The Washington Construction Stormwater General Permit (CSGP) is the state water-quality permit that almost every construction site of one acre or more must hold before it disturbs soil and sends stormwater toward a stream, lake, or storm drain. You apply for it by filling out and submitting a Notice of Intent, or NOI, to the Washington State Department of Ecology. The NOI is your formal request to operate under the statewide permit instead of getting a slow, custom individual permit.
Getting this form wrong is expensive. A late or sloppy NOI can push your start date back two months or more, and building without coverage can draw daily fines under state water law. Ecology processed 793 stormwater permit submittals in 2024 alone, so you are one of thousands of operators racing the same 60-day clock — and the ones who fill the form out cleanly are the ones who break ground on time.
Here is what you will learn in this guide:
- 📋 What the CSGP and the NOI actually are, and who is legally required to file.
- 🗂️ Every document, ID number, and map you must gather before you open the online form.
- ✍️ A field-by-field walkthrough of the eNOI, with sample entries you can copy.
- 📰 How to handle the tricky public-notice and SEPA steps that trip up first-timers.
- ⚠️ The mistakes that delay coverage, the fees you owe, and answers to the questions filers ask most.
What the Form Is and Who Must File It
The Construction Stormwater General Permit is a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued under the federal Clean Water Act and Washington’s own Water Pollution Control Act. The permit itself is a set of rules. The Notice of Intent (NOI) is the application form you submit to ask Ecology to cover your specific site under those rules. The current permit took effect on January 1, 2026, was reissued on November 19, 2025, and expires on December 31, 2030, so confirm you are working from the 2026 version and not the old permit that expired December 31, 2025.
You must file an NOI if your clearing, grading, or excavating disturbs one acre or more of land and discharges stormwater to surface waters of the state. You also must file if your site is smaller than one acre but part of a “larger common plan of development or sale” that totals one acre or more, as Ecology explains on its permit applicability page. A new rule in the 2026 permit (S1.B.1.a.i) says you must also count off-site areas you disturb because of the project, such as staging yards, borrow pits, and material storage, unless those areas already carry their own permit.
“Surface waters of the state” is broad. It covers rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, salt water, and any ditch or pipe that drains to them. Ecology can also require a permit at a site of any size if it believes the site could be a major source of pollution. The agency that receives your form is the Washington State Department of Ecology, the statute behind it is Chapter 90.48 RCW, and the permit rules live in Chapter 173-226 WAC. If you skip the form when you owe it, you are discharging without a permit, which is a violation that can carry penalties of thousands of dollars per day.
Before You Start: Documents and Information You Need
Open the online form only after you have gathered everything below. The eNOI does not save well around missing data, and a half-finished application invites errors that delay your coverage. Plan to collect these eight items first.
- Your legal business name and UBI number. Ecology matches the operator name to state business records, and a mismatch can stall the application.
- Site owner and operator contact details. The permit needs both the owner and the day-to-day operator, because the operator is legally responsible for compliance.
- The site’s full physical address and parcel number(s). Without the parcel number, Ecology cannot pin your project on the map, and review pauses.
- Total acres to be disturbed, including off-site areas. This number sets your fee and your monitoring duties, so measure it from your plans, not a guess.
- Latitude and longitude of the site. The portal maps your discharge point; bad coordinates can route your file to the wrong regional reviewer.
- The name of the receiving water. You must name the stream, lake, or storm system that gets your runoff, because impaired waters trigger extra steps.
- SEPA compliance information. You need proof your project met the State Environmental Policy Act, since the NOI certifies SEPA is complete.
- Newspaper publication details. You must line up a local newspaper to run your public notice twice, and you certify the publication dates on the form.
Two more things are not attachments but matter just as much. You must have a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) written before construction starts, even though you usually do not upload it with the NOI. You also need a Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead (CESCL) lined up to run site inspections once work begins; you can find a certified CESCL through Ecology’s directory.
Where to Get the Form and How to Access It
You cannot mail a paper NOI for routine coverage. Ecology requires you to submit the electronic application, called the eNOI, over the internet through the Water Quality Permitting Portal. The form lives inside that portal, and you reach it from the Construction Stormwater General Permit page.
