The Department of the Army Regulatory Program is one of the oldest in the federal government. Initially, it served a fairly simple purpose: to protect and maintain the navigable capacity of the nation's waters. Changing public needs, evolving policy, court decisions, and new statutory mandates have changed several aspects of the program, including its breadth, complexity and authority.

The Regulatory Program administers and enforces Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899; Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972, as amended; and Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972.  Under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, a Corps permit is required for work or structures in, over, or under navigable waters of the United States.  Under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, a Corps permit is required for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States.  Many waterbodies and wetlands in the nation are waters of the United States and are subject to the Corps' Section 404 regulatory authority.  Under Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, the Corps regulates the transport and disposal of dredged material at designated ocean sites.

All Corps permit decisions are subject to various other Federal laws applicable to Federal actions, such as the Endangered Species Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act.

For more information on our Regulatory Program, please feel free to browse our website.

10/08/2020: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District has issued a Public Notice to inform stakeholders and prospective applicants for permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of new procedural requirements established by the Environmental Protection Agency’s newly promulgated “Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule” (85 Fed. Reg. 42,210 (July 13, 2020)).  This Public Notice can be viewed at: https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Media/Public-Notices/Article/2375872/clean-water-act-section-401-certification-rule/.

09/15/2020: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published in the Federal Register its proposal to reissue the 52 existing nationwide permits (NWPs) and issue five new NWPs.  In conjunction with the publication of the proposed rule, the Los Angeles District is soliciting comments from the public, Federal, state, and local agencies and officials, American Indian tribes, and other interested parties for consideration and evaluation of our proposed regional conditions for the proposed NWPs.  Instructions for commenting on the proposed rule and the Los Angeles District’s proposed regional conditions are provided in our Public Notice for reissuance of the NWPs, which can be viewed at: https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Media/Public-Notices/Article/2356930/special-public-notice-nationwide-permit-reissuance/.

07/07/2020: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published the Interim Approved Jurisdictional Determination (AJD) Form and user manual for the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) on the Corps HQ website at: https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory-Program-and-Permits/juris_info/ (located about halfway down the page).  The NWPR AJD Form and user manual are provided for transparency purposes only and are for internal use only by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

06/22/2020: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule: Definition of “Waters of the United States” (NWPR) became effective in 49 states and in all US territories.  (A preliminary injunction is effective for the State of Colorado only.)  NWPR establishes the scope of federal regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act.  The NWPR includes four simple categories of jurisdictional waters and provides specific exclusions for many water features that traditionally have not been regulated.  Additional information about the NWPR can be found on the EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/nwpr.  Information on jurisdiction can also be found at https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory-Program-and-Permits/juris_info/.

05/21/2020: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), as part of an interagency effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is announcing the availability of the final 2018 National Wetland Plant List (NWPL).  The Federal Register Notice for the 2018 NWPL update can be found here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-05-18/pdf/2020-10630.pdf.

The NWPL provides plant species indicator status ratings, which are used in determining whether the hydrophytic vegetation factor is met when conducting wetland delineations under the Clean Water Act and wetland determinations under the Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act.  Other applications of the NWPL include wetland restoration, establishment, and enhancement projects.  The list is effective as of May 18, 2020 and will be used in any wetland delineations performed after this date.  Completed wetland delineation/determination forms should reference the version of the NWPL used to complete the form.  The final NWPL is available at http://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/. State, regional, and national lists can also be downloaded from this site.

Department of the Army
Los Angeles District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Regulatory Division
915 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 930
Los Angeles, CA 90017
 

Transportation & Special Projects Branch (213) 452-3425; splregtsp@usace.army.mil
        High-Speed Train, Mid-County Parkway/South Orange County/ Caltrans

North Coast Branch/Ventura Field Office (805) 585-2140; splregventura@usace.army.mil
        Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Inyo, and Mono Counties

Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties Section (213) 452-3425; splreglasb@usace.army.mil
         Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Kern Counties

South Coast Branch/Carlsbad Field Office (760) 602-4829; splregcbad@usace.army.mil
        San Diego and Imperial Counties, Santa Margarita watershed (including SW Riverside)

Riverside and Orange Counties Section (213) 452-3425; splregorcs@usace.army.mil
        Orange and Riverside Counties (excluding Santa Margarita Watershed)

Arizona Branch (602) 230-6949; splregulatoryaz@usace.army.mil

Please direct all agriculture-related questions to: AgriculturalOffice@usace.army.mil