Contact & Submission

Written requests may be submitted by email, or via regular mail.

Chicago408@usace.army.mil

USACE Chicago District
Section 408 Coordinator, ORD-R
231 South LaSalle St, Suite 1500
Chicago, Illinois 60604

Mapping Resources

To find the locations of USACE Civil Works Projects, please utilize the following mapping products.

These mapping products can be viewed online for free, or used in GIS or CAD software. Please note these layers are not guaranteed to be 100% complete, and USACE staff may notify you of Civil Works projects that are not yet mapped in these products during a Section 408 or Regulatory Program review.

National Levee Database

National Channel Framework

Corps Project Notebook

Section 408

Through the Civil Works program, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) serves the public by providing the Nation with quality and responsive management of the Nation’s water resources. As a result, USACE, in partnership with stakeholders, has constructed many Civil Works projects across the Nation’s landscape. Given the widespread locations of these projects, many embedded within communities, over time there may be a need for others outside of USACE to alter or occupy these projects and their associated lands. Reasons for alterations could include improvements to the projects; relocation of part of the project; or installing utilities or other non-project features. In order to ensure that these projects continue to provide their intended benefits to the public, Congress mandated that any use or alteration of a Civil Works project by another party is subject to the approval of USACE. This requirement was established in Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, which has since been amended several times and is codified at 33 USC 408 (Section 408). Section 408 provides that USACE may grant permission for another party to alter a Civil Works project upon a determination that the alteration proposed will not be injurious to the public interest and will not impair the usefulness of the Civil Works project.

Review Information

USACE’s procedures for reviewing requests for Section 408 permission is contained in EC 1165-2-220

The corresponding internal guidance related to designating a lead district as referenced in EC 1165-2-220 

A fact sheet with additional information about Section 408 and the revised policy

The Regional Procedural Review Plan for Low-Impact Alteration Requests Pursuant to 33 USC 408

Section 408 Requests on a map

Section 408 reviews may be expedited under a Section 214 funding agreement under WRDA

Public Notices

PROPOSED ALTERATION TO A FEDERAL CIVIL WORKS PROJECT
11/13/2023
Removal of a decommissioned transmission line and overhead wire conductor at the Cal-Sag Channel near Mile Marker 317, Unincorporated Cook County, Illinois...