NH Shoreland Protection Act Gets New Name and Some Needed Clarity

NH land use attorney Ari Pollack has written an article on the changes to NH Shoreland Protection Law that took effect June 30, 2011. He reports that overall the new laws seem to be more landowner friendly as they relax some requirements for property development along New Hampshire lakes, rivers and coastline, and clarify others. In addition, he reports that the permit application process has become more applicant-friendly, providing the potential for faster approvals.

To read the full list of updates to the new law, now called the NH Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act, please see his article here: Shoreland Protection Receives An Extreme Makeover – Take Two!

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.

New Hampshire's Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) Goes Into Effect on July 1, 2008

The Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) that protects the shorelands of New Hampshire as "among its most valuable and fragile natural resources," establishes a "Protected Shoreland" area along New Hampshire's lakes, rivers and coastline and regulates construction and land use. These shoreland statutes and regulations were broadly revised by the N.H. State Legislature over the past year. The amendments take effect on July 1, 2008.

For more information on the changes to Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA), read: NH Shoreland Protection Receives an Extreme Makeover