The applicant may request a pre-application consultation to identify key issues. The process starts when an applicant files a complete permit application with the Corps regulatory office responsible for the geographic area where the project is located. Nationwide, the Corps receives approximately 15,000 applications a year for standard individual permits. Many such activities do not require an application. However, a separate notification may sometimes be required to determine if the activity will have minimal impacts.
General permits help the regulated public.
They also provide solid environmental protection because many applicants reduce a project's environmental impacts to meet the minimal impact level of a general permit Individual permits. The Corps notifies Federal, State and local agencies, adjacent property owners and the general public of the proposal, allowing time for review and comment or to request a public hearing. The Corps reviews the proposal, balancing the need and expected benefits against probable impacts. Exemptions Certain activities are legally exempt from permitting, to include normal farming and ranching, emergency reconstruction of recently-damaged dikes, dams and levees, and construction or maintenance of farm or stock ponds or irrigation ditches. Exemptions, however, are applied carefully and are not intended to exempt activities with more than minor impacts to aquatic ecosystems.