Georgia Coastal Management Act

The Coastal Management Act governs development and resource use along a state's shoreline, establishing a defined coastal area and boundary and a set of statutory goals and policies that state agency actions must be consistent with. Its principal mechanism is local: coastal municipalities adopt coastal programs, conform their plans of development and zoning regulations to the act's policies, and review proposed shoreline development through a coastal site plan process, with performance bonds, civil penalties, and enforcement provisions for violations. The act also charges the state environmental agency's commissioner with mapping the coastal boundary, coordinating regulatory programs, and providing technical assistance, authorizes grants and financial aid to municipalities for coastal and estuarine projects, and gives the state and coastal municipalities standing to testify in and appeal permitting decisions affecting the coast.

Editorial summary generated from the text of this act. It is not part of the statute — read the sections below for the operative language.