Regulatory Permitting

Our multidisciplinary team of regulatory permitting specialists provides our clients with a full breadth of technical services supporting a wide variety of projects, ranging in size from less than an acre to one of a regional scope. The four types of regulatory permits are:

  • Nationwide Permits (<0.5 acre or 300 linear feet of impact)
  • Letter of Permission (<1.0 acre or 500 linear feet of impact)
  • Individual Permit (>1.0 acre of impact)
  • Regional General Permits
  • Programmatic Permits

ECORP understands and anticipates our clients’ needs to conduct environmental analyses and prepare reports that ensure environmental compliance for projects with multiple lead or participating agencies, including Caltrans, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USACE), Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB), and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). 

Regulatory Agencies and Permits we Support

  • Clean Water Act Section 404 Permits
  • ESA Section 7 Consultation/Biological Opinions
  • ESA Section 10 Habitat Conservation Plans/Incidental Take Permits
  • Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
  • Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certifications
  • Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act Waste Discharge Requirements
  • National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits
  • Fish and Game Code Section 1600 Streambed Alteration Agreements
  • California ESA Incidental Take Permits

Our biologists and regulatory specialists are also well-versed in Regional Conservation Plans (RCP) requirements, and have implemented projects using the Placer County, South Sacramento, the Yolo County, and the Contra Costa Conservation Plans, among others. We specialize in providing highly qualified technical experts who will work with our clients to identify and assess key natural and cultural resource issues and develop project-specific approaches that minimize environmental impacts and facilitate regulatory approval.

We are well qualified and highly experienced at evaluating each site’s unique biological attributes and constraints, identifying potential project impacts, and developing workable mitigation approaches that consider regulatory requirements, schedule, and cost. Our biologists understand the data collection needs and processes for complying with the biological resource provisions of CEQA/NEPA and other federal, state, and local statutes.

ECORP Can Lead From Conceptual Design to Implementation

ECORP’s diverse team of consultants works together seamlessly, forming creative solutions to meet each project’s unique requirements. Our firm brings decades of experience and a breadth of regulatory knowledge to each project. Our staff span multiple specialties and market sectors, with expertise in wide-ranging natural and cultural resources. Using this expertise, we provide a comprehensive approach to project management that fulfills our clients’ needs. As a result, we can lead our clients through the complexities of the environmental regulatory permitting process – from project inception, application preparation, agency submittal, permit negotiations on your behalf, permit approval, and project implementation.

Environmental Permitting Experts

As experts in environmental regulatory permitting, ECORP dedicates itself to staying informed on changes to regulations and new legislation at the local, state, and federal levels. ECORP’s internal Regulatory and Legislative working group tracks and keeps the company and our clients informed of current regulations, proposed changes, and proposed legislation. 

ECORP actively engages with agencies when they release new regulations or changes to existing laws. These interactions ensure we have a thorough understanding of the changes, enabling us to avoid project delays for our clients.

Senior and staff biologists conducting fish rescue on Llagas Creek
Senior and staff biologists conducting fish rescue on Llagas Creek
ECORP scientist conducting natural resources site survey
ECORP scientist conducting natural resources site survey

Taking a Leadership Role in the Regulatory Permitting Industry

ECORP has participated in the annual Cap to Cap conference for the past ten years. Through this participation, ECORP has contributed to bringing important regulatory concerns to the federal level to improve efficiency in implementing federal regulations in California.

ECORP works closely with the California Builder Industry Association (BIA) and local BIA chapters to assist in reviewing proposed legislation and regulations to understand the potential effects on current and future projects. We have also provided workshops on important regulations to the North State BIA and other clients. Examples of workshops include listing tricolored blackbirds as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act and adopting the South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan.

Contact ECORP and let our environmental regulatory permitting expertise demystify and streamline your project’s permitting process.