Apply for a Wetlands Permit

TO MAKE AN APPLICATION:

The Department of Development Services uses the Accela Citizen Access (ACA) portal to accept all Planning and Zoning applications. Please create an account to submit applications.

After logging on, you should be able to "Select a Record Type" for the applicable application. To view existing applications and check their status, please select "My Records".

To start a NEW wetlands application please choose the “Other Services” Record Group and select the ‘Wetlands Permit” Record Type from the dropdown list.

To amend or extend and EXISTING Wetlands Permit please navigate to the existing application and select “Renew Application” or “Modify Application”

Planning & Zoning Applications Portal

**If you are not sure which option to select, email oneplan@hartford.gov with a basic description of your project and your question(s)**

Note the following Criteria that the Reviewing Body will Consider when Issuing a Permit:

• The environmental impact of the proposed regulated activity on wetlands or watercourses;
• The applicant’s purpose for, and any feasible and prudent alternatives to, the proposed regulated activity which alternatives would cause less or no environmental impact to wetlands or watercourses.
• The relationship between the short-term and long-term impacts of the proposed regulated activity on wetlands or watercourses and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity of such wetlands or watercourses.
• Irreversible and irretrievable loss of wetland or watercourse resources which would be caused by the proposed regulated activity, including the extent to which such activity would foreclose a future ability to protect, enhance or restore such resources, and any mitigation measures which may be considered as a condition of issuing a permit for such activity including, but not limited to, measures to (1) prevent or minimize pollution or other environmental damage, (2) maintain or enhance existing environmental quality, or (3) in the following order of priority: restore, enhance and create productive wetland or watercourse resources;
• The character and degree of injury to, or interference with, safety, health or the reasonable use of property which is caused or threatened by the proposed regulated activity; and
• Impacts of the proposed regulated activity on wetlands or watercourses outside the area for which the activity is proposed and future activities associated with or reasonably related to, the proposed regulated activity which are made inevitable by the proposed regulated activity and which may have an impact on wetlands and watercourses

GENERAL APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

COMPLETENESS OF AN APPLICATION

Applications must be submitted with supporting documents in order to begin the review process. If the application is not submitted by the owner of record directly, owner authorization is required for the application to be accepted. 

Costs of permits vary based upon permit type. If more than one permit is required, the cost is the total of all applicable fees. Fees must be paid at time of application.

Applicants will be notified if the submittal is deemed incomplete. Correspondence will include the list of documents or fees that are required to proceed. If outstanding documents have not been received after 65 days, the incomplete application will be denied. A new application must be submitted to continue the request.

APPLICATION REVIEW TIMELINES

Applicants will be notified once all supporting documents and fees have been received by intake staff. The application will then be transferred to Plan Reviewers for processing.

Review Types:

• Administrative Reviews: Certain types are permitted "by-right". This means they are permitted in the corresponding district without conditions. Although these requests are permitted, they still require going through the plan review process as the form-based code specifics design details which must be followed.

  Applications undergoing administrative review may take up to 35 days to process, depending on the type of request.

• Commission Reviews: The Table of Principal Uses in the Zoning Regulations may indicate that a use is permitted by special permit, which can only be granted by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Likewise, demolition requests and changes in material of properties in historic districts must be heard by the Historic Commission, and applicants seeking an exception from the Zoning Regulations must appear before the Zoning Board of Appeals. These meetings provide opportunity for the public to formally comment before a decision is made. 

Per Connecticut General Statute (state law), public hearings must be opened within 65 days of receipt of a complete application. Staff will be in contact to schedule the public hearing date. 

Approvals:

• If the application meets all the criteria of the review process permit can be granted.
• Permits may be approved, approved with conditions, or denied.
• The Staff shall notify the applicant and any person entitled to such notice of its decision within fifteen (15) days of the date of the decision.
• Staff need to stamp the permit and send to the applicant. And maintain record and update report to the DEEP (Department of Energy and Environmental Protection) about the permit

PUBLIC NOTICES

For commission level reviews, public noticing is required. The conditions and requirements of the public notice may vary depending on the commission that will hear the request. Staff will take care of all legal noticing. Applicants will be responsible for contacting abutting property owners and putting up public hearing signs. Public Hearing Signs are provided by the Planning Division with a $50 refundable deposit.

DECISIONS

No decision is final until a permit or notice recorded by the Town Clerk’s Office is issued. Note that after a Commission Hearing a Notice of Decision must first be published in the newspaper. Note as well that applications are subject to appeal periods after a decision is made.

If your request is denied, you have the right to appeal. If you are a party that is aggrieved by a decision that was made you ALSO have the right to appeal. Administrative Appeals are heard by the Zoning Board of Appeals. To file for an appeal visit the “File An Appeal” page.