State & Local Environmental Regulations

What are the Environmental Regulations in My State?

Environmental regulations vary from state to state. And they change constantly. It’s important to fully understand the local environmental policies and regulations before selecting a site for new development.

Here are some ways you can identify local environmental regulations near you:

1. View Health and Environmental Agencies by State: The EPA maintains a list of of health and environmental agencies by state which you can access here. However, you won’t find specific regulations unless you drill into each agency’s website individually.
   
   
2. Use Transect’s Environmental Compliance Software: With more than 1,000 site specific permits, pathways, and recommended next steps, you can get instant access to environmental regulations in your state. Transect Vision also gives key insights into endangered species, waters, and protected land for consideration. Learn more here.
   
   
3. View Individual Policy Acts by State: Some states have NEPA-like policies and regulations, many of which only apply to state actions, but some states, like California and New York, require NEPA-like review for private projects too. Here is a list you can use to view these in more detail.

What are Some Examples of State and Local Environmental Regulations in Transect?

The National Environmental Policy Act sets forth a national standard of environmental compliance. However, each state, county, and municipality is entitled to their own unique set of regulations, and these regulations can change regularly.

That’s why careful evaluation of environmental compliance is critical for new and existing developments and infrastructure.

For example, the City of Austin, Texas Land Development Code specifies that setbacks (up to several hundred feet) are required for certain environmental features like wetlands, springs, and bluffs. Not knowing about these setbacks early in planning can severely limit your expected development footprint - that's not the good kind of surprise.

Or, in Ohio, an Isolated Wetlands and Ephemeral Streams Permit is required for any project that will fill or dredge in isolated wetlands and streams.  This permit requirement is above and beyond the federal regulations, which only regulate wetlands that are hydrologically connected to another waterbody and which do not protect ephemeral waters (per the recent Navigable Waters Protection Rule). Basically, unlike states where only federal rules apply, impacts to basically anything wet in Ohio requires a permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. This permit can add at least a month to your timeline - that's need-to-know info for your project schedule!

Check out the map below for a summary of which states have unique waterways or wetlands permitting in addition to federal permitting.

Looking for More?

Learn more about about wetlands mapping & permitting here >>