Technical Assistance

Find resources to help plan your project.

NHDES offers assistance to applicants with proposed impacts to jurisdictional wetlands. This can help ensure more complete wetland permit applications and reduce the risk of unnecessary delays. 

For general wetland and shoreland permitting questions, please email lrm@des.nh.gov or call (603) 271-2147 and ask to speak with the Inspector of the Day. 

For specific wetlands project planning, applicants may consider retaining a certified wetland scientist. The following guidance is designed to help wetlands scientists use mapping tools to screen for nearby natural resource areas, prepare a plan and application, and answer common questions about proposed impacts in project plans and wetlands functional assessments.

To contact regional reviewers with specific questions about larger projects, or existing permit applications, please email or call the regional permit reviewer.

To request preapplication meetings, only for proposals involving 10,000 square feet or more of potential impacts to wetlands, or if otherwise required, please email Rebekah.J.Webb@des.nh.gov. Please note that schedules are typically booked several weeks in advance. Timing depends on staff schedules and on other state and federal agencies where applicable.

A turbidity curtain containing suspended sediment. Photo shows turbid water on one side of the curtain and clean water on the other side.Avoidance and minimization in wetland permit planning includes protection and preservation wherever practicable. 

Building avoidance and minimization into planning and design can help ensure complete permit applications, save money and reduce risks of unnecessary delays. 

The 2019 New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission's best management practices manual offers many descriptions and examples.

Project-Specific Resources

  • Routine Road Maintenance - New Hampshire Department of Transportation best management practices.
  • Agriculture - New Hampshire Department of Agriculture resources to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation in and around wetlands. 
  • Harvesting Timber - University of New Hampshire Extension guidance to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation.  
  • Invasive Plants - New Hampshire Department of Agriculture resources to manage or remove prohibited species. 
  • Trail Maintenance and Construction - New Hampshire State Parks guidance to minimize erosion and environmental impacts of trail projects.
  • Utility Maintenance - New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands guidance on maintaining utility assets in or around wetlands.  
  • Marinas - NHDES pollution prevention guidance for marinas.

lily pads and flowersFind a state-certified professional wetlands scientist or learn more about how to identify and assess wetlands.

erosion controlUse the resources below to help visualize and access data and GIS information.

Designated Prime Wetlands

Please consult the Land Resources Management Permit Planning Tool to determine if your proposed project is within town-designated prime wetlands. Alternatively, please visit town offices to view the original files.

Under RSA 482-A:15 and Env-Wt 700, municipalities may vote to designate wetlands as “prime wetlands” if, after thorough analysis, it is determined that high-quality wetlands are present. Typically, a wetland receives this designation because of its large size, unspoiled character and ability to sustain populations of rare or threatened plant and animal species. Field data and desktop data are used for the evaluations.

After high-value wetlands are identified, municipalities hold public hearings and vote on a designation. Once a municipality approves, it provides NHDES a copy of the study and tax maps with the designated prime wetlands identified. NHDES reviews to ensure it is complete and in accordance with Env-Wt 702.03. Once the town's prime wetland is considered complete and approved, NHDES will apply the law and rules applicable to any future proposed projects within the prime wetland or the 100-foot prime wetland buffer where a 100-foot buffer was required at the time of designation (on or after Sept. 11, 2009, but before Aug. 17, 2012).

Cities and towns may also designate additional local buffers or setbacks, beyond those covered in state statutes or administrative rules.

Wetland Permit Applications: Tips for Your Planning and Design Phase

If you are a New Hampshire agent or homeowner in the planning and design phase of a proposed project in or near wetlands, here are some tips on getting better project results when filing your standard dredge and fill wetlands permit application. (Runtime 5:50)

More Documents 

Related Content

Vernal Pools

A vernal pool depicted in all four seasons.Vernal pools are those wetlands and temporary ponds that typically have ponded water only part of the year. Because the pools are temporary, they provide critical habitat for certain wildlife to breed and complete their life cycle. Many of the animals that breed in vernal pools live in the upland areas around the pool during the non-breeding season. When pools dry, wood frogs migrate to forested upland areas that are as much as 1,000 to more than 2,000 feet from their breeding pools. Mole salamanders will migrate to forested uplands that are 1,000 feet from their breeding pools. Vernal pools are a resource protected from unregulated alteration under the NHDES Wetlands law and rules. The rules provide definitions of vernal pool, primary vernal pool indicators and secondary vernal pool indicators.

Typically, a vernal pool:

  • Forms in a shallow depression or basin.
  • Holds water for at least 2 continuous months following spring ice-out.
  • Cycles annually from flooded to dry conditions, although the hydroperiod, size, and shape of the pool might vary from year to year.
  • Has no permanently flowing outlet.
  • Lacks a viable fish population.
  • Supports one or more primary vernal pool indicators, or three or more secondary vernal pool indicators.

Look at the USC Vernal Pool Field Guide for information on the many species considered vernal pool indicators.

The following documents can be used to identify and document vernal pools