Management of Invasive Species General Permit, GP-0-25-008

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued General Permit GP-0-25-008 (PDF) – Management of Invasive Species for various activities related to the management of invasive species within State-regulated freshwater wetlands and freshwater wetland adjacent areas; bed or banks of state-protected streams; navigable waters of the state; and State-designated Wild, Scenic, or Recreational River areas.  This reissued permit replaces GP-0-21-004.  It is effective May 15, 2026, and expires May 14, 2031.

GP-0-25-008 authorizes activities as listed below in areas under DEC jurisdiction.  The permit includes authorizations pursuant to: ECL Article 24 Freshwater Wetlands; ECL Article 15, Title 15 Excavation & Fill in Navigable Waters; ECL Article 15 Title 15 Stream Disturbance; and ECL Article 15 Title 27 Wild, Scenic & Recreational Rivers. 

The General Permit, containing a full description of authorized activities and the conditions required for coverage, the application, and application instructions are provided below.

General Permit GP-0-25-008 (PDF)

GP-0-25-008 Application Instructions (PDF)

GP-0-25-008 Application (PDF)

Authorized Activities

The general permit authorizes the following activities, subject to the restrictions and conditions included in the general permit:

1. Manual techniques, including hand harvesting techniques such as hand pulling, root-cutting, digging by hand, cutting, cut and cover stump, and flower/seed head removal. 
2. Benthic barriers or solarization techniques (limited to one acre or less). 
3. In aquatic locations; mechanical techniques, including suction harvesting or mechanical cutting (excluding raking, hydroraking or other similar machinery that disturbs bottom of the waterbody). 
4. In terrestrial locations, mechanical techniques for invasive vegetation control/eradication may include motorized equipment such as chainsaws, brush cutters and mowers. 
5. Torch weeding. (undertaken by NYS Agencies or agents directly working under contract or agreement on their behalf) 
6. Pesticide application, including aquatic pesticide, within areas previously treated within the past 5 years 
7. First year Terrestrial pesticide application, not exceeding 10 acres of regulated area (combined freshwater wetlands, freshwater wetland adjacent areas, and protected stream banks) 
8. First year Aquatic Pesticide application:   
   • Within waterbodies having no outlets and with a surface area of less than an acre (Article 15 part 327) 
   •  For treatments identified as Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) activities that are up to 5 acres in size. 
9. Restoration activities including revegetation seeding and plantings that may require minimal site preparation for plantings or seeding and access to those areas.

Exclusions 

This general permit is not applicable in the following areas:

• Within Sovereign Indian nation territories of New York State; 
• Within the Adirondack Park for purposes of DEC's Article 24 jurisdiction. Within the Adirondack Park, wetlands are regulated under Article 24 by the Adirondack Park Agency; 
• For proposed activities that require a permit under 6 NYCRR Part 182; and 
• For sites undergoing remediation under 6 NYCRR Part 375

All projects require the approval of all landowners (including underwater landowners at the proposed worksite(s), subject to Natural Resource Permit Condition 2.

Authorization Procedure 

Anyone proposing to undertake an activity that is included in the permit must submit an Application form (PDF) to the DEC regional office that covers the county where the project is located. View a list of DEC regional Environmental Permits offices.

Before work may begin, projects eligible for coverage under this general permit must be approved in on of the two following ways: 

• Notice of Intent and Waiting Period: For projects requiring a Notice of Intent (NOI), if DEC does not contact you regarding any environmental concerns or missing information within 10 business days of DEC’s receipt of the Application Form and all required attachments, the project may proceed without further approval. Otherwise, the project may not proceed until all concerns are resolved.
• DEC Countersignature: For project types requiring a DEC Countersignature, the project may not proceed until a copy of the general permit that has been validated with a DEC Countersignature, is received by the permittee.

If the project does not qualify for coverage under the general permit, or cannot be approved under the general permit, an individual permit is required. 

Comments

A public comment period for the Management of Invasive Species General Permit (GP-0-25-008) was provided. In response to public comments received on the draft Management of Invasive Species General Permit, the Department has prepared a Response to Comments provided below. 

Response to Comments (PDF)

Who may be the Applicant - 

The applicant for the projects under water must be

• the underwater lands property owner; or
• the adjacent upland riparian property owner with permission from the underwater landowner to make application, with some exceptions.

Notes about underwater lands owned by the State of New York