DPNR Coastal Zone Management, St. Thomas

The Coastal Zone Management program of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources was set up to manage and protect the territory's coastal resources. Under Title 12, Chapter 21 of the Virgin Islands Code, it must assess all proposed development in the first tier, the area known as the coastal zone, and it issues major and minor permits for work on land, in the water, or both. Major applications are posted for public review. For a buyer looking at a waterfront or near-shore property, it is worth checking the parcel on the program's interactive map to see whether it falls in Tier 1, because development there goes through this program. Other filings include requests to modify a permit, to assign or transfer one, and for a certificate of completion. DPNR lists its St. Thomas office at Tutu Park Mall, and applications can be filed through e-permitting.