Montana

Who may prepare a stormwater plan in Montana

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

The answer

Credential required

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

Credentials that qualify

Montana DEQ-approved SWPPP Preparer certification

Confirmed by direct read of the full MTR100000 permit (effective 1/1/2023, expires 12/31/2027, current as of Aug 2026). Part 3.2 requires DEQ-approved course certification for both SWPPP Preparers and Administrators, valid no more than 3 years. No acreage threshold gates this requirement — it applies to every site covered under the General Permit. No PE stamp/seal requirement exists anywhere in the permit.

VerifiedMTR100000 General Permit, Part 3.2 (SWPPP Preparer and Administrator): "SWPPP Preparers and Administrators must obtain certification from a course approved by DEQ and maintain a valid certification by meeting the requirements in Parts 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3, as applicable to their role. Consistent with standard industry practice, a SWPPP Preparer or Administrator certification is valid no more than 3 years after date of certification."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 Montana

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

Montana 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 Montana?

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 Montana SWPPP requirements in Montana All jurisdictions

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