Habitat Management Division Permitting

The environmental permits issued by the Habitat Management Division are of three types; subaqueous or bottomlands, tidal wetlands, and coastal primary sand dunes. The division's authority and responsibilities emanate from Subtitle III of Title 28.2 of the Code of Virginia and specifically regulates physical encroachment into these valuable resource areas.

The permit process relies on a single Virginia joint local/state/federal permit application. The review process, for which this application was originally designed, takes into account various local state and federal statues governing the disturbance or alteration of environmental resources. The Marine Resources Commission plays a central role as an information clearinghouse for all three levels of review. Applications receive independent yet concurrent review by local wetland boards, the Marine Resources Commission, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Joint Permit Applications are available in many local government planning offices and at the Commission's main office in downtown Newport News. The permit fee is $25 ($100 for projects over $10,000); see Section 28.2 - 1206 of the Code of Virginia for a full description of permit fees and royalties. To receive an application by mail, please contact us directly at (757) 247-2252. Application forms may be downloaded from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Corps JPA link.

For assistance with the permit process in a specific area of the State, click on the following link to see a map of the territory assignments of Marine Resource Commission Environmental Engineers with their phone numbers (once you get their name you can also get their email from the staff directory).

Click on link for more information on the Commission's Habitat Management Division.
Regulations and Guidelines related to the Habitat Management Division can be found in the Regulation Index
Click on link to go to a page maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers that has links to local wetlands boards. (leave VMRC web site)
Click on link to get a copy of the abbreviated JPA for projects related to Tropical Storm Ernesto. (pdf file)
Click on link to get a copy of the abbreviated JPA for reconstruction projects authorized by Executive Order 39 related to the Northeaster of October 6, through October 8, 2006. (Word Document)