DEP Launches Coastal E-Permitting Program

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) launched a new e-permitting program that will allow the public to apply on-line for certain coastal permits. The program is consistent with the Governor’s “Common Sense Principles” outlined in Executive Order No. 2 which focused on the need to reduce the high costs and regulatory burdens that are thought to impede growth and opportunity in the State of New Jersey.

The program will compliment NJDEP’s existing on-line permit application systems for its air, water and underground storage tank cleanup programs. Property owners may now apply for two types of general permits on-line: a GP-14 permit for in-kind bulkhead replacements and a GP-19 permit for dock replacements in artificially constructed lagoons. The process simply requires the applicant to answer a short list of questions and to certify to the truthfulness of those answers. Based on the applicant’s responses, the program will approve or reject the permit.

The new program is expected to vastly streamline the existing permit process, which currently may take up to three months for a response. Automating the permit process also frees up valuable NJDEP resources.

NJDEP will continue to expand its online resources by implementing a system for the submission of wetlands delineations, or Letters of Interpretation, expected later this year.

To access the e-permitting program please visit NJDEP’s website.