Environmental Permits for Businesses

When a business conducts activities that may have some impact on the environment, this often means that additional regulations, compliance, and licensing are required to operate.

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About this license

What to Know Before You Apply

The agencies that regulate this kind of work set the licensing rules, and they differ from place to place. We confirm which licenses apply to your business, file the applications and track renewals.

Requirements depend on your state and, in some cases, your city or county
Many businesses need more than one license or permit
Each license is renewed on the schedule set by the issuing agency

Environmental permit guide

How to Get an Environmental Permit

To get an environmental permit, identify what your operation releases into the air, water or waste stream, find the agency that issues permits for that activity where you operate, and apply before you build, install equipment or start discharging. In most states the issuing agency is the state environmental department or a local air district, working under federal rules from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This guide is for manufacturers, repair shops, food processors, warehouses and other businesses opening or expanding sites in more than one state. Environmental permits attach to a facility, not to the company, so each new site needs its own review.

The three programs that reach the most businesses are air permits under the Clean Air Act, stormwater and wastewater permits under the Clean Water Act, and hazardous waste rules under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Requirements vary by state, and the permitting agency decides what applies.

Inventory your emissions and discharges

List the equipment that emits air pollutants, how stormwater leaves the site, what goes down the drain and how much hazardous waste you generate each month.

Find the permitting agency

Most Clean Air Act programs "are carried out by states, local agencies and approved tribes," according to the EPA. For water, 47 states and one territory are authorized to run the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, per the EPA.

Apply before you build or operate

Air permits often must be in place before construction. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), in Southern California, requires a permit for equipment that emits or controls air contaminants "prior to construction, installation, or operation" unless an exemption applies, per South Coast AQMD.

Monitor, report and renew

Permits carry ongoing duties such as monitoring, recordkeeping and reports. Washington, for example, requires most industrial sites "to monitor, measure, and reduce stormwater pollution," per the Washington Department of Ecology.

Environmental permit requirements

Environmental Permit Requirements by Program

Each federal program sets a floor, and states can add their own rules. These are the programs most businesses run into.

Air permit: Title V and minor source

A Title V operating permit is required for any major source, which has actual or potential emissions at or above the major source threshold, 100 tons per year by default and lower in some areas that do not meet air quality standards, per the EPA.

Smaller facilities may need a minor source permit, one of three New Source Review permit types. Most New Source Review permits are issued by state or local air pollution control agencies, and states may tailor their programs as long as they are at least as stringent as the EPA's, according to the EPA. Texas offers permits by rule for facilities that will not make a significant contribution of air contaminants, per the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Stormwater permit

Federal rules require stormwater discharges from 11 categories of industrial activity, from heavy manufacturing to transportation facilities with vehicle maintenance and light manufacturing such as food processing, to be covered by NPDES permits, per the EPA. Where the EPA is the permitting authority, its 2021 Multi-Sector General Permit expired February 28, 2026, and remains in effect only for operators covered before it expired.

Construction that disturbs 1 acre or more also needs stormwater coverage, per the EPA. California facilities enroll under the state's Industrial General Permit.

Hazardous waste generator ID

Generator status depends on monthly volume: very small quantity generators produce 100 kilograms or less, small quantity generators more than 100 but less than 1,000 kilograms, and large quantity generators 1,000 kilograms or more, per the EPA.

Large and small quantity generators must get an EPA identification number by filing EPA Form 8700-12 with the authorized state agency or EPA regional office. Very small quantity generators are not required to by the EPA but may face state reporting rules, per the EPA.

Local permits

Businesses that send industrial wastewater to a city sewer may fall under the EPA's National Pretreatment Program, which approves local municipalities to handle permitting and enforcement for discharges to their treatment plants.

Local air districts also issue permits. South Coast AQMD lists asphalt batching plants and medium-sized boilers in food processing plants among moderate sources it permits. LicenseComply can research which environmental permits apply at each new location so you know what to plan for.

Before You Apply

Equipment list with potential air emissions for each unit
State or local air agency identified for the site
Industrial activity category checked against stormwater permit rules
Monthly hazardous waste volume calculated to set generator status
EPA identification number filed on Form 8700-12 if required
Sewer discharge rules confirmed with the local treatment plant

FAQ

Environmental Permit Questions

Does my business need an environmental permit?

It depends on what your operation emits, discharges or throws away. A business with equipment that emits air pollutants, industrial activity exposed to stormwater, wastewater sent to a sewer or regulated hazardous waste may need one or more permits. Small offices and retail stores often need none, but a repair shop, food processor or manufacturer usually should check with the state environmental agency and local air district.

Who issues these permits, the EPA or the state?

Usually the state or a local agency. The EPA says most Clean Air Act programs are carried out by states, local agencies and approved tribes, and that 47 states and one territory are authorized to run the NPDES water permit program. The EPA is the sole NPDES permitting authority in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Mexico and issues permits in some other cases.

What is the difference between a Title V permit and a minor source air permit?

A Title V operating permit covers major sources, generally those with potential emissions of 100 tons per year or more of an air pollutant, with lower thresholds in some areas that do not meet air quality standards. Smaller facilities may instead need a minor source permit or a simpler authorization, such as a Texas permit by rule, issued by the state or local air agency.

Do I need an EPA ID number for hazardous waste?

Large and small quantity generators must obtain an EPA identification number using EPA Form 8700-12, filed with the authorized state agency or EPA regional office. Very small quantity generators, which produce 100 kilograms or less of hazardous waste per month, are not required to get one by federal rules, but some states require notification, so check with your state agency.

How long does it take to get a stormwater permit?

It depends on the permit type. The EPA says coverage under a general permit is typically quicker than an individual permit, often immediate or after a short waiting period, while coverage under an individual permit may take six months or longer. Most industrial facilities and construction sites seek coverage under a state or EPA general permit.