Apply for a Department of Environmental Protection Concentrated Animal Feeding Permit

A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is an agricultural operation meeting one or more of the following criteria:

1. A Concentrated Animal Operation (CAO), as defined in Chapter 83 of the State Conservation Commission’s regulations, with over 300 Animal Equivalent Units (AEUs) (one thousand pounds live weight of livestock or poultry animals);

2. Any agricultural operation with more than 1,000 AEUs; or

3. Any agricultural operation that meets the definition of a large CAFO under EPA regulations (40 CFR 122.23(b)(4)).

In Pennsylvania, CAFOs must apply for and obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from DEP. A CAFO's production area is a point source subject to federal NPDES permit requirements. Pollutant discharges are authorized only during heavy rain events,  which range from a 25-year/24-hour storm to a 100-year/24-hour storm depending on the type of animals maintained by the CAFO. 

CAFOs have two options for obtaining NPDES permit coverage; if eligible, CAFOs can apply for the PAG-12 General Permit, or if not eligible for PAG-12, CAFOs can apply for an individual NPDES permit. The current PAG-12 General Permit is valid from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2028.