Any person, company or agency planning to conduct certain activities in waters of the United States, or dump or place dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, must first obtain a permit from the Corps of Engineers. Permits, licenses, variances or similar authorization may also be required by other federal, state and local statutes.
Individual Permits are issued after following a full public interest review of an individual application for a Department of the Army permit. A public notice is distributed to interested parties and comments are solicited. After evaluating the comments and information received, the Corps makes a decision to issue or deny a permit based on compliance with its regulations and other laws, as well as a determination that the activity is not contrary to the public interest.
Letters of Permission can be issued following an abbreviated review procedure involving the review of the application for a Department of the Army permit by interested agencies. After evaluating all comments and information received, a final decision is made. If any of the agencies object, an individual permit will be required. Like individual permits, a permit is only granted if the activities are found to not be contrary to the public interest.