Wetlands Permit / Clean Water Act Section 404
A permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers required before discharging dredged or fill material into wetlands or other waters of the United States, ranging from a streamlined nationwide permit for minor impacts to a lengthier, more involved individual permit for larger ones.
Why it matters
A low, wet-looking area on a site plan isn't automatically a jurisdictional wetland, and a genuinely dry-looking area sometimes is, the actual determination requires a real wetland delineation, not a visual guess made from the grading plan.
On a real project
A site's civil engineer commissions a formal wetland delineation before finalizing the grading plan, identifying a jurisdictional area the design then routes around rather than filling, avoiding the need for a 404 permit altogether.
Who this matters most to
A Civil Engineer designs the site plan around any identified wetlands, while an Environmental/Remediation Specialist may assist with the delineation and permitting process itself.
Where this goes wrong
A site's grading plan fills a low, wet area that a formal delineation, done only after grading is already underway, identifies as a jurisdictional wetland. The project receives a stop-work order and a required restoration order well after the fill work is finished.