WHAT ABOUT "BUFFERS"?

If you want to pursue activities in an area within 150 feet of a wetland, you may be in a transition area (sometimes called a buffer) and you may need a DEP transition area waiver. A transition area is a strip of land bordering the wetlands. The width of the transition area may vary from 150 feet down to nothing, depending on the value of the particular wetland. For example, a wetland adjacent to trout production or waters containing endangered species habitat would require a 150 foot wide transition area, whereas a small wetland in a ditch might not require any transition area at all. Most freshwater wetlands require a 50-foot transition area.

There are many small activities that can be pursued in a transition area under general permits, like the general permits discussed above, for activities in freshwater wetlands. In addition, in some cases the transition area's shape may be altered to allow an activity, without diminishing its total size. This is called transition area averaging.