To use the portal, you must first create a Secure Access Washington (SAW) account, the state’s single sign-on system. Register at SecureAccess Washington, then add the “Water Quality Permitting Portal” service to your SAW account. Allow a day or two in case identity verification holds you up, because you cannot start the NOI until your SAW login works.
Once inside, the portal walks you through the NOI as a series of online screens rather than a single static PDF. Your saved data flows into Ecology’s Permit and Reporting Information System (PARIS), the database that tracks your coverage, fees, and reports for the life of the project. Keep your SAW credentials safe, because you will return to this same portal to file discharge monitoring reports, pay annual fees, and eventually terminate coverage.
Step-by-Step: How to Fill Out the Construction Stormwater NOI Line by Line
The eNOI is organized into logical groups of fields. Below is each major section in the order you meet it, with plain-English guidance, a sample entry, an edge case, a common mistake, and a misconception to clear up. Follow the exact labels the portal shows you and do not paraphrase your answers.
1. Permittee (Operator) Information
This section asks who will hold the permit and run the site day to day. Enter the legal name of the company or person who controls construction activities, not the architect or the future homeowner. Type the name exactly as registered with the state, add your UBI (Unified Business Identifier) number, and give a mailing address, phone, and email for the responsible person. For example, Cascade Grading LLC, UBI 604 123 456 enters its office address and lists its project manager as the contact.
A common edge case is a joint venture or a parent company with subsidiaries. List the entity that actually directs the work and will sign for compliance, because Ecology holds the named permittee responsible. The most common mistake here is naming the property owner when a separate contractor runs the site; if the wrong party is named, the actual operator is exposed to enforcement and the named party cannot legally control the permit. Many filers wrongly believe the “operator” must be the landowner — in truth, the operator is whoever has control over construction plans and the power to meet permit conditions.
2. Site (Project) Information
Here you describe the construction project itself. Enter the project name, the full site physical address, the county, and the parcel number(s). Write the project name the same way it appears on your local permits so reviewers can match records. For example, Maplewood Subdivision Phase 2, 1450 Ridge Rd, Yakima, WA 98908, Parcel 181234-11002 gives Ecology a clean, searchable record.
A frequent edge case is a linear project like a road or pipeline that crosses several parcels. List every parcel and describe the corridor in the project description so the whole footprint is covered. The biggest mistake in this section is an incomplete or wrong parcel number, which sends your file to the wrong permit administrator and quietly stalls review. People often assume the street address is enough — but Ecology’s mapping and fee system leans on the parcel number, so leaving it vague costs you days.
3. Latitude and Longitude / Site Location
This field pins your site on Ecology’s map using decimal degrees. Enter the latitude and longitude of the center of your disturbed area, or the main discharge point if your plans specify one. Use a precise source such as your civil drawings or a mapping tool, and enter values like 46.6021 latitude and -120.5059 longitude.
An edge case appears with very large or oddly shaped sites; pick a point that truly represents where stormwater leaves the property rather than a far corner. The common mistake is dropping a stray digit or flipping the sign on longitude, which lands your project in the wrong county and confuses the reviewer. Some filers think the coordinates are just decoration — they are not, because Ecology uses them to identify your receiving water and check for impaired-water flags nearby.
4. Disturbed Acreage
This section asks how many acres of soil your project will disturb. Enter the total disturbed area, measured from your grading and clearing plans, and remember the 2026 rule that you must include off-site areas like staging yards, borrow areas, and material storage that discharge stormwater. For example, a builder clearing 1.8 acres on-site plus a 0.4-acre off-site staging lot enters 2.2 acres.
A key edge case: if an off-site area already has its own permit coverage, you do not have to count it again, as Ecology notes in special condition S1.C.2. The most damaging mistake here is undercounting acreage to look smaller, which understates your fee and your sampling duties and can void your coverage when Ecology audits the real footprint. A widespread misconception is that only the area being graded “right now” counts — but you must report the total project disturbance, not just the active phase.
5. Receiving Water
This field asks where your stormwater goes. Name the specific surface water that receives your discharge, whether directly or through a ditch or municipal storm system, and name the storm system operator if one exists. For example, Discharges to the Naches River via the City of Yakima MS4 tells Ecology exactly what is downstream.
