Conservation Commission and MassDEP Electronic Filing Guidance

Filing with the Conservation Commission

Please follow the below steps to submit an application.

  1. Please be in touch with the Conservation Office via email (conservation@fairhaven-ma.gov) or phone (508-979-4023, ext. 128) to let them know you will be submitting an application or dropping off information, to discuss review times or inspections, or to request public documents of other information. 
  2. Permit-related applications can be obtained from the Application Forms and Documents section at the left.
  3. Applications must be submitted electronically to conservation@fairhaven-ma.gov using the below subject naming conventions. If you are submitting both to the Conservation Commission and to DEP, one email to both email addresses will suffice (see below for MassDEP's filing guidance). Hard copies of the application and other documents, including checks, may be dropped off at Town Hall either in the Conservation Office or in the Selectboard Office.  
    1. TOWN NAME - RDA - Street Address - Applicant Name
    2. TOWN NAME - NOI - Street Address - Applicant Name
    3. TOWN NAME - ANRAD - Street Address - Applicant Name
  4. The Conservation Office will confirm either via phone or email that documents have been received and are complete. When permits or documents are ready, the Office will contact you to arrange pick-up. Alternatively, permits will be placed in the mail should you be unable to pick them up. 

Filing with MassDEP

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has released guidance regarding submission of permits. Currently, MassDEP staff are working remotely and the Wetlands Program is "open for business." However, the offices are physically closed until further notice per the Governor's order, so wetlands staff have limited access to the mail. They have developed the below guidance:

Note: For all regulatory filings discussed below, incoming mail will be processed as expediently as possible. However, hand delivery is not currently an option at any of MassDEP's offices.

For applicants who are required by the regulations to submit their wetlands filings via certified mail or hand delivery, please avoid utilizing hand delivery by doing the following:

In addition to the regulatory filing requirements, MassDEP recomends that Requests for Determinations of Applicability (RDAs) and Notices of Intent (NOIs) be sent by email to MassDEP to SERO_NOI@mass.gov. If you are in a different region, please see the appropriate email below. For emailed documents, the subject line should read as follows:

  • TOWN NAME - RDA - Street Address - Applicant Name
  • TOWN NAME - NOI - Street Address - Applicant Name
  • TOWN NAME - ANRAD - Street Address - Applicant Name

The maximum file size MassDEP can receive is 15MB. For emailed submissions that exceed 15MB (e.g. NOIs), please break them into more than one email, with each email having the same subject line shown above, with 1, 2, 3...etc. at the end.

Regional Emails

General note regarding 401 Water Quality Certification (401WQC) submissions: Consistent with the intent of the Governor's proposed legislation, MassDEP recommends that submissions related to:

  1. 401WQC dredge permit applicants be submitted by email to the Boston-based dredge program at David.W.Wong@mass.gov with the following subject line format: TOWN - 401 WQC DREDGE - Transmittal #
  2. 401WCQ fill/excavation permit applications be submitted to the appropriate regional email address shown above with the following subject line format: TOWN NAME - [401 WQC Fill/Excavation BRP WW 10, 11, or other] - Transmittal #

As always, for general questions to the Boston Wetlands Program, please email dep.wetlands@mass.gov. MassDEP appreciates your cooperation during these difficult times. For further information on the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 response, please visit https://www.mass.gov.