Frequently Asked Questions

What is Permit Minder?

Permit Minder is a data transparency tool that makes Pennsylvania discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) searchable and readable. We organize public NPDES eDMR data by facility and parameter and surface exceedances — reported values that fall outside a facility's permit limits — so that residents, researchers, attorneys, and journalists can find what they're looking for without digging through state agency portals.

Where does the data come from?

All data on Permit Minder is sourced from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's electronic Discharge Monitoring Report (eDMR) public records system. These are self-reported monitoring results that NPDES-permitted facilities are required to submit to PA DEP under the federal Clean Water Act. The original data is publicly available through the PA DEP eDMR Program. Each row on Permit Minder links back to its underlying source.

What is an “exceedance,” and how is it different from a violation?

An exceedanceis a reported monitoring value that falls outside the numeric limit set by a facility's NPDES permit for that parameter, outfall, and monitoring period. It is an arithmetic observation.

A violationis a legal conclusion. Only the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, a court, or another body with enforcement authority can determine whether a particular exceedance constitutes a violation of the Clean Water Act or of a facility's NPDES permit. That determination depends on factors beyond the raw eDMR data, including upset and bypass provisions, compliance schedules, administrative orders, consent decrees, and enforcement discretion.

Permit Minder reports exceedances. Permit Minder does not determine violations. For the long-form treatment, see our Methodology page.

How current is the data?

We refresh our copy of the PA eDMR dataset on a weekly schedule. Data on Permit Minder may lag PA DEP submissions by up to 7 days. The most recent refresh date is shown in the footer of every page.

Separately, because facilities report on monthly or quarterly cycles, the most recent monitoring period available from PA DEP typically lags real-world discharge activity by an additional 30–90 days. This second lag is a function of how PA DEP receives and publishes the underlying reports, not of our refresh cadence.

Why isn't a specific facility or monitoring period showing up?

A few possibilities:

• The facility may not hold an active NPDES permit in PA DEP's eDMR system.
• The facility may report under a different name or permit number than you expect. Try searching by permit number (PA followed by seven digits).
• The monitoring period may not yet have been submitted by the facility, or not yet published by PA DEP. Recent periods can lag 30–90 days.
• A subset of historical ECHO records ingested before April 2026 was processed with a ceiling-only comparison and undercounted floor-limit exceedances. Recovery status is tracked in our data-quality audit log.

If you believe a record is missing or inaccurate, submit a correction request.

Can I cite Permit Minder in court filings, news articles, or comments to PA DEP?

You can cite Permit Minder as a research aid that surfaces public eDMR data. For citations of the underlying records themselves — particularly in legal filings, regulatory comments, or published reporting — we recommend you also link to or reproduce the corresponding PA DEP eDMR record so your reader can independently verify the value. Each row on Permit Minder includes a link back to its source.

Permit Minder is not a substitute for direct access to the underlying agency record, and we are not a party to any matter in which our content is cited.

How do I report an error or request a correction?

Email hello@permitminder.org with the subject line “Data Correction Request” and include the permit number, parameter, monitoring period, the value you believe is incorrect, and any supporting documentation (e.g., a copy of the source PA DEP record or the facility's amended DMR).

Our published response timeline:

• Acknowledge: within 3 business days
• Review: within 10 business days
• Correct or flag, if confirmed inaccurate: within 5 business days of confirmation

If our review concludes that the displayed value matches the underlying PA DEP record, we will reply with the source link rather than alter the data. If you believe the underlying eDMR submission to PA DEP was itself in error, you must first file an amended DMR with PA DEP; we will then update from the corrected source. Full process is on the Contact & Data Correction page.

What's the difference between Free and Pro?

Free: full search and exceedance browsing across all Pennsylvania NPDES facilities; one watchlist; weekly email alerts.

Pro ($49/month): everything in Free, plus PDF facility reports, multiple watchlists, and daily alert frequency.

Full pricing details are on the Pricing page.

Do you sell my data or track me?

No. We do not sell user data and do not use third-party advertising trackers. For details on what we collect and why, see our Privacy Policy.

Who runs Permit Minder?

Permit Minder is operated by Permit Minder LLC, a Pennsylvania limited liability company (PA Entity ID 0015365174). It is independently operated and is not affiliated with any government agency, law firm, or regulatory body.

For inquiries: hello@permitminder.org.