The Waterfront Revitalization Program - DCP

Department of City Planning


OverviewForms & StandardsEnviro. ReviewWRP


2002 NYC Coastal Zone

As originally mapped and adopted in 1982, the Coastal Zone boundary defines the geographic scope of the WRP. Pursuant to federal statute, the boundary encompasses all land and water of direct and significant impact on coastal waters. Click on a section to view the map in PDF format. Shaded areas on each map are within the Coastal Zone. More information...

The Coastal Zone Boundary is also available online through the Zoning and Land Use Application, or ZoLa.

These maps depict the land that falls within the Coastal Zone, however the Coastal Zone boundary extends waterward to the Westchester and Nassau County and New Jersey boundaries, and to the three-mile territorial limit in the Atlantic. The boundary extends landward to encompass the following coastal features:

Significant Maritime and Industrial Areas

Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats

Special Natural Waterfront Areas

Staten Island Bluebelts

Tidal and Freshwater Wetlands

Coastal Floodplains and Flood Hazard Areas

Erosion Hazard Areas

Coastal Barrier Resources Act Areas

Steep Slopes

Parks and Beaches

Visual Access and Views of Coastal Waters and the Harbor

Historic, Archaeological, and Cultural Sites Closely Associated with the Coast

Special Zoning Districts

In developed areas devoid of these features, the Coastal Zone boundary is generally defined as the nearest legally mapped street at least 300 feet landward of the Mean High Tide Line. In undeveloped areas devoid of these features, the landward boundary is delineated at the legally mapped street nearest to the first major man-made physical barrier. Exceptions to these guidelines include City Island, Broad Channel Island, and the Rockaway Peninsula which are included within the Coastal Zone in their entirety. Federal lands and facilities are excluded from the Coastal Zone and consistency review in accordance with federal legislation. However, should the federal government dispose of any coastal property, it would be included in the Coastal Zone.