New Shoreland Protection Laws Now in Effect in New Hampshire

Ammendments to the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) are now in effect in New Hampshire as of July 1, 2008.

Whereas shoreland oversight used to occur at the municipal level, the new CSPA requires that landowners seeking to commence construction, excavation or filling activities within the Protected Shoreland must obtain a new permit or exemption directly from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES). "Protected Shoreland" remains defined as all land within 250 feet of the natural mean high water level, high tide line, or full pond waterline for artificially impounded water bodies. However, the revised CSPA reinvents many of the restrictions that had applied to development within the Protected Shoreland.

For more on the changes to permitting, tree-cutting, fertilizer, and other land use restrictions, please see article on ammendments to NH shoreland protection laws at gcglaw.com.