The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) issued Pasco County a new five-year National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. This new permit requires the county to perform a minimum of three Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) inspections for building and development activities during the construction stage. The first inspection must be done before breaking the ground, the mid-inspection at around 50% completion and the final inspection once construction works have been finalized and the site has been stabilized to avoid erosion and sediment pollution. The previous FDEP requirement was for only one inspection before commencement of any construction activities.

In order to track inspections for construction activities requiring a “building permit”, a Stormwater Permit Application has been included as a new requirement of the building permit process. At present, not all construction activities requiring a building permit will be inspected for ESC. Construction activities requiring ESC inspections will be selected as part of the “building permit approval process” and customers will be notified. These customers will need to schedule the ESC inspections online through the county’s Public Access to Permit Applications (PAPA) system. To access the PAPA system visit www.pascocountyfl.net. On the home page, type in PAPA in the search box, then click on the Public Access to Permit Applications (PAPA) link. Inspections can also be scheduled by calling the Stormwater Management Division at 727-834-3611.

Customers intending to start site development construction activities are required to contact the Engineering Inspections Division at 727-834-3670 to schedule the first inspection. Alternatively, these inspections could also be scheduled at the pre-construction meeting requested by the Developer/Owner.