Good News!

If you're a home builder, you know how much paperwork goes into a project before the first shovel of dirt is moved. It can be a grueling, costly, and time-consuming task.

Well now there's some good news on at least one of those documents.

This week the  EPA unveiled a new Construction General Permit stormwater compliance template.

"For years we have argued that EPA's CGP is too complex for many of our members, who typically build about five homes a year," said  NAHB Chairman Tom Woods, a home builder from Blue Springs, Mo. "The permitting process is more suited to large land developers, rather than smaller companies that are building homes on individual lots within a subdivision," he said.

According to  NAHB , the new Small Residential Lot SWPPP template is for sites with no known roadblocks, such as the presence of endangered species, a historic building or a stream running through the property. Compliance options are presented in a user-friendly format.

Only 20 pages long, that cuts the document by 80%, making it simpler and more cost-effective for smaller builders. The  NAHB will be working with states like Utah to implement the new template for home builders as soon as possible.