Welcome to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Regulatory Branch Home Page.

The Regulatory Branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District is responsible for administering the Regulatory Program in the majority of Indiana and Kentucky, the southeastern portion of Illinois, and the Ohio River to southwestern Ohio. The Regulatory Branch evaluates permit applications for essentially all work that occurs in “waters of the United States” that are regulated by the Corps pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Some examples of areas that may be within the jurisdiction of the Corps include marshes, swamps, streams, creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, seasonally saturated forested and non-forested wetlands.

All regulated activities occurring within jurisdictional areas require a permit from the Corps. Some example activities occurring within jurisdictional areas that require a permit include dredging of waterways, bank stabilization, recreational ponds and lakes, as well as the construction of piers, docks, marinas, fleeting areas, boat ramps, roads, residential and commercial developments, utility lines, and mining activities.

In order to determine whether your proposed activity requires a permit, or whether any “waters of the U.S.” are located on your property or within your project area, please explore our website or contact us for further guidance. Please note that the Louisville District Corps of Engineers will make the final determination of whether an area is a jurisdictional “water of the U.S.” and whether the activity requires a permit.

We are dedicated to providing strong protection of the Nation’s aquatic environment, including wetlands, to enhancing the efficiency of the Corps administration of its regulatory program, and to ensuring that the Corps provides the regulated public with fair and reasonable decisions.

To the left of this webpage are links to what the Regulatory Branch does, regulations, technical resources, and other information to help with your permitting needs. To accurately read and use the PDF files found throughout this site, we recommend that you download a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0 or higher.

Below is a link to the Louisville District boundary map.  Please utilize the map to assist you in establishing the appropriate section of the Regulatory Branch to contact.