The Norfolk District Regulatory Office is dedicated to protecting the nation's aquatic resources while allowing reasonable and necessary development, as wetlands filter pollutants from runoff, help store and slow floodwaters during storm events, and provide habitat for many different types of plants and animals.
The office issues permits for regulated activities proposed throughout the state of Virginia. Areas that the Norfolk District regulates include, but are not limited to, tidal marshes, seasonally saturated forested and non-forested wetlands, swamps, rivers, bays, and streams.
Regulatory issues permits under the authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.