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Water Quality General Permits

This page provides information about state-wide permits that authorize the discharge of wastewater and stormwater for specific activities. You may obtain information about pending renewals and amendments (including those currently accepting comments from the public), recently issued general permits, and a complete list of general permits.

STEERS is Temporarily Down

STEERS has been temporarily shut down to ensure all applications related to data centers are reviewed by TCEQ staff  in accordance with the Governor’s directive related to data centers dated Sept. 21, 2026. TCEQ is working to modify STEERS functionality to allow staff to review applications before an authorization is issued. TCEQ anticipates that this work will be completed in mid-November.

Due to the STEERS outage:

  • TCEQ has granted an extension to the Multi-Sector General Permit TXR050000 (MSGP) renewal deadline. The deadline is extended until Monday, Dec. 28, 2026.
  • TCEQ has also issued an episodic waiver for customers who cannot wait for STEERS availability to obtain a new TPDES authorization under the MSGP, Construction General Permit TXR150000 (CGP), or Concrete Production General Permit (TXG110000). This episodic waiver allows facilities to submit permit documents via email at SW-CGP@tceq.texas.gov (CGP), at SW-MSGP@tceq.texas.gov (MSGP), or at WQ-ARPTeam@tceq.texas.gov (TXG11). Forms and instructions can be found in TCEQ’s forms database.

Discharging Wastewater or Stormwater Under a General Permit

To discharge wastewater and certain types of stormwater into or adjacent to water in the state you must have an individual or a general permit. The general permit process is generally less time-consuming than an individual permit and usually requires fewer resources. See What the General Permit Entails.

Find requirements and updates for general permits that are pending or being renewed or amended on the corresponding webpages below – per type of activity and permit.

Water Quality Advisory Workgroup – Permit status updates are discussed at quarterly public meetings.

Draft General Permits Available for Public Comment

There are none available at this time.

Available General Permits by Activity

Stormwater

Oil and Gas

  • NEW Oil and Gas Outer Continental Shelf (WQG280000) - discharge of wastes associated with oil and gas extraction activities into the Gulf of Mexico from facilities in the Outer Continental Shelf. 
  • NEW Oil and Gas Extraction (TXG310000) - discharge of wastewater associated with oil and gas extraction activities into water in the state from onshore stripper well facilities east of the 98th meridian, coastal facilities, and territorial seas facilities.

Agriculture

Conventional Water Treatment Wastewater

Wastewater

Summary of What the General Permit Entails

A general permit can cover multiple permit holders with similar operations and types of discharge based on the activity, under TCEQ’s umbrella for that activity’s permit.  It is typically valid across the entire state, allowing the activity authorized by the permit state-wide or within the boundaries of a water quality protection area, rather than being restricted to a specific site or location.

Public participation: During development of a general permit, there is a 30-day public comment period that is concluded with a hybrid in person and virtual public meeting to collect written and oral comments on the proposed permit.

Review process: Applicants submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to TCEQ. There IS no 30-day public comment period for the NOI. In most cases, it goes through an administrative review only, a more simplified permitting process than that of an individual permit.

A facility that does not or cannot meet the requirements of the general permit must instead seek an individual permit.

Contact Us

Phone: 512-239-4671

Email: wqap@tceq.texas.gov