Individual versus General Permits

Most MDE permits are issued as either individual permits or general permits (see list below). An individual permit is custom crafted to the specific needs of the facility while a general permit is a generic document appropriate for a specific type of activity that has similar environmental impacts. Accordingly, since the general permit has already gone through any required public participation and the conditions have already been developed, to have your activity covered under the applicable general permit takes less time than the equivalent individual permit. In addition, to obtain an individual permit, the applicant must complete a detailed form that described their activity while a general permit can be obtained by simply filling out a simple form called a “Notice of Intent to Comply” (NOI), which is a statement by the operator agreeing to abide by the terms of the permit.

The disadvantage of general permits is the operator must accept the terms of the permit as written. One can obtain a copy of all of our general permits by mail or from the Department’s website (http://mde.maryland.gov/programs/Permits/Pages/download.aspx)