NHDES Shore Land Permit
This information is pulled directly from the NHDES website. Please reference there for more information.
Waterfront Development
Managing construction and development in and around New Hampshire’s lakes, rivers, ponds and seacoast.Regulating waterfront development helps maintain high water quality within our lakes, rivers, streams, and ocean, as well as healthy vegetation buffers at the water’s edge. In turn, high water quality and vegetated buffers promote healthy wildlife and plant populations, increase the monetary value of waterfront properties, preserve the recreational value of waterbodies within New Hampshire, encourage tourism, and help protect public health. Certain construction, fill, excavation or dredge activities within surface waters, banks, and the protected shoreland are therefore regulated under state law. Examples of regulated activities include, but are not limited to, Constructing or modifying the footprint of houses, patios, decks, driveways, and other structures within the protected shoreland. Installing docks, boathouses, jet ski lifts, and breakwaters. Filling and excavating shorelines for stabilization. Removing vegetation in proximity to public waters. These activities may also require a shoreland permit under the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act (RSA 483-B), a wetlands permit under Fill and Dredge in Wetlands (RSA 482-A), or an alteration of terrain permit under Water Pollution and Waste Disposal (RSA 485-A:17).