Maine Revised Statutes
Article 5-A: NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTION ACT
38 §480-E. Permit processing requirements

§480-E. Permit processing requirements
The department shall process all permits under this article, except as provided in section 480‑E‑1, in accordance with chapter 2, subchapter I, and the following requirements. [PL 1999, c. 333, §19 (AMD).]
1. Municipal and other notification. The department shall provide notice according to this subsection.
A. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph B, the department may not review a permit without notifying the municipality in which the proposed activity is to occur. The municipality may provide comments within a reasonable period established by the commissioner and the commissioner shall consider any such comments. [PL 2009, c. 615, Pt. E, §10 (NEW).]
B. The department may not review an application for an offshore wind power project without providing:
(1) Notice to the Maine Land Use Planning Commission when the proposed development is located within 3 miles of an area of land within the jurisdiction of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission; and
(2) Notice to any municipality with land located within 3 miles of the proposed development and any municipality in which development of associated facilities is proposed.
The Maine Land Use Planning Commission and any municipality notified pursuant to this paragraph may provide comments within a reasonable period established by the commissioner and the commissioner shall consider such comments. [PL 2009, c. 615, Pt. E, §10 (NEW); PL 2011, c. 682, §38 (REV).]
[PL 2009, c. 615, Pt. E, §10 (RPR); PL 2011, c. 682, §38 (REV).]
2. Water supply notification and review. If the resource subject to alteration or the underlying ground water is utilized by a community public water system as a source of supply, the applicant for the permit shall, at the time of filing an application, forward a copy of the application to the community public water system and the drinking water program of the Department of Health and Human Services by certified mail and the department shall consider any comments concerning the application filed with the commissioner within a reasonable period, as established by the commissioner.
[PL 2007, c. 353, §10 (AMD).]
3. Dredge spoils disposal. The commissioner may not accept an application for dredge spoils disposal in a coastal wetland unless the following requirements are met.
A. The applicant has collected and tested the dredge spoils in accordance with a protocol approved by the commissioner. [PL 1993, c. 296, §3 (AMD).]
B. The applicant has published notice of the proposed route by which the dredged materials are to be transported to the disposal site in a newspaper of general circulation in the area adjacent to the proposed route. [PL 1989, c. 656, §4 (NEW).]
C. The application has been submitted to each municipality adjacent to any proposed marine and estuarine disposal site and route. [PL 1989, c. 656, §4 (NEW).]
Any public hearing held pursuant to this application must be held in the municipality nearest to the proposed disposal site.
[PL 1993, c. 296, §3 (AMD).]
4. Deferrals. When winter conditions prevent the department or municipality from evaluating a permit application, the department or municipality, upon notifying the applicant of that fact, may defer action on the application for a reasonable period. The applicant may not alter the resource area in question during the period of deferral.
[PL 1989, c. 656, §4 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 890, Pt. A, §40 (AFF); PL 1989, c. 890, Pt. B, §73 (AMD).]
5. Permission of record owner. The written permission of the record owner or owners of flowed land is considered sufficient right, title or interest to confer standing for submission of a permit application, provided that the letter of permission specifically identifies the activities being performed and the area that may be used for that purpose. The commissioner may not refuse to accept a permit application for any prohibited activity due to the lack of evidence of sufficient right, title or interest if the owner or lessee of land adjoining a great pond has made a diligent effort to locate the record owner or owners of flowed land and has been unable to do so.
[PL 1989, c. 890, Pt. A, §40 (AFF); PL 1989, c. 890, Pt. B, §73 (NEW).]
6. Permit display. A person issued a permit pursuant to this article for activities in a great pond watershed shall have a copy of the permit on site while work authorized by that permit is being conducted. Activities exempt by rule from the requirements of this article are not required to be in compliance with this subsection.
[PL 1991, c. 838, §24 (NEW).]
7. Individual permit; maintenance dredging. Notwithstanding section 480‑X, if an analysis of alternatives to the dredging project has been completed by the applicant within the previous 10 years pursuant to section 480‑X and rules adopted to implement that section as part of an individual permit application, the applicant may update the previous analysis for purposes of obtaining an individual permit for maintenance dredging under this subsection.
[PL 2011, c. 65, §1 (RPR).]
8. Permit by rule; maintenance dredging renewal. An individual permit for maintenance dredging may be renewed with a permit by rule only if the area to be dredged is located in an area that was dredged within the last 10 years and the amount of material to be dredged does not exceed the amount approved by the individual permit.
[PL 2011, c. 65, §2 (RPR).]
9. Permit; reconstruction in V-Zone.
[PL 2005, c. 548, §1 (RP).]
10. Road construction associated with forest management activities.
[PL 1999, c. 695, §3 (NEW); MRSA T. 38 §480-E, sub-§10 (RP).]
11. Road construction associated with forest management activities. A permit by rule for road construction or maintenance associated with a forest management activity becomes effective upon receipt of notification by the department as long as:
A. The road construction or maintenance is eligible for a permit by rule; and [PL 2003, c. 23, §1 (NEW).]
B. The notification is on a form provided by the department and is complete. [PL 2003, c. 23, §1 (NEW).]
[PL 2003, c. 23, §1 (NEW).]
12. Dam removal. A person intending to file an application for a permit to remove an existing dam must attend a preapplication meeting with the department and must hold a public informational meeting prior to filing the application. The preapplication meeting and the public informational meeting must be held in accordance with the department's rules on the processing of applications.
[PL 2003, c. 134, §1 (NEW).]
13. Information sharing with affected municipality. When the department issues or denies a permit or approves or denies a permit by rule under this article, the department shall provide a copy of the permitting decision or other authorization or denial to each municipality in which the proposed activity is to occur. The department may provide the information required under this subsection electronically.
[PL 2019, c. 181, §1 (NEW).]
14. Minor expansion of structures in a coastal sand dune system. The department may authorize a one-time expansion of an existing residential or commercial structure in a coastal sand dune system through permit by rule if:
A. The footprint of the expansion is contained within an impervious area that existed on January 1, 2021; [PL 2021, c. 186, §5 (NEW).]
B. The footprint of the expansion is no further seaward than the existing structure; [PL 2021, c. 186, §5 (NEW).]
C. The height of the expansion is within the height restriction of any applicable law or ordinance; and [PL 2021, c. 186, §5 (NEW).]
D. The expansion conforms to the standards for expansion of a structure contained in the municipal shoreland zoning ordinance adopted pursuant to article 2‑B. [PL 2021, c. 186, §5 (NEW).]
For the purposes of this subsection, "structure" does not include a seawall, retaining wall, closed fence or other structure used to stabilize the shoreline or to prevent the movement of sand or water. For the purposes of this subsection, expansion of an existing structure does not include a change from one type of structure to another.
[PL 2021, c. 186, §5 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1987, c. 809, §2 (NEW). PL 1989, c. 656, §4 (RPR). PL 1989, c. 890, §§A40,B73 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 838, §24 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 296, §3 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 240, §1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 298, §1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 333, §19 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 695, §3 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 23, §1 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 134, §1 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 548, §1 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 353, §10 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 615, Pt. E, §10 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 65, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 682, §38 (REV). PL 2019, c. 181, §1 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 186, §5 (AMD).