CAMA Permits

HomeCAMA Permits

The shorelines within Currituck County, adjacent to the ocean and sound, fall under the jurisdiction of the North Carolina Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) . CAMA was enacted to protect the resources of the coast as well as human lives and property.

CAMA regulations require permits for certain “development” activities located within what CAMA refers to as the Area of Environmental Concern (AEC). This is the area within 75 feet of the normal water line of Estuarine Shorelines and the area along the oceanfront directly adjacent to the frontal and primary dune system which is subject to greater risk of flooding and coastal erosion.

Through a cooperative agreement, the County administers CAMA minor permits on behalf of the State of North Carolina for certain types of projects.

CAMA Permit Officers

To contact a permit officer

Does My Project Need a CAMA Permit

To determine if you need a CAMA permit, you will need to know if your project falls within an AEC AND also if the project meets the state’s definition of “development”.

Your project is likely in an AEC if it is:

  • On or adjacent to a marsh or wetland;
  • Oceanfront;
  • Within 75 feet of the normal water line along the estuarin shoreline;
  • Within 30′ of normal water line along Public Trust Shorelines including Hog Quarter Creek, Tulls Creek, and Northwest River.

Your project qualifies as “development” if it is:

An activity involving, requiring or consisting of the construction or enlargement of a structure; excavation; dredging; filling; dumping; removal of clay, silt, sand, gravel or minerals; bulk heading; driving of pilings; clearing or alteration of land as an adjunct of construction; alteration or removal of sand dunes; alteration of the shore, bank or bottom of the Atlantic Ocean or any sound, by, river, creek, stream, lake or canal” {NCGS 113A-103(5)(a)}.