The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), South Atlantic Division, administers a comprehensive Regulatory Program, rooted in one of the federal government’s earliest laws to protect the navigable capacity of the nation’s waters. The Regulatory Program has evolved significantly since inception, gaining scope, complexity, and authority in response to shifting public needs, court rulings, and legislation. Spanning six states and two U.S. territories in the Southeastern U.S. and Caribbean, the South Atlantic Division operates through its six districts: Mobile, Charleston, Wilmington, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Caribbean.

The division implements Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, requiring permits for activities in navigable waters, for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the U.S., including wetlands, and for the transport and disposal of dredged material in the ocean. The South Atlantic Division is the largest division by workload, issuing thousands of permits annually, while balancing the protection of the nation’s aquatic ecosystems with responsible development, providing fair, balanced, and timely decisions while maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of waters of the United States.