Home / Guides / Construction stormwater BMPs by type

What are the types of construction stormwater BMPs?

Construction stormwater best management practices (BMPs) fall into five groups in EPA's 2022 CGP: erosion controls and stabilization that keep soil in place, sediment controls that catch soil once it moves, track-out controls at exits, pollution prevention for fuels, washout and wastes, and dewatering controls. Every BMP you use must be described in the SWPPP with its design, installation schedule and maintenance. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 7.2.6

National guide. The rules cited are from EPA's 2022 Construction General Permit (as modified in 2025), checked October 20, 2026, which applies where EPA is the permitting authority. Most states issue their own permit with different details; check your state before relying on a number.

Sources last checked October 19, 2026. Prepared by our team led by Mohamed Elansary, PhD, with AI research tools. We are not a licensed engineering firm and do not seal plans.

General information; your permit text controls. Not legal advice and not engineering judgment. We make no promise of permit coverage, agency acceptance or compliance.

BMP types with examples

Type	Purpose	Examples named by EPA
Stabilization (erosion control)	Cover exposed soil so it does not erode	Seeding protected by erosion controls, sod, mulch, erosion control blankets, hydromulch, gravel. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.14
Cover for stockpiles	Protect soil piles from rain and wind	Tarps, blown straw, hydroseeding. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.5, footnote 28
Steep slope controls	Reduce erosion where steep slopes are disturbed	Preserved vegetation, hydraulic mulch, geotextiles and mats, compost blankets, earth dikes or swales, terraces, velocity dissipation devices. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.7, footnote 29
Perimeter controls (sediment control)	Trap sediment downslope of disturbed areas	Filter berms; silt fence, including wire-backed, super and multi-layer geotextile silt fence; compost filter socks; gravel barriers; temporary diversion dikes. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.3, footnote 21
Sediment barriers around stockpiles	Contain sediment at the base of piles	Berms, dikes, fiber rolls, silt fences, sandbags, gravel bags, straw bales. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.5, footnote 27
Inlet protection	Keep sediment out of storm drains that carry site runoff	Protection on each inlet you can reach, cleared of sediment by the end of the same business day where feasible. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.10
Velocity control	Slow water in channels and at outlets	Check dams, sediment traps and velocity dissipation devices. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.11, footnote 33
Sediment basins	Settle sediment from larger drainage areas	Basins sized for the 2-year, 24-hour storm or 3,600 cubic feet per acre drained. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.12
Track-out control	Keep soil off paved roads	Stabilized exits of aggregate stone over geotextile or non-woven filter fabric, turf mats; extra controls such as wheel washing, rumble strips and rattle plates. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.4, footnotes 22, 24
Pollution prevention	Stop non-sediment pollutants	Controls for fueling and maintenance, washing, building materials and wastes, washout of concrete, stucco and paint, fertilizers, and spill response. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.3.1-2.3.6
Dewatering controls	Treat pumped groundwater or stormwater	Routing water through a sediment control and preventing sheen and floating solids. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.4

Rules that apply to every BMP

Design for the site's rainfall, runoff and soils, and install following good engineering practices and the design specifications. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.1.1-2.1.2
Have downgradient sediment controls working before earth disturbance starts in that area. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.1.3
Keep every control in effective condition; finish routine maintenance by the close of the next business day, or within 7 days where documented as infeasible. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.1.4
Remove sediment from perimeter controls before it reaches half the above-ground height. EPA 2022 CGP Part 2.2.3
Describe each control in the SWPPP with its design specifications, installation schedule and maintenance. EPA 2022 CGP Part 7.2.6

More on erosion and sediment control: erosion control plan requirements. Inspections of BMPs: SWPPP inspection requirements.

State BMP manuals

Most states that issue their own permit point to a state BMP or erosion control manual with specifications for each practice, and some require post-construction (permanent) stormwater controls. Check your state hub: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia.

SWPPP Desk does not take sites that need a sediment basin or BMPs that require engineering design; the checkout's site check stops those orders before payment.

What this page does not cover

Post-construction stormwater design, engineered BMPs, product selection and BMP installation. EPA's permit is summarized here; your state's permit and manual control where the state is the permitting authority.

Have it written for you

SWPPP Desk prepares site-specific SWPPPs from your drawings for construction sites in the states we cover (coverage by state), for a fixed price, delivered the next business day after your inputs are complete. Small site (1 to under 5 acres): $449. Large site (5 acres or more): $749. Background: all guides.

Small site: $449 Large site: $749