How to Complete the NJDEP 5G2 Certification Form: SPPP, Fees, and Inspections

To get authorized under New Jersey’s Basic Industrial Stormwater General Permit, you complete the NJDEP 5G2 certification form by submitting three documents together to the Department of Environmental Protection: the NJPDES-1 Form, the 5G2 Supplemental Form, and a site map prepared according to Item 6 of the supplemental form.¹ You also need a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SPPP) in place at the facility, though that document stays on-site rather than going in with the application.

Who the 5G2 Is For

The 5G2 (NJPDES Permit No. NJ0088315) covers regulated industrial facilities that have already eliminated exposure of industrial materials and activities to stormwater, or can do so within six months of receiving authorization. Eliminating exposure means source materials, equipment, and operations are moved indoors, covered by permanent structures, or otherwise shielded so stormwater never contacts them. If your facility cannot reach that standard within six months, the 5G2 is the wrong permit, and you will need a different industrial stormwater general permit or an individual NJPDES permit.²

The Three Documents in Your Application Package

Everything in the Request for Authorization (RFA) is submitted together:

The NJPDES-1 Form, the standard state application for NJPDES permits, which captures identifying information about the facility, the applicant, and the nature of the discharge.
The 5G2 Supplemental Form, which collects permit-specific facility details.
A site map, prepared under Item 6 of the supplemental form, showing facility layout, drainage patterns, discharge points, and BMP locations.

Filling Out the 5G2 Supplemental Form

The supplemental form asks for the applicant or operating entity’s business name and the facility’s geographic coordinates in NJ State Plane format, in NAD83 datum, expressed in U.S. feet, taken at the center of the site.³ Using the wrong datum or unit will create a location mismatch in the NJDEP database, so confirm both before you enter the values. If you don’t have the coordinates on hand, you can derive them from survey data, GIS software, or NJDEP’s own GeoWeb mapping tool.

Preparing the Site Map

The site map carries most of the technical weight in the application. It should show where stormwater flows across the property, where it leaves the site, which industrial materials or activities are present, and how your BMPs prevent exposure. If exposure has already been eliminated, the map should make that visible: covered storage, enclosed buildings, bermed containment, roofed loading areas, and similar features.

The SPPP You Must Have in Place

Every 5G2 permittee has to develop and maintain a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. The SPPP documents how the facility keeps industrial pollutants out of stormwater discharges. It must be signed, dated, and kept on-site for NJDEP inspectors. Any amendment to the plan must also be signed, dated, and retained on-site.²

You do not file the SPPP with the RFA. But it needs to be operational, because inspectors use it as the reference point for verifying compliance. A facility holding an authorization without a functional SPPP is out of compliance from day one.

Where to Submit and What It Costs

The completed package goes to the NJDEP Division of Water Quality. The 5G2 checklist still references the traditional paper package built around the NJPDES-1 Form, but NJDEP has been moving permit categories to electronic submission through its online portal at nj.gov/dep/online.¹ Check the current NJDEP stormwater permitting page before you submit to confirm which route applies to the 5G2.

Application and annual fees for all NJPDES general permits are set by the fee schedule at N.J.A.C. 7:14A-3.1. Confirm the current 5G2 amount with the Division of Water Quality or by reviewing the full fee table before you file.⁴

What You Have to Do After Authorization

Authorization starts a set of ongoing obligations that run for the life of the permit.

Monthly and Annual Inspections

You must conduct monthly maintenance inspections to confirm that every BMP identified in the SPPP is in place and working. These are physical walkthroughs: covers intact, containment areas clear, drainage paths unobstructed, no new exposure pathways. Monthly inspection records stay on-site and must be available for NJDEP review.²

An annual self-inspection of the whole facility is also required. It evaluates whether the SPPP is current, properly implemented, and actually keeping source materials and industrial activities out of contact with stormwater. If the review surfaces a gap, such as a new outdoor storage area, a deteriorated roof over a loading dock, or changed operations, you amend the SPPP and carry out the corrective actions.²

Records to Keep On-Site

Four categories of records must be available for inspectors at all times:

The current SPPP, signed and dated.
Any amended SPPP versions, also signed and dated.
Monthly inspection records.
Employee training records.

Training records are the easiest set to overlook. Staff who handle industrial materials or work in areas covered by the SPPP need documented training on the facility’s stormwater controls, and missing logs or untrained personnel read as a straightforward compliance deficiency during an inspection.²

If You Have a Construction Site, You Need the 5G3

The 5G2 does not authorize stormwater discharges associated with construction activities. If you are managing stormwater from a construction site rather than an ongoing industrial operation, you need the 5G3 Construction Activity Stormwater General Permit instead, which applies to any construction activity disturbing one acre or more, including smaller projects that are part of a larger common plan of development exceeding one acre.²⁵

1
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. 5G2 Basic Industrial Stormwater General Permit Application Checklist
2
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. NJPDES Basic Industrial Stormwater General Permit 5G2 Draft Permit
3
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. NJDEP 5G2 Supplemental Form
4
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Division of Water Quality – Permit and Application Fees
5
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. NJDEP Stormwater – Construction Activities (5G3)