08/10/2026
What is a Construction General Permit and when is it required? 💧 🚧
The Construction General Permit (CGP) is issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) under the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES). This permit ensures that construction projects implement best management practices (BMPs), such as silt fence, stabilized construction entrances, and rock berms, to reduce erosion and sediment runoff into stormwater systems.
This permit applies to construction activities that disturb one acre or more of land, including smaller sites that are part of a larger common plan of development that cumulatively disturb one acre or more.
Why is a CGP needed? 💧 🚧
When soil is disturbed during land development activities, such as clearing of vegetation, grading or excavating, or cut and fill activities, rain can carry sediment and other pollutants into nearby waterways and storm drains. This excess sediment can impact water quality, increase flood risks by clogging drainage systems and cause other negative impacts to the environment and community safety.
Additional Requirements 💧 🚧
The CGP requires construction sites that disturb one acre or more to develop and implement a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWP3) that outlines how stormwater pollution will be prevented during construction.
Projects that disturb five acres or more are required to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to TCEQ for authorization under the CGP in addition to implementing a SWP3. Projects disturbing one acre or more, but less than five acres do not have to submit the NOI.
Stay tuned, we’ll explain what a SWP3 is and why its an essential part of construction stormwater compliance in a future Stormwater Management 101 post!
