[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
WATERSHED AND LAND MANAGEMENT

Public Notice of Substantial Change Upon Adoption to Proposed New Jersey’s Protecting Against Climate Threats (NJPACT) Resilient Environment and Landscapes (REAL) Rules

Coastal Zone Management Rules, N.J.A.C. 7:7

Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act Rules, N.J.A.C. 7:7A

Stormwater Management, N.J.A.C. 7:8

Flood Hazard Area Control Act Rules, N.J.A.C. 7:13

Public Notice

Take notice that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Department) is proposing substantial changes upon adoption to the NJPACT REAL Rules published on August 5, 2024.  The Department is proposing substantial changes through certain amendments and repeals to the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) rules, N.J.A.C. 7:7, Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act Rules (FWPA), N.J.A.C. 7:7A, Stormwater Management (SWM) rules, N.J.A.C. 7:8, and the Flood Hazard Area Control Act (FHACA) rules, N.J.A.C. 7:13, as part of a comprehensive update of the State’s Land Resource Protection program to reflect the latest global, regional, and State-specific scientific information and assessments of climate change vulnerabilities that are adversely affecting New Jersey. The REAL rules will help protect New Jersey’s land and water resources, as well as afford protections to public safety, health, and welfare. The REAL rules will ensure the use of the best available State-specific climate science to support New Jersey residents, businesses, and communities.

The public notice of substantial change on adoption is scheduled to be published in the New Jersey Register dated July 21, 2025.  A copy of the substantial change notice is available from:  the Department’s website (https://deptest.nj.gov/rules/wp-content/uploads/sites/70/proposals/proposal-20250721a.pdf) and via LexisNexis’s free public access to the New Jersey Register (https://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/njoal/).

A virtual public hearing is scheduled for September 3, 2025, and more information is available on the Department’s website at https://deptest.nj.gov/wlm/proposals/

Written comments may be submitted electronically by September 19, 2025, at https://deptest.nj.gov/rules/rule-comment-form/, or in hard copy to:

Chris Segal
ATTN: 05-24-05
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Office of Legal Affairs
Mail Code 401-04L; P.O. Box 402
401 East State Street, 7th Floor
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]