SWPPP templates & guides
Free, printable templates for the records your stormwater permit requires, and plain-English guides to the rules behind them, based on the EPA 2022 Construction General Permit. State requirements vary: look up your state.
Free templates
Print-ready PDFs — enter your email and company to download.
SWPPP inspection form template
Printable stormwater inspection form covering everything EPA CGP Part 4.7 requires: weather data, control-by-control conditions, findings, and a signed certification.
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SWPPP inspection checklist
BMP-by-BMP walkthrough checklist with what-to-look-for guidance for each control: silt fence, inlets, entrances, washouts, stockpiles, and the rest.
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Corrective action log template
Log for tracking SWPPP corrective actions through the permit's deadlines: condition, identification date, required fix, completion date, and signature.
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Guides
What is a SWPPP?
The definitional guide: how the Clean Water Act turns a pile of dirt into a federal compliance obligation, what goes in the plan, and who needs one.
Rain-triggered inspections
The dynamic deadline at the heart of stormwater compliance: cumulative rainfall counting, the 24-hour clock, multi-day storms, snowmelt, and what counts as a valid rain measurement.
Inspection frequency
The routine cadence rules: 7-day vs 14-day-plus-storm schedules, sensitive-water sites, dewatering, and when the frequency can legally drop.
Rain gauge rules
How the trigger gets measured: on-site gauge vs. representative weather station rules, the states that mandate daily readings, and the rain log auditors cross-check inspections against.
Winter & snowmelt rules
The cold-weather rules: the 3.25 inch snowmelt trigger, states where any snowmelt runoff starts the clock, documented frozen-condition reductions, and the spring thaw trap.
NOI & NOT process
The permit coverage lifecycle: writing the SWPPP first, filing the NOI, the 14-day authorization wait, and the conditions that let you file the NOT.
Final stabilization
The exit criteria: the 70% vegetative cover standard, temporary vs. final stabilization, the monthly-inspection reduction along the way, and the NOT that actually ends the obligation.
Fines & enforcement
The penalty math: statutory maximums, real homebuilder settlements, per-missed-inspection consent-decree pricing, and the layers of exposure beyond EPA.
SWPPP cost
The full cost picture: plan preparation ranges, permit and filing fees, per-inspection costs, and why the ongoing compliance layer usually outspends the plan itself.
Who can inspect?
Federal "qualified person" rules versus state certification regimes (Blue Card, CESCL, QSP, RLD…), and what inspectors must actually know.
Who prepares a SWPPP?
Preparer rules for the plan itself: the federal no-credential baseline, the states that require certified developers or stamped plans, and why the operator stays on the hook either way.
SWPPP glossary
Plain-English definitions for the acronym soup of construction stormwater compliance, from BMP to NOT.