Part 91, Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC), of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451 as amended, requires that each individual who is responsible for administering Part 91 and who has decision-making authority for SESC plan development or review, inspections, permit issuance, or enforcement shall complete the SESC training offered by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).  Individuals can complete the Part 91 training requirements in one of two ways: 1) Classroom training offered annually during the months of January through March; Part 91 agencies are directly notified of the classroom training and 2) Self-Study.

The Self-Study option allows individuals to study the DEQ's SESC Training Manual and, when ready, take the SESC exam at one of the DEQ's District Offices.  One must get a minimum score of 70% to pass the course.  This training option is truly self-study; DEQ staff are not available to answer questions.

Copies of the SESC Training Manual can be downloaded from the SESC Home Page or purchased for $15 from the DEQ.  To order a SESC Training Manual, complete the SESC Training Manual Request Form (pdf / doc)and send it along with a check made payable to State of Michigan to the address below.

The exam dates for the Self-Study training option will be offered at the locations and dates listed in the Exam Schedule for Self-Study Training.  Registration for the Self-Study exam must be received at least 15 calendar days in advance of taking the exam.  To register for the SESC Self-Study exam, please complete the registration form, enclose a check made payable to the State of Michigan ($50 for each person), and mail to:

     MDEQ - Cashier's Office
     Water Bureau - SESC
     Department of Environmental Quality
     PO Box 30657
     Lansing, MI  48909-8157

A confirmation letter will be returned to you upon receipt of the registration form and check.

Due to numerous cancellations and repeated requests to reschedule exams, the DEQ has reluctantly adopted the following cancellation policy:

1.   If you cannot attend the exam on the scheduled date but call at least 24 hours prior to the exam time, you will be rescheduled for the next available exam at that location.  If you cannot attend the next scheduled exam date, you forfeit the exam fee and will have to resubmit a new registration and exam fee when you are ready to take the exam.

2.   If you do not show up for the scheduled exam or do not contact us at least 24 hours prior to the exam time, you forfeit your exam fee and will have to resubmit a new registration and exam fee when you are ready to take the exam.

The SESC Self-Study exam covers all information presented in Units 1-12 of the SESC Training Manual.  It is a closed book exam; however, reference charts and tables will be provided that are necessary for the runoff calculations (Unit 7), selecting vegetation in the "Guidelines for Vegetative Erosion Control" (Unit 3), calculating potential soil loss (Unit 8), and sizing of sedimentation basins (Unit 9).  Please bring pencils, a calculator, and a ruler to the exam.  The exam is predominantly multiple choice and will take approximately 2 to 2.5 hours to complete.  To prepare for the exam, we suggest that you complete the unit reviews at the end of the Units 1-12 and complete the  study review exam  and the refer to the  answer sheet .

• Exam Schedule for Self-Study Training
• SESC Self-Study Exam Registration Form