The edge case that matters most is a receiving water on the state’s 303(d) impaired waters list. If your water is impaired, Ecology will send you the Proposed New Discharge to an Impaired Waterbody form and add conditions before coverage. Check your water on the 303(d) assessment tool first. The common mistake is naming the wrong water or a generic “drainage ditch” without the ultimate receiving water, which leaves your application incomplete. Many filers assume that piping runoff into a storm drain means they have no receiving water — but those drains lead to surface waters, so you still must name them.
6. SEPA Compliance Certification
This section certifies that your project has met the State Environmental Policy Act. You confirm that the lead agency for your project has issued its SEPA determination, such as a Determination of Nonsignificance, and you provide the details. For example, City of Yakima issued a DNS on 03/02/2026 satisfies the field.
An edge case arises when your project is categorically exempt from SEPA; you indicate the exemption rather than a determination. The common mistake is checking the SEPA box before the local agency has actually finished its review, which makes your certification false and can invalidate the NOI. Filers often believe Ecology handles SEPA for them — it does not; SEPA is usually driven by your local permitting agency, and you must complete it on your own timeline.
7. Public Notice Certification
Here you certify that you published the required public notice in a newspaper. You enter the name of the newspaper and the two publication dates. The notice must run in a paper of general circulation in the project’s county, once a week for two consecutive weeks, with publications seven days apart, as the Stormwater Center explains. For example, Yakima Herald-Republic, published 02/10/2026 and 02/17/2026 is a clean entry.
The critical edge case is timing: a 30-day public comment period begins on the date of your second publication, and Ecology will not grant coverage until that period ends, so build it into your schedule. The most common mistake is publishing only once or in the wrong county’s paper, which restarts the clock and pushes your start date out. Many filers think public notice is a formality they can skip — but the information in the notice must match the application, and skipping or fumbling it blocks coverage entirely.
8. Certification and Signature
The final section is your sworn statement that the information is true. The person who signs must be a responsible corporate officer, a general partner, the proprietor, or a duly authorized representative, and the electronic signature in the portal carries the same legal weight as ink. For example, Dana Reyes, Managing Member, Cascade Grading LLC signs electronically through her own SAW account.
An edge case is delegation: if a consultant prepares the form, the operator must still authorize the signer in writing under the permit’s signatory rules. The most serious mistake is having an unauthorized employee sign, which makes the entire application defective and can carry penalties for false certification. Filers often assume any staffer with portal access can sign — but only a properly authorized representative may certify, and Ecology can reject filings signed by the wrong person.
Three Filled-Out Examples Using Real Scenarios
Below are three common filers walking the NOI from start to finish. Use them as models for your own entries.
Scenario A — Dana Reyes, a small residential developer grading a 2.2-acre lot in Yakima
| Form Section | What Dana Enters |
|---|---|
| Permittee (Operator) | Cascade Grading LLC, UBI 604 123 456 |
| Operator Contact | Dana Reyes, (509) 555-0142, dana@cascadegrading.com |
| Project Name | Maplewood Subdivision Phase 2 |
| Site Address / Parcel | 1450 Ridge Rd, Yakima, WA 98908 / Parcel 181234-11002 |
| Disturbed Acreage | 2.2 acres (1.8 on-site + 0.4 staging) |
| Receiving Water | Naches River via City of Yakima MS4 |
| SEPA | City of Yakima DNS issued 03/02/2026 |
| Public Notice | Yakima Herald-Republic, 02/10/2026 and 02/17/2026 |
Scenario B — Marcus Hall, a general contractor on a 40-acre common-plan subdivision near Spokane
| Form Section | What Marcus Enters |
|---|---|
| Permittee (Operator) | Hall Civil Contractors Inc., UBI 601 987 654 |
| Operator Contact | Marcus Hall, PM, (509) 555-0199, mhall@hallcivil.com |
| Project Name | Pinecrest Estates Master Plan |
| Site Address / Parcel | 8800 Foothill Blvd, Spokane, WA 99208 / multiple parcels listed |
| Disturbed Acreage | 40.0 acres total common plan |
| Receiving Water | Little Spokane River, listed on 303(d) |
| SEPA | Spokane County issued DNS 01/15/2026 |
| Public Notice | The Spokesman-Review, 01/06/2026 and 01/13/2026 |
Scenario C — Aisha Bennett, building a single home on 0.6 acre inside a larger common plan in Vancouver
| Form Section | What Aisha Enters |
|---|---|
| Permittee (Operator) | Bennett Homes LLC, UBI 602 222 333 |
| Operator Contact | Aisha Bennett, (360) 555-0170, aisha@bennetthomes.com |
| Project Name | Riverbend Lot 14 (part of Riverbend common plan) |
| Site Address / Parcel | 312 Riverbend Ln, Vancouver, WA 98661 / Parcel 986-114 |
| Disturbed Acreage | 0.6 acre (covered as part of 12-acre common plan) |
| Receiving Water | Burnt Bridge Creek via City of Vancouver storm system |
| SEPA | City of Vancouver categorical exemption noted |
| Public Notice | The Columbian, 02/24/2026 and 03/03/2026 |
How to File the Completed Form
Washington gives you essentially one routine channel, plus narrow exceptions. The standard path is the electronic eNOI, which Ecology requires for all normal coverage.
