Wetland Delineation Cost Calculator

Estimate jurisdictional wetland delineation costs based on site acreage, terrain, wetland types, and USACE jurisdictional determination needs.

Inputs

Site acreage

Terrain difficulty (1-3)

Wetland community types

Jurisdictional determination (0/1)

Regional cost factor

Tab to move between fields

Results

Total delineation cost ($)

$4,500.00

≈ 5 smartphones

Field work cost ($)$2,500.00

Jurisdictional determination cost ($)$0.00

Sample data points3

Field days2

Total timeline (weeks)3

Est. wetland acreage1.3

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Site Acreage and Terrain Difficulty (1 = easy flat upland, 3 = dense vegetation/steep slopes).
Set the number of Wetland Community Types present on the site.
Toggle Jurisdictional Determination to include a formal JD request to the Army Corps.
Set Regional Cost Factor to reflect local consulting market rates.
Review Total Delineation Cost and Field Work Cost to scope the wetland study budget.

How the result changes with Regional cost factor

Regional cost factor	Total delineation cost ($)
0.65	$2,925.00
1.02	$4,590.00
1.48	$6,660.00
1.85	$8,325.00

What each input means

Site acreage: Total property area to be surveyed.
Terrain difficulty (1-3): 1 = Flat/open, 2 = Rolling with brush, 3 = Steep/dense vegetation.
Wetland community types: Distinct wetland habitat types expected (e.g. forested, emergent, scrub-shrub).
Jurisdictional determination (0/1): Set to 1 if an approved USACE jurisdictional determination is required.
Regional cost factor: Geographic cost multiplier (1.0 = national average).

What each result means

Total delineation cost ($): All-in cost including field work, report, and JD if applicable.
Field work cost ($): Cost for on-site vegetation, soils, and hydrology sampling.
Jurisdictional determination cost ($): Additional cost for USACE-approved JD package.
Sample data points: Estimated number of wetland/upland sample points.
Field days: Estimated days of on-site field work.
Total timeline (weeks): End-to-end timeline including report and any USACE review.
Est. wetland acreage: Rough estimate of wetland area based on terrain characteristics.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Site acreage = 5, Terrain difficulty (1-3) = 2, Wetland community types = 1, Jurisdictional determination (0/1) = 0 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Total delineation cost
Total delineation cost = subtotal + jdCost
4500 = $4,500
Calculate Field work cost
Field work cost = firstTenCost + beyondTenCost
2500 = $2,500
Calculate Jurisdictional determination cost
0 = $0

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