Contact: Michele Walker, 919-733-2293, ext. 229

NOAA Approves Routine Change to the North Carolina Coastal Management Program

RALEIGH – As required by law, the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission in May notified federal officials of proposed regulatory changes to the state’s Coastal Management Program. 

The commission’s notification went to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Such notification is required by federal Coastal Zone Management Act regulations.

NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management has approved the request to incorporate changes to 15A NCAC 7H .0306 and 15A NCAC 7J .1200 into North Carolina’s Coastal Management Program.

The Coastal Zone Management Act requires state Coastal Zone Management Programs to formally incorporate changes made to the laws, rules and policies that are used for federal consistency. These changes have already been made to each regulation, and now will be incorporated into the federally-approved program. 

These program changes are considered to be routine. They do not significantly affect the uses subject to management, special management areas, boundaries, authorities and organization or coordination, public involvement and national interest components of the North Carolina Coastal Resources Management Program.

The routine program change concerned the following rules:

1. 15A NCAC 7H.0306 General Use Standards for Ocean Hazard Areas
   Ties oceanfront setbacks to the size of the structure, not use. The revisions include graduated setback factors for buildings greater than 5,000 square feet and preclude oceanward cantilevering.

2. 15A NCAC 7J.1200 Static Vegetation Line Exception Procedures
   Creates procedures for local jurisdictions to apply to the CRC for static line exceptions in conjunction with long-term beach fill projects.

Complete copies of the rules may be obtained from the Division of Coastal Management website at http://www.nccoastalmanagement.net/Rules/RPC_7H0306_7J%201200.pdf, by contacting Mike Lopazanski, who works with the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, at 400 Commerce Ave., Morehead City, or (252)808-2808.

The approval letter from NOAA is available here.

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