On January 8, 2026, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) published a final agency action in the Federal Register (91 FR 768) announcing the reissuance of 56 existing nationwide permits (NWPs) and one new NWP, as well as the reissuance of NWP general conditions and definitions with some modifications. These 57 NWPs went into effect on March 15, 2026, and will expire on March 15, 2031. One NWP was not reissued. Further information on the 2026 NWPs is available on the USACE Headquarters (HQ) website at: https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory-Program-and-Permits/Nationwide-Permits/. 

Resources

2026 Nationwide Permits, General Conditions, and Definitions

2026 Nationwide Permits Final Action Federal Register Notice – 8 January 2026

2026 Nationwide Permits Final Action Summary Chart

2026 Nationwide Permits Final Action Fact Sheet

Los Angeles District Regional Conditions:
2026 NWP Regional Conditions (CA)
2026 NWP Regional Conditions (AZ)

Preconstruction notifications for authorization under the 2026 NWPs should be submitted using the Regulatory Request System.

401 Water Quality Certification

Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) was requested from all certifying authorities within the Los Angeles District. This includes the states of California and Arizona, tribes with 401 authority, and the USEPA for all other tribal lands. The WQC status of each NWP for state certifying authorities, EPA, and applicable tribal authorities is provided in the District's summary tables for California and Arizona.

• On all "Non-Tribal Lands", lands that are not part of federally recognized Indian Reservation, the state certifying authority is the agency responsible for issuing the 401 WQC. For California, the state certifying authority is the California State Water Resources Control Board. Arizona's state certifying authority is the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
• On all "Tribal Lands", lands that are part of a federally recognized Indian Reservation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for issuing the 401 WQC except where EPA has delegated the 401 WQC authority.
• If certification of a NWP has been waived, there is no requirement to obtain project-specific water quality certification within that certifying authority’s area of responsibility.
• If a NWP is not certified, you must apply for, receive, and comply with the 401 WQC issued by the state of CA, state of AZ, EPA or the appropriate Tribe. 

Additional information on Clean Water Act Section 401 certification is available on EPA's website: