Coast Guard Bridge Permit Application Guide (BPAG) Revision

The Coast Guard Office of Bridge Programs proudly announces a revision to the Coast Guard Bridge Permit Application Guide (Commandant Publication P16591.3E).  This publication, affectionately referred to as the BPAG, assists those applying for a Coast Guard bridge permit to construct, modify, or replace a bridge or causeway across the navigable waters of the United States. A permit is required because Federal law prohibits the construction of any bridge across the navigable waters of the United States unless first authorized by the Coast Guard. Following the guidance in the revised publication will expedite the Coast Guard bridge permitting process.

In the BPAG revision, we clarified language, made updates based on changes to environmental laws, regulations, and Executive Orders, and included additional expanded appendices. The Permit Application Template, a separate fillable document, was also modified to align with the updates to the BPAG.

We ask that you use the new Permit Application Template for any applications started after January 1, 2025.  For applications that were drafted prior to 2025, it is the applicant’s discretion whether to switch to the new application template or stay with the old version.

You can access the revised BPAG and downloadable application template via the Coast Guard Office of Bridge Programs website Bridge Permits page. Please direct questions regarding a specific project to the Coast Guard District Bridge Office where the project is located. Find contact information for the District Bridge Offices in Appendix F of the revised BPAG publication, as well as on the District Bridge Contacts page. 

If you have any questions related to Coast Guard bridge permitting, operations, construction or maintenance coordination, please reach out. General information on the Coast Guard Bridge Program, as well as links to other useful content, can be found on our home page: www.dco.uscg.mil/Office-of-Bridge-Programs/.