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SWPPP cost: what a plan, the permit and the inspections cost
A SWPPP costs $0 if you fill in your agency's free template, $49 for an ePlan draft you check and sign, $599 to $799 for a Smart SWPPP prepared plan, and a quote from a consultant; one firm publishes $2,500 to $5,000 for sites under 5 acres. Permit fees run from $0 to several thousand dollars by state, and inspections often cost more than the plan.
The plan itself
| Route | Price | What you get | Your time |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPA or state template | $0 | Blank template with instructions | Most: you research and write every section |
| CaseMark SWPPP skill | $0 for the file; Para from $20 a seat a month | Instructions that have an AI assistant draft from the facts you give it | High: you still find every site fact |
| ePlan | Free to read; $49 per document, or Pro $99 a month | A filled-in SWPPP draft from four questions and public data, marked where to check; the NOI and an inspection form are separate documents at $49 each | Moderate: check, fill in and sign; draw the site map |
| Smart SWPPP | $599 under 5 acres, $699 for 5+ (Austin); $799 (New Mexico, Ohio) | A prepared plan from your uploaded plans in 48 to 72 hours, with site notices | Low: upload plans, review, sign |
| Consultant or QSD | By quote; Pro SWPPP publishes $2,500 to $5,000 under 5 acres, $5,000 to $10,000 for 5 to 20, $8,000 to $15,000+ above 20 | A site-specific plan, often with erosion control drawings, filing and inspections | Lowest; required in California |
ePlan, which publishes this site, is the $49 row; its pricing is on its pricing page. Its draft isn't stamped and doesn't include a drawn site map, so compare it with the template rows, not with a consultant's full service.
Permit fees, by state
| Where | One-time | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| EPA areas | None in the permit or on the NOI form | None |
| Texas | $0 (site notice only); 5+ acres $225 online | None |
| California | First year paid with the NOI | $511 + $54 an acre (3 acres: $673) |
| Florida | $250 (5+ acres $400), for up to 5 years' coverage | None listed |
| Georgia | $80 an acre (3 acres: $240) | None found |
| Washington | None found | $850 (fiscal 2027) |
| North Carolina | Plan review: $119 an acre where DEQ reviews | $127 |
| Colorado | $175 application | $350 (1 to under 30 acres, in Regulation 102's table) |
| Virginia | $4,100 | $650 |
Sources and filing systems for each are in the NOI guide. Yearly fees keep coming until you terminate coverage, which is one reason to file the Notice of Termination promptly.
Inspections
Inspections run until final stabilization, so their cost scales with the schedule. Pro SWPPP publishes $150 to $500 per third-party visit, with $200 to $300 typical, and puts a weekly schedule on a six-month job at $4,000 to $6,000 before storm visits. The visit count comes from your permit:
- Weekly (EPA's first option, Florida, Georgia, Washington, North Carolina): about 26 visits over six months; Pro SWPPP's estimate is $4,000 to $6,000, before storm visits.
- Every 14 days plus storms (EPA's second option, Texas): about 13 routine visits over six months, or $2,600 to $3,900 at the typical $200 to $300, plus one after each qualifying storm.
- In house: under EPA's permit, the inspector must pass EPA's free course and exam (or hold an equivalent certificate); then the cost is the superintendent's time. See who can write a SWPPP for each state's inspector rule.
Three worked sums
| Site | Lowest-cash route | Hands-off route |
|---|---|---|
| 2 acres in Austin, Texas | RG-639 yourself $0 + no fee + in-house inspections = $0 and your time; or an ePlan draft, $49 | Smart SWPPP $599 + third-party inspections every 14 days ($2,600 to $3,900) = $3,199 to $4,499, plus storm visits |
| 3 acres in New Mexico (EPA permit) | EPA template and a qualified preparer on staff + no fee + inspector who passed EPA's course = staff time | Smart SWPPP $799 + weekly inspections ($4,000 to $6,000) = $4,799 to $6,799, plus storm visits |
| 3 acres in California | A QSD is required either way: QSD fee by quote + $673 first-year fee + QSP inspections. Starting the QSD from a draft can cut their hours; ask them. | |
Cost of skipping it
The Clean Water Act's civil penalty, adjusted for inflation in 40 CFR 19.4, is up to $68,445 per day per violation; EPA's administrative penalties reach $27,378 per violation in a Class I case (up to $68,445 in total) and $27,378 per day in a Class II case (up to $342,218). A missing or stale SWPPP is a violation on its own, separate from any muddy discharge.
Where the money goes, and how to spend less
- Use the template your permit names; a forms library charging for the same agency file adds nothing.
- Write the facts once: the receiving water, acres and dates in the SWPPP, the NOI and the site notice have to match.
- Get an inspector certified in house if the job runs more than a few months; EPA's course is free.
- Stabilize early and file the Notice of Termination as soon as you qualify, so inspections and yearly fees stop.
Questions
How much does a SWPPP cost for a 1-acre site?
From $0 with an agency template, $49 for an ePlan draft, or $599 to $799 at Smart SWPPP's published prices; Pro SWPPP, a consulting firm, puts its range at $2,500 to $5,000. Add your state's permit fee and inspections.
Is there a fee to file an NOI with EPA?
EPA's 2022 permit and NOI form name no fee. Most states that run their own program charge one; in the eight we checked, a small site pays anything from $0 in Texas to $4,100 plus $650 a year in Virginia.
Do SWPPP inspections cost more than the plan?
Often, on a long job. Pro SWPPP puts weekly inspections over six months at $4,000 to $6,000 and says that on a 12-month job they usually cost more than the plan.
Related guides
- SWPPP template: which one your permit wants, and how to fill it in
- Who can write a SWPPP? QSDs, preparers and inspectors by state
- Texas SWPPP (SWP3): what TXR150000 asks for, and TCEQ's template
About this page
This guide is published by Winding AI, Inc., the company that makes ePlan, one of the ways to get a SWPPP drafted that this site compares. We make money when someone pays ePlan to download a document or subscribes; we earn nothing from links to agencies or other products, and links to ePlan carry a tag so ePlan can count visits from here. Every fact on this page was read from the source it links to on the date shown above.