NPDES Industrial Stormwater Program

The NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) Industrial Stormwater Program is federally mandated and covers a wide variety of industrial actvities.  General permits apply to numerous broad categories of industrial activities with potential stormwater discharges.  Industries that are not eligible for any of the general permits are required to seek an individual permit.  An alternative to a permit is a “no exposure certification,” which certifies the facility has no industrial materials or activities that are exposed to precipitation, and that secondary containment is provided.  The NC NPDES industrial stormwater program includes approximately: 3100 certificates of coverage (COCs) under general permits, 150 individual permits, and 880 no exposure certifications.

If you have questions about the industrial stormwater permitting program, please contact Stormwater Program Supervisor Annette Lucas.

Apply for a New Industrial Permit

Applications, other forms and instructions are available at the links below:

Manage Information for an Existing Industrial Permit

To manage information for an existing industrial permit, take the following steps:

  • Check your permit contacts by entering your Stormwater Permit Number into the on-line search box.
  • Complete the Name/Ownership Change Form if the facility name or ownership changes, or the Owner Designation/Affiliation Form if the legally responsible person changes.  If you have any questions about this process or documents that must be uploaded with a request, please contact Suzanne McCoy.  There is no fee for changes in name, ownership, designation or affiliation.  Facility and Permit Contact updates may be simply emailed to Suzanne McCoy.
  • For billing contact changes, email Deborah Reese.  For other changes, such as address corrections or updates, email Suzanne McCoy.  Be sure to include the individual permit number or Certificate of Coverage (COC) number with these requests. 
  • Electronic payment of annual permit fees is convenient and quick! Click on "Stormwater ePayments" on the lower right corner of this page. There is no fee for eCheck. The convenience fee for a credit card is 2.65% and the convenience fee for a debit card is $3.95. 

Learn about Industrial Outfall Monitoring

First check our Stormwater Outfall Monitoring Question and Answer Sheet.  If you still have questions, contact Bethany Georgoulias. 

Request Representative Outfall Status

Complete the Representative Outfall Status (ROS) Request Form.  Mail one hard copy of the form and supporting documents directly to the appropriate Regional Office (see form). In addition, e-mail the form and supporting documents to Suzanne McCoy. There is no fee for a representative outfall status request.

Renew an Existing Industrial Permit

For Individual permits, complete the NCS Renewal Forms Package, no later than 180 days prior to expiration of your current permit.  Mail one hard copy of the form and supporting documents to Suzanne McCoy, 1612 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612. In addition, e-mail the form and supporting documents to Suzanne McCoy. You may pay on the e-payment site.

For General permits, your certificate of coverage (COC) will be renewed automatically as long as annual fees are up to date.  There is no need to submit a new Notice of Intent (NOI) application.  You may pay on the e-payment site.

Rescind an Existing Industrial Permit

Complete the Rescission Request Form and mail one hard copy of the form to Suzanne McCoy, 1612 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612.  In addition, e-mail the form to Suzanne McCoy.  There is no fee for industrial permit rescissions. Please note that it can take 1-2 months to process the request because we cannot rescind the permit until DEQ staff conduct a site visit.

If you would like to request dormant status for your permit, (a temporary suspension of industrial activities and monitoring requirements), contact Bethany Georgoulias.

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Resources

EPA's Industrial Stormwater Guidance Resources and SPPP templates (note the EPA's Multi-Sector General Permit requirements differ from North Carolina NPDES permits, and permittees need to modify any templates accordingly.)
Annual DMR (Generic) for data review
Map Viewer of NC Impaired Waters/2016 Integrated Report
Oil Spill Information Sheet
Vehicle Washing Information Sheet

Electronic Data Monitoring Reporting (eDMR) is Coming!

Facilities with permits expiring in the coming year will receive instructions for submitting outfall locations in preparation for electronic DMR reporting.  More information about the rule and e-Reporting requirements can be found in this brochure or on our website about how e-Reporting will affect DEMLR's Stormwater Program.

The NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule became effective December 21, 2015. According to the rule, starting on December 21, 2016, regulated entities (including DEMLR Stormwater Program permittees) should be submitting DMR reports electronically, instead of on paper.  The capability for NPDES Stormwater Permit-holders to submit data through NC DEQ's eDMR System is not yet in place.  However, the agency is working towards this goal and will contact permittees with updates.

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