Stormwater Management

Stormwater Permits

Print icon Print
a diagram of the stormwater permitting process
View a Diagram of the Stormwater Permitting Process

Any development or redevelopment project (public or private) will require a Stormwater Permit if:

  1. It can drain to a City-owned sewer system
  2. It disturbs 20,000 sf or more of soil, or adds 5,000sf or more of new impervious area

View Chapter 19.1 of Title 15 of the Rules of the City of New York for the most up-to-date list of project exclusions and definitions.

Stormwater Permitting & Tracking System

To apply for Stormwater Permits you must submit an application using our Stormwater Permitting and Tracking System or “SWPTS.”

Access SWPTS

Once you login to SWPTS, the system will walk you through the various steps of the permitting process. Download the SWPTS User Manual.

For questions about the SWPTS, including administrative questions such as ownership, please email NYCSWPTSAdmin@dep.nyc.gov.

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan

When a permit applies, applicants will need to prepare a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) that meets up to four requirements, as needed:

  • Erosion and sedimentation (ESC)—to minimize the discharge of pollutants during construction activities.
  • Water quality (WQ)—to manage runoff from small, frequent storm events that can significantly impact the quality of receiving waters in both MS4 and CSS areas.
  • Runoff reduction (RR)—to maintain a minimum level of runoff reduction during small storms to preserve natural hydrologic functions.
  • No-net increase (NNI)—to reduce pollutants of concern in MS4 sewershed areas that discharge to an impaired waterbody.

Please refer to the NYC Stormwater Manual and the following support materials:

To request a meeting, respond to a summons or Commissioner’s Order, or ask technical questions, contact stormwaterpermits@dep.nyc.gov. For more information, visit Unified Stormwater Rule.

Stormwater Permit Workshops

We host monthly workshop webinars to explain eligibility requirements and guide users through the permit process. Registration for each workshop opens one month prior to the workshop date. Register here.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on future workshops! Please fill out this survey to let us know what topics you’d like to learn more about related to Stormwater Permits.

Past Presentations

Newsletter Signup

To receive the latest information about our events and activities, visit Newsletters and subscribe to the “DEP Stormwater” email list.