Shoreline Permitting, Uncloaked and Without the Daggers

Presentation Abstract

The permitting of shoreline projects is often seen by private property owners as a complicated, time consuming, expensive (and even scary) task which requires more effort than the actual project construction itself. These issues can cause property owners to avoid important shoreline restoration projects such as the removal of hard armor bulkheads and other coastal structures. In addition, the above issues can lead to private property owners pursuing unpermitted shoreline modifications resulting in the degradation of the ecosystem as well as the risk of substantial expense in the form of fines and/or the requirement to undo or properly permit the project. Often the culprit of these unpermitted activities is the uneducated homeowner who with desire to protect their shoreline property takes matters into their own hands or hires a contractor willing to construct shoreline modifications without the proper permits.

Understanding a land parcel is an important step prior to a project in order to understand what types of project impacts will be permittable and what agencies will be involved. This can include research into the land use zoning, shoreline designation, critical areas, conservation and other restrictive overlays, land use history, and jurisdictional boundaries. Professional consultants in the areas of geology/geomorphology, coastal engineering, and biological sciences can be contracted to provide more detailed information as well recommend projects the will accomplish the property owner’s goal of restoration or protection.

Because each local county or city jurisdiction in the Salish Sea varies in its permit requirements, interpretations of state law, and permit approval process, there is not a single quick map to approval. This poster will graphically and simply show the steps for the permitting environment and process and how they vary between jurisdictions and government agencies.

Session Title

A Review of Shoreline Armoring Permitting Effectiveness

Keywords

Keywords: permitting, permit, critical areas, armor, bulkheads, restoration, protection

Conference Track

Shorelines

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)

Document Type

Event

Start Date

2016 12:00 AM

End Date

2016 12:00 AM

Location

2016SSEC

Type of Presentation

Poster

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Coastal zone management--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Shore protection--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Comments

Keywords: permitting, permit, critical areas, armor, bulkheads, restoration, protection,

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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Shoreline Permitting, Uncloaked and Without the Daggers

2016SSEC

The permitting of shoreline projects is often seen by private property owners as a complicated, time consuming, expensive (and even scary) task which requires more effort than the actual project construction itself. These issues can cause property owners to avoid important shoreline restoration projects such as the removal of hard armor bulkheads and other coastal structures. In addition, the above issues can lead to private property owners pursuing unpermitted shoreline modifications resulting in the degradation of the ecosystem as well as the risk of substantial expense in the form of fines and/or the requirement to undo or properly permit the project. Often the culprit of these unpermitted activities is the uneducated homeowner who with desire to protect their shoreline property takes matters into their own hands or hires a contractor willing to construct shoreline modifications without the proper permits.

Understanding a land parcel is an important step prior to a project in order to understand what types of project impacts will be permittable and what agencies will be involved. This can include research into the land use zoning, shoreline designation, critical areas, conservation and other restrictive overlays, land use history, and jurisdictional boundaries. Professional consultants in the areas of geology/geomorphology, coastal engineering, and biological sciences can be contracted to provide more detailed information as well recommend projects the will accomplish the property owner’s goal of restoration or protection.

Because each local county or city jurisdiction in the Salish Sea varies in its permit requirements, interpretations of state law, and permit approval process, there is not a single quick map to approval. This poster will graphically and simply show the steps for the permitting environment and process and how they vary between jurisdictions and government agencies.