Official Site of The State of New Jersey

The Highlands Council works in partnership with the 88 municipalities and 7 counties of the Highlands to encourage a regional approach to protecting the sensitive natural and cultural resources of this area. The Highlands Council provides planning grants, technical expertise, and coordination with other state agencies to help Highlands communities maximize the environmental and economic benefits of being located in this important region.

Highlands Council Planning Grants are available only for Municipal and County governments in the New Jersey Highlands Region, as defined by the Highlands Act. Additional parameters:

• Non-competitive
• No match required
• No minimum or maximum
• Reimbursement-based

Funding is available for a wide range of planning, design and engineering activities including, but not limited to, the following:

Land Use Planning
✓ Sustainable Economic Development
✓ Redevelopment Planning
✓ Town Center Planning
✓ Green Building
✓ Municipal Master Plan Reexamination and Updates

Resource Management Planning
✓ Lake Management Planning
✓ Stream Corridor Protection/Restoration
✓ Water Quality Monitoring
✓ Habitat Conservation & Management
✓ Forest Stewardship
✓ Environmental Resource Inventories
✓ Scenic Resource Management

Recreation and Preservation Planning
✓ Land Preservation & Stewardship Plans
✓ Farmland Preservation & Agriculture Retention Plans
✓ Historic Preservation Plan and Cultural Resource Inventory
✓ Trails and Recreation Planning
✓ Open Space and Recreation Plans

Infrastructure Planning
✓ Stormwater Management
✓ Water Use and Conservation Management Plans
✓ Alternative Wastewater Solutions
✓ Wastewater Management Plans
✓ Septic System Management/Maintenance