The Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Program was created in response to the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972. The CZMA established a voluntary program that gives coastal states the funding and the opportunity to develop and implement plans to manage coastal resources. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management, the federal agency that administers the CZMA, has established a flexible framework that enables states to develop strategies that meet their specific needs within their state governmental structure. The CZMA also gives states the authority to review federal projects, federally financed projects, and projects receiving federal licenses and permits, to ensure that they abide by state laws, regulations, and policies.

State agencies, the state legislature, local officials, environmental groups, business organizations, and interested citizens were directly involved with setting up the coastal program to ensure that it would truly serve the needs of the citizens of the Commonwealth. In 1978, Massachusetts finalized its coastal zone management plan. The plan was approved by the NOAA, making Massachusetts the first state on the eastern seaboard to be granted federal approval. In 1983, the Massachusetts legislature formally established CZM as part of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to take the lead in implementing the coastal program.