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.

See our Schedule for Renewing NPDES SW Permits for information on which year your permit will be renewed.

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:

How to Submit Paper DMRs Before eDMR is Implemented

The Stormwater Program is planning for NPDES Stormwater Industrial permitted facilities to use electronic Data Monitoring Reports by January 1, 2022.  Until your facility begins using eDMR, follow this NEW procedure for submitting eDMRs:

Manage Information for an Existing Industrial Permit

Enter your stormwater permit number into the Stormwater Permit Summary Report and you will see a form that includes the address of the facility, contact information for the permit, and the regulated stormwater outfall(s) for the facility.

To update the:

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. 

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.

Learn about Industrial Outfall Monitoring

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

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