Minnesota

Who may prepare a stormwater plan in Minnesota

Minnesota requires a credentialed preparer. A plan generated here is a draft for that person to review, adopt and sign.

The answer

Credential required

Minnesota requires a credentialed preparer. A plan generated here is a draft for that person to review, adopt and sign.

Credentials that qualify

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

Confirmed by direct read of the permit. Part 21.2 requires SWPPP preparers, implementers/inspectors, and BMP installers/maintainers to receive training commensurate with their duties. Part 21.3 requires training from a qualified agency/organization/entity (no single named MPCA course) and a refresher course every 3 years. No PE stamp/seal requirement found anywhere in the permit for SWPPP preparation; the only engineering-review language (16.19) is a narrow MS4-review provision for infiltration systems near drinking water supply areas, unrelated to SWPPP preparer credentials.

VerifiedMNR100001 (issued Aug 1, 2023) Part 21.2-21.3, Training Requirements [Minn. R. 7090]Source

What this means for a generated plan

Where a credential applies, or where we cannot confirm that none does, treat a generated document as a complete draft for a credentialed preparer to review, amend and sign. It is not by itself a compliant filed plan, and ours says so on its face.

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State*

Activity*

Total acres disturbed*

Total land disturbance over the whole project, including staging and access. This decides whether you need a permit at all.

Acres open at any one time

Optional. If you phase the work, the most that will be disturbed at once. Leave blank if the whole site is open together. The stabilisation deadline turns on this figure, not the total.

Part of a larger common plan of development or sale

A half acre lot inside a 40 acre subdivision is covered even though the lot alone is under the threshold. This is the most commonly missed trigger in the permit.

Receiving water and site conditions(optional, but they change the inspection frequency)

Discharges to a sediment or nutrient impaired water

Discharges to a Tier 2, 2.5 or 3 water

Arid, semi arid or drought stricken area

May allow a reduced inspection frequency during the seasonally dry period.

In Indian country

EPA keeps permitting authority in Indian country even inside a state that runs its own programme.

No account, no card, nothing transmitted.

What people ask about preparing a SWPPP in Minnesota

Do I need a qualified preparer for a SWPPP in Minnesota?

Minnesota requires a credentialed preparer. A plan generated here is a draft for that person to review, adopt and sign.

Does a professional engineer have to stamp the plan in Minnesota?

Practice act citations are routinely overstated on this point. A PE stamp is not required as a general matter in most states with no preparer gate, and where we have not verified it we will not assert either answer. Confirm with the state board or the permitting authority.

Which permit governs Minnesota SWPPP requirements in Minnesota All jurisdictions

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