

Mailing Address:

USACE Galveston District
2000 Fort Point Road
Galveston, TX 77550

Email: CESWGRegulatoryInbox@usace.army.mil

Phone: 409-766-3869 (Galveston Office)

Phone: 361-814-5850 (Corpus Christi Office)

Permit Information

Permit Application Materials	Materials necessary for a Department of the Army Permit application.
Regional General Permits	A list of the current General Permits (GP). If your project qualifies for one of these GPs, you can reduce the overall time needed to evaluate your permit application.
Nationwide General Permits	Nationwide Permits (NWPs) are a type of general permit issued by the Chief of Engineers and are designed to regulate with little, if any, delay or paperwork certain activities having minimal impacts.
Letters of Permission	A Letter of Permission is a type of permit issued through an abbreviated processing procedure which includes coordination with Federal and state fish and wildlife agencies, as required by the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and a public interest evaluation,
Archives	Nationwide Permit Archives (HQ Webpage)
Jurisdictional Limitations	Galveston District Jurisdictional Limitations

Regulatory Division

The Department of the Army Regulatory Program is one of the oldest in the federal government. Initially it served a fairly simple, straightforward purpose: to protect and maintain the navigable capacity of the nation's waters. Time, changing public needs, evolving policy, case law, and new statutory mandates have changed the complexion of the program, adding to its breadth, complexity, and authority.

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

Permitting

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), 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 USACE regulatory authority.

The Mission of the USACE Regulatory Program is to protect the Nation’s aquatic resources, while allowing reasonable development through fair, flexible and balanced permit decisions. Learn more about how to apply for a USACE Galveston District's Regulatory permit.

Electronic Submittal

As of 31 January 2024, USACE announces the launch of its new Regulatory Request System (RRS). RRS is designed to make the review of permit requests a transparent and efficient process for the public. RRS, currently in a beta version, provides general information on the Regulatory Program and allows the public to submit pre-application meeting requests and jurisdictional determination requests. Additional capability is scheduled in Spring 2024.

This added capability will allow users the ability to electronically submit individual and general permit applications and other necessary information, saving time and reducing the need for paper-based submissions.

RRS will streamline the permit application process and underscores USACE commitment to modernizing our application process, meeting user expectations, and providing a transparent, straightforward process for the timely review of permit requests.

Stay tuned for further updates on the full release of the RRS. Please click on the following link to access RRS: rrs.usace.army.mil

As of 19 July 2020, the Galveston District Regulatory Division has transitioned into a paperless electronic submittal for Regulatory business. All public notice comments should be directed to swg_public_notice@usace.army.mil.

To submit a Regulatory business request please email the request to CESWGRegulatoryInbox@usace.army.mil. Please include the County (project location) and Applicant Name in the subject line of the email. Please do not provide a duplicate paper copy if you have previously submitted electronically.

All files must not be locked, must have Optical Character Recognition (OCR) performed, be attached to the email, and be combined into a single Adobe pdf file. Please reduce the size of the attachments to the email submittal to less than 30 MB. Please format drawings no larger than 11-inch x 17-inch in size. If your files as attached to the email submittal are larger than 30 MB, there are several methods to send your request electronically:

1. Reduce Adobe PDF file sizes.

2. Email CESWGRegulatoryInbox@usace.army.mil and request a drop-off link to be sent from the DOD SAFE site, found at https://safe.apps.mil/. This DOD approved file transfer protocol (FTP) site can accommodate a total file size up to 8 GB. The webpage link within the email sent from DOD SAFE will allow you to upload your documents. Further instructions on how to upload documents is available here. Please send your uploaded documents to the CESWGRegulatoryInbox@usace.army.mil email address.

