Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation General Permit
Permiso de Operación de Alimentación de Animales Confinados
Para obtener más información, comuníquese con Heather Patt al 360-764-0890.
We issue the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) General Permits to operations that confine livestock for long periods of time in pens or barns and discharge pollution to surface or groundwater. The permits require specific pollution-prevention practices of facilities, such as collecting runoff and storing manure, land-applying nutrients according to crop budgets, and adapting practices based on soil test results to protect water quality.
The current permits went into effect on Jan. 6, 2023, and expire on Jan. 5, 2028.
What is a CAFO?
A CAFO, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, is a commercial operation that produce animal and animal-based products that confine and feed legally specified numbers of livestock or poultry in a lot or facility. They may have animals with access to pasture or outside spaces and still be a CAFO if the animals are fed in a stabled or confined area for a total of 45 days or more in any 12-month period.
These operations generate large quantities of potentially polluting materials, such as animal feces and urine, leftover feed, wash water, bedding material, and contaminated rain water. They collect these materials and may treat or store them before they are used as fertilizer and soil amendments for growing crops.
For a short explanation of the permit, please read the CAFO focus sheet.
Who needs a permit?
We use a permitting threshold (see below) which lists the amount of animals at a facility, along with information on how the operation handles their waste, to determine if a facility6 need a permit. A farm with fewer animals, only qualifies for this permit if Ecology designates the farm as a “significant contributor of pollutants.”
If manure management problems are detected at a smaller farm, we will work with owners to give guidance on the best management practices to protect water quality. We often partner with local groups, such as conservation districts, to identify resources and financial assistance opportunities that may be available to help prevent manure from becoming a pollutant.
How do we regulate CAFOs?
We establish best management practices for CAFOs to prevent pollution and protect waters of the state. We implement state rules with a general permit program designed to meet federal Clean Water Act requirements. A CAFO general permit is issued to operations that confine livestock for long periods of time in pens or barns and discharge pollution to surface or groundwater.
We provide education and technical assistance to achieve voluntary compliance with the permit. When an individual or business is not in compliance, education and technical assistance is often enough to correct the problem. When it isn't, we use other compliance and enforcement tools, ranging from warning letters to enforcement actions.
We partner with Washington State Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) Nutrient Management Technical Services Program to implement the permits. WSDA is the principal inspector of dairies and permitted CAFOs. We work together to ensure compliance with the permits.
For a short explanation of the permit, please read the CAFO focus sheet.
Current permit and related documents
- Combined general permit (effective Jan. 6, 2023)
- State-only general permit (effective Jan. 6, 2023)
- Permit application — Notice of Intent (NOI)
- Fact sheet for the 2023 draft
- Small Business Economic Impact Analysis (SBEIA)
- State Environmental Policy Act Determination (SEPA)
The permits require groundwater monitoring for all medium and large CAFOs located in areas most vulnerable to nitrate contamination. Locate these nitrate priority areas in Washington using the map below. Find additional information on our Nitrate in groundwater webpage.
The draft Nitrate Priority Areas are based on findings of the 2016 Washington Nitrate Prioritization Project report. Areas and categories may be updated in the future based on new information.
Public review of permit applications & manure pollution prevention plans
Animal operations that are seeking coverage under the permit must submit their permit application and manure pollution prevention plan to Ecology for review. These materials are also available for public review and comment for 30 days. We will list any open comment periods below along with the date comments are due. We are specifically interested in comments about whether it is appropriate for the facility to be covered under the permit. At the end of the public comment period, we will consider comments and may request changes to the manure pollution prevention plan, before issuing a decision on if the facility will recieve permit coverage.
How to submit comments
- Mail: Department of Ecology
Water Quality Program
Attn: CAFO Permit Administrator
P.O. Box 47600
Olympia, WA 98504-7600
- Email: cafopermit@ecy.wa.gov
Current permit applications
There are no applications at this time.
Related links
Contact information
General questions about the permit
Heather Patt
CAFO Permit Specialist
heather.patt@ecy.wa.gov
360-764-0890
For questions about your permit application, updating/changing permit informaiton, forms, transfers, or terminations
CAFO Permit Administrator
cafopermit@ecy.wa.gov
564-233-9135
Questions about compliance management at your facility or technical assistance
Jon Carpenter
jon.carpenter@ecy.wa.gov
564-250-2529