Culvert sizing sheet (free)
- Crossing location and drainage area
- Design storm and rainfall
- Peak flow estimate
- Pipe size and length options
- Headwater and fill depth check
- Fish passage notes
Rural landowners, loggers and driveway contractors
Where does the road cross the stream?
Free culvert sizing sheet for a driveway or forest road crossing, with drainage area and design rainfall filled in. Your county or engineer confirms it.
- Free to read
- No sign-up until the draft
- Hands off to the right door
ePlan fills in
- Drainage area
- Design rainfall
- Slope
- Stream type
How it works
Culvert sizing sheet, from one answer
- Pin the crossing and pick the road type.
- ePlan pulls the drainage area, design rainfall and slope. It can't see the channel, so your county or engineer confirms the size.
- Read the free sheet. Filling in a stream or wetland? Start a nationwide permit PCN draft.
What you get
Culvert sizing sheet and 1 more document
The check is free. The paperwork after it is drafted at the Pre-Construction Notification door.
Nationwide permit pre-construction notification
- Crossing and nationwide permit 14
- Stream and wetland losses
- Species and historic places
From public data
What ePlan fills in, and from where
- Drainage area and peak flow estimatesUSGS StreamStats
- Design rainfall depthsNOAA Atlas 14 (Precipitation Frequency Data Server)
- Slope and road gradeUSGS 3D Elevation Program
- Stream and whether it flows year-roundUSGS National Hydrography Dataset
1/2 acre
of stream or wetland loss is the most a road or driveway crossing can cause under nationwide permit 14
Source: Army Corps 2026 nationwide permits, 91 FR 768
Ready for the paperwork?
Draft the Army Corps pre-construction notification (ENG Form 6082) for a dock, bank repair or small crossing. Wetlands and species checked. Free to read.
Questions
Culvert Sizing Sheet: what people ask
Do I need a Corps permit for a culvert crossing?
If the crossing places fill in a stream or wetland that is a water of the United States, it may qualify for nationwide permit 14. Losses are capped at 1/2 acre, and a notice is needed above 1/10 acre or in a wetland.
Are forest and farm roads exempt?
Building or maintaining farm and forest roads is exempt from Section 404 when best practices are followed, including bridging or culverting so fill doesn't restrict expected flood flows, and crossings that don't block fish and other aquatic life.
When does the exemption not apply?
When the work's purpose is to bring an area of water into a use it wasn't previously subject to, and the flow or circulation is impaired or the reach of the water reduced. Then a permit is required even for otherwise exempt work.
The rules this door follows
Related doors
Other projects people start from here
Landowners and contractors working in or near water
Pre-Construction Notification
Where is the work in or near water?
Contractors pumping water from trenches and excavations
Dewatering Plan
Where is the excavation?
Homeowners planning a pool, ADU or drainage fix
Lot contour map
Where is the lot you want contours for?
Quality and design engineers at automotive suppliers
DFMEA and Control Plan Template
What part or system are you analyzing?
California builders and remodelers pulling permits
Construction Waste Management Plan
Where is the project and what's being built?
Construction stormwater
SWPPP
Where is the construction site?
Culvert Sizing Sheet: check it free
Answer it and ePlan opens the Pre-Construction Notification door with your answer filled in.