3. Send multiple emails. Label each email with same subject line and indicate number of emails. For example:

Doe Subdivision Application, SWG-2019-00000 (1 of 2)

Doe Subdivision Application, SWG-2019-00000 (2 of 2)

4. Mail a CD to the Galveston District. DO NOT send a USB flash drive.

5. Use .zip files as attachments. Combine multiple files into a .zip file to compress file size prior to adding as an email attachment. Documents should be formatted as Adobe Acrobat PDF files.

The Galveston District’s Regulatory Program email in-box is checked daily during regular business hours. Within 5 business days of submitting a request, you will receive an email which will include the stamped in date, contact information for the regulator assigned to your request, and a file number. Should a request be received after business hours, on the weekend, or on a Federal holiday, the stamped in date will correspond to the following regular business day. Please give 5 regular business days to receive the acknowledgement email before inquiring about receipt of permit applications. If the acknowledgement email is not received after this timeframe, please contact the Regulatory Division Office at (409) 766-3869.

This paperless transition does not alter the regulatory review and/or permit evaluation process. The use of electronic communications is expected to reduce transmittal delays and improve timeliness of the Regulatory process. While electronic submittals will be the preferred method, the Corps will continue to accept paper copies of permit applications and other correspondence. Please do not provide duplicate paper copies of electronically submitted applications or correspondence. The Corps Regulatory Division does not anticipate the need to provide paper copy correspondence unless specifically requested.

Permit Preapplication Screening

The Galveston District has established electronic procedures which will allow potential applicants to request electronic pre-application consultation. You may also submit electronic copies of your preliminary application through the electronic pre-application process to determine if your application is federally complete. Pre-Application screening does not constitute submission of a permit application for evaluation. Pre-application screening is a tool to assist applicants to ensure that all necessary requirements for the application are present for future submission. Please refer to the Pre-Application Meeting Checklist for more information.

After your request is submitted electronically, a member of our staff will conduct a brief but thorough review of your proposed project and provide helpful information necessary to pursue your application. We will provide you a summary of information which the Corps must consider in its permit decision making process, review your information for completeness, notify you if additional information is required prior to applying, and we may schedule you for a Joint Evaluation Meeting to present your project to other state and federal agencies. Please be advised, the processing clock for Nationwide Permit Preconstruction Notification will not be initiated and the Galveston District will only initiate permit processing when a copy is recieved by our office.

Pre-application jurisdictional verifications will not be accepted electronically. To request pre-application jurisdictional delineation verification, contact our Regulatory Hotline at 409-766-3869 to schedule an appointment.

The electronic application and any attached files must not exceed 30 megabytes (30MB). However, electronic documents must have sufficient resolution to show project details. To submit your request, please email CESWGRegulatoryInbox@usace.army.mil. Please include Pre-Application Screening in the subject line of the email.

Additional Application Information

We are now able to accept credit card payments for USACE Regulatory Permits. Customers can log in at www.pay.gov and pay the $10 or $100 Regulatory permit fees without having to write and mail a check. NOTE: Please verify with your Corps Regulatory project manager whether an Individual Permit fee is required for your project. Instructions for paying an Individual Permit Fee using pay.gov can be found here.

Section 408 Application - Galveston District Operations Division Section 408 application for work that modifies a Federal Project. Please submit the Section 408 application to Operations Division email at CESWG-OD-INT-REV@usace.army.mil.

Real Estate Outgrant Application - Galveston District Real Estate Division Outgrant application for projects that require permission to utilize Federal easements. Please submit the Real Estate Outgrant application to the Real Estate Division. You may contact the Real Estate Division via email at SWG-RE@usace.army.mil or by phone at 409-766-3800.

Sampling and Analysis Plan Protocol Private Dredging - Galveston District Operation Division guidance on developing a private dredging Sampling and Analysis Plan for testing of private dredged material.

The Permit Service Center at the General Land Office provides free permitting assistance to all small businesses, private individuals and local government organizations located within the Texas Coastal Management Program and Joint Permit Application Form boundaries. Please see the website for more information or call the Permit Service Center for assistance.