- Online (required) — the eNOI. Submit through the Water Quality Permitting Portal using your SAW login. There is a one-time application fee and an annual permit fee set in the WAC 173-224-040 fee schedule; first-time general permit applicants pay an application fee, and the annual fee is billed for the life of coverage. Pay through the portal or by check to the Department of Ecology, and keep your confirmation. Expect Ecology to act after the 30-day public comment period that starts on your second newspaper publication, so plan for at least that long plus review time.
- Paper NOI (exception only). Ecology requires the electronic application and does not accept paper NOIs for routine coverage. Contact your regional permit administrator if you believe you qualify for a rare exception.
- Impaired water add-on. If your receiving water is on the 303(d) list, Ecology sends you the impaired-waterbody form to complete before coverage; submit it the same way, through the portal, when requested.
Always save your submission confirmation, your fee receipt, and copies of your newspaper notices. These are your proof of filing if a question comes up later, and you submit the NOI at least 60 days before you discharge, on or before the first publication date of your public notice, per WAC 173-226-200 and RCW 90.48.170.
What Happens After You File
After you submit, Ecology reviews the NOI for completeness and opens the public process. The 30-day public comment period runs from your second newspaper publication, and the public may send Ecology written comments about your project during that window. If anyone comments, Ecology must review and respond before deciding to grant or deny coverage, which can add time.
Once the comment period closes and your file is complete, Ecology issues your coverage and assigns a permit number, which appears in the PARIS system. From that point you must follow the permit: implement your SWPPP, have your CESCL inspect the site, sample stormwater (including the new 2026 pH sampling rule under S4.D, which calls for a meter accurate to 0.1 SU), and file Discharge Monitoring Reports. If you disagree with a permit condition as it applies to your site, you may appeal to the Pollution Control Hearings Board within 30 days of receipt under Chapter 43.21B RCW.
Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out the Form
- Filing fewer than 60 days before you break ground. You cannot legally start until coverage is granted, so a late NOI idles your crew.
- Publishing the public notice only once. The two-week, twice-published rule is mandatory, and one publication restarts the entire clock.
- Using the wrong county’s newspaper. Notice must run where the project sits, or it does not count and coverage stalls.
- Undercounting disturbed acreage. Leaving off off-site staging or borrow areas understates your fee and can void coverage when audited.
- Naming the landowner instead of the operator. The wrong permittee leaves the real operator exposed and the named party powerless.
- Entering a wrong or partial parcel number. Ecology’s system cannot place your site, and review quietly pauses.
- Flipping latitude/longitude signs. Bad coordinates route your file to the wrong region and reviewer.
- Naming a ditch instead of the true receiving water. An incomplete receiving water makes the application deficient.
- Certifying SEPA before the local agency finishes. A false SEPA certification can invalidate the whole NOI.
- Having an unauthorized person sign. Only an authorized representative may certify, and a bad signature is grounds for rejection.
- Skipping the 303(d) impaired-water check. Missing this means missing the extra form Ecology requires before coverage.
- Forgetting to write the SWPPP first. The plan must exist before construction, and missing it is a permit violation even if your NOI is perfect.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
- Do start the 60-day clock early, because coverage cannot be rushed once the comment period begins.
- Do measure acreage from your plans, since accurate numbers set the right fee and monitoring duties.
- Do check your receiving water on the 303(d) list, so an impaired-water requirement does not surprise you.
- Do line up your newspaper publication in advance, because the two-week schedule drives your timeline.
