According to Part 303, Wetlands Protection, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451,as amended, a person may not do any of the following activities in a wetland without a permit from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ):
| Activity |
Example (Partial List Only) |
| Deposit or permit the placing of fill material |
Bulldozing, Grading, Dumping |
| Dredge, remove, or permit the removal of soil or minerals |
Removing tree stumps, Bulldozing, Digging a pond |
| Construct, operate, or maintain any use or development |
Construction of buildings or structures, Boardwalks, Peat mining, Water treatment |
| Drain surface water |
Diverting water to another area via ditch, pump or drain |
Permit applications must be submitted to the DEQ, Land and Water Management Division (LWMD), Permits Consolidation Unit (PCU) on the proper form along with the proper application fee. Upon making a determination that the application is complete, PCU staff will forward it to the appropriate district office for an on-site inspection and decision.
Decisions on wetland permit applications are based on the DEQ's review of the proposed project in light of the criteria in Part 303 and associated administrative rules. In general, the applicant must show avoidance of wetland resources to the greatest extent possible and minimization of unavoidable wetland impacts. The DEQ also considers any public comments that have been received prior to making a permit decision.
The DEQ may approve a permit application, request modification to an application, or deny an application. Decisions on permit applications can be appealed by contacting the Office of Administrative Hearings in writing within 60 days of the permit decision and requesting a formal hearing.
A joint state and federal permit process has been established between the DEQ and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) for proposed projects in areas which have both state and federal jurisdiction. The LWMD will determine whether a permit application requires joint state and federal review, and when appropriate, will forward these permit applications to the COE Detroit office for federal permitting review.
For additional information on permit applications, you may contact the PCU by telephone at 517-373-9244, by writing to Permit Consolidation Unit, Land and Water Management Division, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 30204, Lansing, MI 48909-7704, or by sending e-mail to DEQ-LWM-PCU@michigan.gov.
The permit application and general permit category links below contain the information necessary to file a permit application. You can view or print these files using Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have a copy of the Reader, it may be downloaded free from Adobe.
Permit Application
General Permit Categories
District Offices
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