Meetings
6:00 PM, third Monday of each month (Please refer to the Public Meetings Calendar for changes.)
George L. Gordon, Jr. Government Center
1300 Courthouse Road
Stafford, VA 22554
Responsibilities
The Wetlands Board currently consists of seven members who are appointed by the Board of Supervisors. A wetlands permit must be acquired from the Wetlands Board in order to use or develop tidal wetlands or beaches. Typical examples of activities and projects requiring a permit include the repair or installation of bulkheads, riprap revetments, and community or commercial piers. Non-commercial piers and boathouses may require a permit from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, a building permit from the Department of Public Works is required for bulkheads, piers, and boathouses.
The first step in obtaining a wetlands permit is to submit a joint wetlands permit application (JPA) to the VMRC. VMRC acts as a clearing house and sends the permit application to other interested jurisdictions, including the Wetlands Board. Environmental planners within the Department of Planning and Zoning serve as staff to the Wetlands Board. Once the application is considered complete by staff, the project will be scheduled for a hearing before the Wetlands Board. The fee for scheduling a hearing is $675. In addition, to assist in the goal of no net loss of tidal wetlands in Virginia, an in-lieu fee is assessed per square foot of wetlands impact. To promote the use of shoreline protection methods considered less disruptive to the environment, the fee is currently set at $8.75 for riprap revetments and $17.50 for bulkheads.
Agendas & Minutes
Agendas are available 72 hours prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.
Please Note: Agendas & Minutes prior to 2016 can be found in the Archive and Document Center.