- Do register for SAW before you start, so login problems do not block the application.
- Do keep every receipt and notice, because they are your proof of timely filing.
Don’ts
- Don’t break ground before coverage is granted, because discharging without a permit invites daily penalties.
- Don’t guess at coordinates or parcel numbers, since errors stall review for days.
- Don’t let an unauthorized employee sign, because that defeats the certification.
- Don’t ignore the off-site acreage rule, because the 2026 permit now counts staging and borrow areas.
- Don’t treat public notice as optional, because coverage will not issue without it.
- Don’t forget annual fees and reports, because lapses can lead to revocation of coverage.
Pros and Cons of Filing on Your Own vs. With Help
| Filing the NOI Yourself | Hiring a Consultant or Engineer |
|---|---|
| Saves money, because you avoid professional fees on a straightforward site. | Costs more, but a pro absorbs the fee in exchange for fewer delays. |
| Builds your in-house knowledge, since you learn the portal and permit firsthand. | Brings experience, because consultants file the NOI often and know the pitfalls. |
| Full control, as you manage your own timeline and entries. | Less hands-on for you, since the expert handles SEPA, notice, and acreage math. |
| Risk of costly errors, because one wrong field can delay coverage 30-plus days. | Lower error risk, as the pro catches receiving-water and signatory mistakes. |
| Slower on complex sites, since impaired waters and common plans get tricky fast. | Faster on complex sites, because the consultant has done large common plans before. |
FAQs
Do I have to file a Notice of Intent if my site is under one acre?
Yes. If your sub-acre work is part of a larger common plan of development totaling one acre or more, you must file, because the whole plan triggers coverage.
Can I submit the NOI on paper instead of online?
No. Ecology requires the electronic eNOI through the Water Quality Permitting Portal for routine coverage, and paper is allowed only in rare exceptions.
Do I need a SAW account to apply?
Yes. You must register for Secure Access Washington first, because the Water Quality Permitting Portal that hosts the NOI runs on SAW single sign-on.
Do I write the property owner or the contractor as the operator in the Permittee section?
No, not automatically. Name whoever controls construction activities and can meet permit conditions, which is often the contractor, not the landowner.
Do I count off-site staging areas in the disturbed acreage field?
Yes. The 2026 permit requires you to include off-site areas like staging, borrow, and storage that discharge stormwater, unless they hold separate coverage.
Do I name a storm drain as my receiving water, or the river it flows to?
Yes, name both. List the storm system and the ultimate surface water, because the drain still leads to waters of the state.
Do I have to publish a public notice in the newspaper?
Yes. You must publish once a week for two consecutive weeks in the project county’s paper, and the 30-day comment period starts at the second publication.
Do I submit my SWPPP with the NOI?
No, usually not. You must write the SWPPP before construction, but Ecology only requests it with the application in limited cases.
Do I need to complete SEPA before I file the NOI?
Yes. The NOI certifies SEPA is met, so your local lead agency must finish its determination before you certify that field.
Do impaired waters change my application?
Yes. If your receiving water is on the 303(d) list, Ecology sends an extra impaired-waterbody form and adds conditions before granting coverage.
Do I owe a fee to apply?
Yes. There is a one-time application fee plus an annual permit fee set in WAC 173-224-040, and the annual fee continues for the life of coverage.
Do I have to file 60 days before construction?
Yes. You must submit at least 60 days before discharging and on or before the first public-notice publication date, per WAC 173-226-200.
Do I lose coverage if construction outlasts the permit term?
No, not if you reapply. Submit a renewal at least 180 days before the permit expiration date to keep coverage under the reissued general permit.
Do I have a right to challenge a permit condition?
Yes. You may appeal to the Pollution Control Hearings Board within 30 days of receipt under Chapter 43.21B RCW if a condition is unfair as applied.
Related reading
- How to Fill Out the Washington Forest Practices Application/Notification (FPA/N) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out the Washington Ecology NPDES Construction Stormwater General Permit + FAQs
- How to Fill Out the Washington Ecology NPDES Industrial Stormwater Permit (NOI) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out the Washington Ecology Water Quality Modification Permit + FAQs
- How to Fill Out Washington Ecology NPDES Industrial Stormwater Permit (2025 ISGP) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out the Washington Ecology Water Quality Modification Permit (Form ECY 070-361) + FAQs