Because the Massachusetts environmental permitting process protects diverse resources and includes both ancient and modern statutes, it can seem extraordinarily complex. This guide is intended to offer clear, brief descriptions of the major Massachusetts environmental permits to help the reader work with environmental consultants and state, federal, and local officials to chart a reasonably straight path through the permitting process.

Section 1 of the guide provides an overview of environmental regulations and permits. The primary focus is on Massachusetts statutes and regulations, but information about a few of the local and federal statutes that frequently tie into the Massachusetts permitting process is also included. Narrative describing the various permitting considerations applicable to project siting, construction, operations, and maintenance is provided. Within each of these narratives, the names of the various regulations, permits, and programs are bolded and hyperlinked. The number in parentheses following the bolded text corresponds to a description of the permit program in the second section of the guide.

Section 2 of the guide contains technical descriptions of each of the statutes, regulations and programs referenced in the first section. The descriptions are numbered and are shown in the order in which they appear in the first section of the guide. Each of these descriptions includes the name of the statute, its authorities and jurisdiction, its applicability to project proposals, a summary of the regulation, a summary of the review process, applicable forms and fees, and a web address and contact telephone number for further information.

To obtain answers to questions about the permitting process in advance, a pre-application meeting can be scheduled with state and federal regulators. The Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Unit, the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) can all host pre-application meetings that include all the other relevant regulators. Contact information for each of these agencies is included in Section 2 of this guide.

Section 1 - Overview of Environmental Regulations and Permits

Section 2 - Statutes, Regulations, and Programs