Preparer credential
Who is allowed to prepare a stormwater plan in your state
This decides whether a document you generate is your deliverable or a draft somebody else has to sign, and it is the question the rest of the market answers worst. We hold it as a structured gate rather than a boolean, because a boolean misrepresents nearly half the country.
11
States requiring a credentialed preparer
12
States where it depends on acreage or plan scope
29
States where we found no preparer credential
Counts are of jurisdictions confirmed against a primary source. 52 of 52 are confirmed; the rest render as not verified in the table below and must be confirmed with the permitting authority. 41 states reviewed against primary sources. States marked unverified were not confirmed and must render as not verified in the UI.
Why a boolean is wrong
States differ on three independent axes
Which credentials qualify, whether a state course is layered on top, and what triggers the gate at all.
Which credentials qualify
Georgia accepts six licences or the CPESC. South Carolina accepts three seals and explicitly rejects the CPESC. A tool that says only yes or no cannot tell you whether the person you already employ counts.
Whether a course is layered on
California and Georgia require a state specific course or exam on top of the underlying credential. Holding the licence is not the same as being qualified to prepare the plan.
What triggers the gate
Utah gates above five acres and Oregon at 20, so acreage decides it. New York gates on plan SCOPE instead: an erosion and sediment control only plan has no preparer credential at all.
Traps
Four ways this question is routinely answered wrong
These come from our own dataset notes, and each one is a case we found stated incorrectly elsewhere.
- Regulator-side credentials (agency staff) are not applicant-side gates: Michigan, Virginia plan reviewer and South Carolina certified plan reviewer are all regulator-side.
- A named role is not a credential: Colorado's Qualified Stormwater Manager and Arizona's Qualified Person are self-attested.
- Practice-act citations are conditional and routinely overstated. A PE stamp is NOT required in WA, CO, AZ, TX and most open states.
- State law is a floor. Local ordinances (e.g. Cook County MWRD in Illinois) can impose a stricter gate.
Every jurisdiction
The register
| Jurisdiction | Preparer gate | Who qualifies, or what triggers it |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Credential required | PE; CPESC; Landscape architect; Surveyor; PG; Forester; REM; Soil scientist |
| Alaska | Conditional | Sites above 20 acres. |
| Arizona | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Arkansas | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| California | Credential required | California PE or PG (self-certify); Landscape architect, AIH hydrologist, CPESC or CPSWQ plus CASQA training and exam |
| Colorado | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Connecticut | Credential required | Connecticut-licensed PE; Connecticut-licensed landscape architect |
| Delaware | Credential required | Licensed landscape architect; Licensed surveyor; PE |
| District of Columbia | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Florida | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Georgia | Credential required | Georgia-licensed engineer, architect, landscape architect, forester, geologist or surveyor; CPESC |
| Hawaii | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Idaho | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Illinois | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Indiana | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Iowa | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Kansas | Credential required | Kansas-licensed Professional Engineer (PE); Kansas-licensed geologist; Kansas-licensed architect; Kansas-licensed landscape architect; Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) |
| Kentucky | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Louisiana | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Maine | Credential required | Maine DEP certification in erosion control practices (or an equivalent certification accepted by the Department) |
| Maryland | Conditional | Conditional. See the state page. |
| Massachusetts | Conditional | Plan scope rather than acreage: Attaches when a project is subject to the MassDEP Stormwater Management Standards under the Wetlands Protection Act, 310 CMR 10.05(6)(k)-(q) — stormwater discharge within an Area Subject to Protection or the 100-ft Buffer Zone, filed via Notice of Intent (or 401 Water Quality Certification). Exempt per 310 CMR 10.05(6)(l): single-family homes; 4-lot/4-unit-or-fewer projects with no discharge affecting a critical area; emergency road/drainage repairs.. |
| Michigan | None found | Any person may prepare/design the Part 91 Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC) Plan, Michigan's SWPPP-equivalent (Mich. Admin. Code R 323.1703). No state-mandated license, certification or exam is imposed on the preparer.; The plan must be reviewed/approved by a person designated by the county or municipal Part 91 enforcing agency who is trained in soil erosion and sedimentation control (R 323.1707(1)) — a requirement on the agency reviewer, not on a private applicant's preparer.; Separately, under Permit-by-Rule (R 323.2190(2)(d)-(e)), erosion control measures must be under the supervision of, and inspected weekly plus within 24 hours of any discharge-producing rain event by, a Certified Storm Water Operator (CSWO) — an inspection/supervision credential, not a plan-preparation credential, applying to all sites 1+ acre regardless of size. |
| Minnesota | Credential required | Mandatory training under Permit Part 21.2 for individuals preparing the SWPPP, from a local/state/federal agency, professional organization, or other entity with expertise in erosion prevention, sediment control, permanent stormwater treatment, and the MN NPDES/SDS Construction Stormwater permit (no single named course; not a professional license); 3-year refresher required under Part 21.3 |
| Mississippi | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Missouri | None found | Any qualified preparer — no state-mandated certification, license, or training is required to prepare a SWPPP under MORA00000 |
| Montana | Credential required | Montana DEQ-approved SWPPP Preparer certification |
| Nebraska | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Nevada | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| New Hampshire | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| New Jersey | Credential required | NJ-licensed Professional Engineer (seal required for engineering-related items of the soil erosion & sediment control plan); NJ-licensed Architect (seal required for engineering-related items of the soil erosion & sediment control plan); Plan certification by the local Soil Conservation District (or State Soil Conservation Committee, or municipal soil erosion ordinance approval under N.J.S.A. 4:24-48) is required regardless of who prepares the plan |
| New Mexico | Credential required | Qualified erosion control specialist, for example CPESC |
| New York | Conditional | Plan scope rather than acreage: Only where the plan includes the Stormwater Management Practice component. |
| North Carolina | Conditional | Sites above 1 acres. |
| North Dakota | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Ohio | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Oklahoma | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Oregon | Conditional | Sites of 20 acres or more. |
| Pennsylvania | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Puerto Rico | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Rhode Island | Conditional | Sites above 5 acres. |
| South Carolina | Conditional | Sites above 2 acres. |
| South Dakota | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Tennessee | Conditional | Sites above 5 acres. |
| Texas | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Utah | Conditional | Sites above 5 acres. |
| Vermont | Conditional | Plan scope rather than acreage: Moderate risk projects only, per Appendix A's Risk Evaluation questionnaire: Overall Risk Score 1 or less = Low Risk (Site Drawing under the Low Risk Site Handbook, no stated preparer credential); Overall Risk Score 2 to 4 = Moderate Risk (site-specific EPSC Plan, Subpart 3.2 credential applies); Overall Risk Score 5 or higher, or 5+ acres concurrent earth disturbance, or a 14+ day stabilization schedule = ineligible for the general permit, requires an Individual Discharge Permit. |
| Virginia | Conditional | Plan scope rather than acreage: The SWM plan is gated; the erosion and sediment control plan is not. |
| Washington | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| West Virginia | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Wisconsin | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
| Wyoming | None found | No state level preparer credential found. |
Looking specifically at California? Do I need a QSD covers the Qualified SWPPP Developer question in full.
Screen your site and get the credential answer with it
Free, in your browser, with the source behind every answer.