Activities within wetlands or waters of the Commonwealth of Virginia are permitted through the Joint Permit Application (JPA), which is a combined application reviewed by federal, state, and local agencies. Each separate agency is responsible for their particular statutes, regulations, and issuance of their specific permits. The review process is concurrent across the agencies so that the JPA process is streamlined for the applicant. The primary agencies involved in the JPA process are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Marine Resource Commission, and the Suffolk Wetlands Board.
Activities requiring review through the JPA process include but are not limited to: