SPDES Application Procedures And Forms

Application Assistance

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Application Assistance

Contact your DEC regional permits office with questions about completing the application form and other required information for your application.

Keep plans flexible until DEC staff review your proposal and comment on its conformance with permit standards. Be willing to adjust your project. On occasion, minor changes in layout can avoid disagreements and delays and, in some cases, eliminate the need for a permit.

Applicants proposing complex, multi-residential, commercial, or industrial projects are strongly encouraged to schedule a pre-application conference. This meeting with DEC allows the applicant to clarify project objectives and obtain DEC's recommendations. Such feedback can improve the project environmentally and shorten the application procedure.

Schedule a pre-application conference by contacting the appropriate regional DEC office and asking for the regional permit administrator in the Division of Environmental Permits, or the regional water engineer in the Division of Water.

NOTE: DEC has authorized Nassau and Suffolk Counties to administer SPDES permits for discharges to groundwaters from private/commercial/institutional facilities and for some industrial facilities. Please contact the appropriate county office:

Nassau County Department of Health
200 County Seat Drive, North Entrance
Mineola, NY 11501
516-227-9697

Suffolk County Department of Health
360 Yaphank Ave, Suite 2C
Yaphank, NY 11980
631-852-5700

Time Frames

For additional information, see our webpage on getting an environmental permit.

Remember, contact DEC early in your planning and be flexible - Let us help you!

Application Requirements

New Permits

New SPDES applications are for facilities that are not yet built or that have never had a SPDES permit before, such as facilities which did not previously have a discharge of 1,000 gallons per day or more, but which have been expanded above that threshold.

Complete Application:

In general, a complete application should include the following (at least 3 copies of each item):

1. A completed DEC application form signed and dated by the applicant.
Acceptable "APPLICANT" signatures are as follows:

OrganizationSignature
CorporationPrincipal executive officer of at least vice-president level or a duly authorized representative who is responsible for the overall operation of the facility.
PartnershipGeneral partner
Sole proprietorshipProprietor
Municipalities, state, federal or other public facilitiesPrincipal executive officer, ranking elected official, or other duly authorized employee.

If a sewage treatment system is intended to serve a number of separately owned dwelling units or facilities, the parties involved must first form a 'sewage works corporation' under the provisions of Article 10 of the New York State Transportation Corporation Law. This law specifies that any such corporation must be approved by both the local governing body (town, city, or village board, etc.) and the department of health (state, county, or city) having jurisdiction in that area. The corporation must be registered with the Department of State, and a performance bond must be posted with the local governing body.

Homeowners associations and owners of condominiums often fall into this category of needing to form a sewage works corporation. A pre-application conference can help determine if such a corporation is needed.

2. A location map showing the precise location of the project by reference to known landmarks such as streets and public buildings. (A photocopy of a USGS topographic map or equivalent, with the project site marked, will usually be sufficient.)

3. A general site plan with a scale of 1"= 50' that shows the property to be affected by the project, and the location of the wastewater treatment facilities to be built in relation to natural landforms (hills, creeks, wetlands, etc.) The site plan should show:

  • Location of buildings.
  • Water wells on the property or adjacent properties.
  • Location of septic systems on adjacent properties.
  • Discharge lines and sewage outflow locations.
  • Topography of the area at a contour interval prescribed by the region.
  • Property lines.

4. Information necessary for the requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) and the State Historic Preservation Act (SHPA) which will include:

  • A completed Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) (Part 1) and in certain cases, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). For P/C/Is, usually a Short Environmental Assessment Form will suffice.
  • A completed Structural Archaeological Assessment Form (SAAF) (if required) and in certain cases, a cultural resource survey.

5. Other relevant information which DEC staff may determine is necessary to adequately review and evaluate the application, such as:

  • An engineer's report.
  • County health department flow confirmation letter.
  • Waste assimilative capacity analysis (for surface discharges).

SPDES Application Forms

These forms are available in Adobe Acrobat format or may be submitted electronically in the DEC eBusiness Forms Portal. If you cannot find an application or you need further assistance, contact your regional permit administrator. If you have difficulty accessing these PDFs, please contact us at 518-402-8111.

Permit renewals, modifications presentation (PDF)

Private, Commercial & Institutional (P/C/I) SPDES Forms

Municipal SPDES Forms

Industrial SPDES Forms

Industrial application supplement forms for:

Stormwater & CAFO Permit Forms

Other SPDES Permit Forms

Contact for this Page

Division of Environmental Permits
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233

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