Under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Vermont is authorized to issue permits for the discharge of stormwater from construction activities. The NPDES permit program addresses water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants to waters of the United States. Created in 1972 by the Clean Water Act, the NPDES permit program is authorized to state governments by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform many permitting, administrative, and enforcement aspects of the program.
Under this authority, Vermont implemented the Construction General Permit (CGP) 3-9020 to authorize permittees to discharge stormwater runoff from construction activities. Construction activities are broken into three risk categories. Two risk categories authorized by the general permit: Low Risk and Moderate Risk. The third risk category are for projects that pose a higher risk, which file an application for an Individual Permit. These include projects that propose to exceed a 14-day stabilization schedule and projects that will concurrently disturb more than 5 acres of earth.
When is a Construction Stormwater Permit required?
Coverage under this permit must be obtained for: 
- Construction activities that result in a total earth disturbance of equal or greater than one (1) acre of land area; or
- Construction activities that result in a total earth disturbance of less than one (1) acre that are part of a larger common plan of development that will ultimately disturb equal to or greater than one (1) acre of land area.
- Work through the Decision Tree to determine if a project requires an authorization to discharge construction-related stormwater runoff. The decision tree considers common plans of development and assists in determining if the project qualifies as an independent project which can apply for coverage under a separate Notice of Intent (NOI).
- Please fill out the Determination form if you are unsure if your project requires a Construction Stormwater Permit.
Active Authorizations - Construction General Permit (9020)
Active Authorizations - Individual Construction Permit (INDC)
Please see the Permitting and Outreach page and the References and Forms page above for further details.
Highlights and Updates
June 20, 2025
2025 Construction General Permit (CGP) 3-9020 Issuance and Supporting Document and CGP Form Revisions
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The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) hereby issues the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System 2025 CGP 3-9020 for Stormwater Runoff from Construction Sites.
Below are links to the 2025 CGP and to the 2025 CGP Response to Comments
- All permit supporting documents have been revised and uploaded to the References and Forms page:
The Vermont Standards for Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control (The Standards);
The Low Risk Handbook for Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control (The Handbook);
Vermont Application Requirements for Stormwater Construction Permits (Application Requirements);
Risk Evaluation Tool; and
Soils Evaluation Tool.
All 2025 CGP forms have been revised to reflect the general permit changes.
June 10, 2025
Public Meeting
A public meeting was held on June 10, 2025. Written public comments on the proposed permit began on May 9, 2025, and continue through the close of the business day (4:30 pm) on June 17, 2025. Written comments on the Draft CGP shall be submitted via the Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB; https://enb.vermont.gov/default). Please contact Bryce McKim (bryce.mckim@vermont.gov or 802-272-9428) with any questions or to provide comments via email.
Below is the PowerPoint presentation from the public meeting.
PowerPoint Presentation 2025_CGP_Public Meeting_Presentation.pptx
May 09, 2025
Public Notice of the Draft 2025 Construction General Permit (CGP) 3-9020
The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) hereby provides public notice of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Draft 2025 Construction General Permit (CGP) for Stormwater Runoff from Construction Sites, CGP 3-9020. The Draft 2025 CGP 3-9020 authorizes discharges of stormwater runoff from construction activities involving one (1) or more acres of earth disturbance, including construction activities when the disturbance is less than one acre, but is part of a larger “common plan of development”, if the common plan will ultimately result in the disturbance of one or more acres.
Written public comments on the proposed permit will begin on May 9, 2025. All comments must be received on or before the close of the business day (4:30 pm) on June 17, 2025. Written comments on the Draft CGP shall be submitted via the Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB; https://enb.vermont.gov/default).
A public information meeting will be held in-person with a virtual option via Microsoft Teams on: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, at the offices of the Vermont ANR, Department of Environmental Conservation, in the Catamount Conference room located at 1 National Life Drive, Davis 2, Montpelier, VT 05602. Please join virtually by using this link: https://tinyurl.com/CGPpublicmeeting and entering passcode: Eg9Bs3pT or by calling 802-828-7667 and entering conference ID # 350429636 followed by the pound sign (#).
If you plan to attend in person, please RSVP by Friday, June 6, 2025 to Bryce McKim (bryce.mckim@vermont.gov or 802-272-9428).
Below are links to the Draft 2025 CGP 3-9020, redline Draft 2025 CGP 3-9020**, Fact Sheet, and Notice of Public Meeting document. They are also available on the ENB. Hard copies can also be requested by contacting Bryce.
**The redline draft of the CGP 3-9020 includes proposed changes
Draft 2025 3-9020 Stormwater Construction General Permit
Draft 2025 3-9020 Stormwater Construction General Permit (Redline)