Regulations

Marine Resources Commission Regulation Index

IMPORTANT: The following table contains links to the full text of the current regulations established by the VMRC. The regulations may be viewed directly on the Virginia LIS website by clicking on the regulation number, and copies of each regulation can be found by clicking on the regulation title. The regulation texts provided below are not legal copies of the regulations. Please request certified copies from the VMRC if you need a copy of a regulation for legal purposes. If you would like to know more about the regulatory process or get to links leading to statutes related to the Commission, click here. The texts of our regulations have been provided for reference only; summaries of current restrictions have also been posted and are much easier to understand than the underlying regulations. The regulation summaries are available at the following links:

The Registrar of Regulations also maintains searchable databases of regulations and statutes. Click on links below to access key word search pages on the Registrar web page.

[ Administrative Code of Virginia Regulation Search Database ] [ Code of Virginia Statute Search Database ]

Showing the Habitat regulations only. Show all regulations

Habitat

Regulation # Title Effective
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Guidance (PDF) 08/22/2017
Wetlands Guidelines (PDF) 05/25/2021
Virginia Regulatory Town Hall Waterway Maintenance Fund Guidelines (PDF) 07/01/2025
4 VAC 20-120-10 ET SEQ. Pertaining to the Promulgation of a Public Notice on Applications to Encroach In, On, or Over Subaqueous Lands of the Commonwealth (PDF) 11/01/2017
4 VAC 20-333-10 ET SEQ. General Permit VGP #1 for Projects undertaken by the Virginia Department of Transportation In, On or Over State-Owned Subaqueous Lands Anywhere Within the Commonwealth. (PDF) 07/06/1999
General Permit VGP #2 for groin projects designed to control shoreline erosion, which conforms to certain criteria and are undertaken by riparian owners in, on or over state-owned bottom. (PDF) 1985
4 VAC 20-335-10 ET SEQ. Pertaining to On-Bottom Shellfish Aquaculture Activities (PDF) 01/01/2016
4 VAC 20-336-10 ET SEQ. General Permit VGP #3 for Noncommercial Riparian Shellfish Growing (I.E. "Gardening") Activities (PDF) 01/01/1998
4 VAC 20-337-10 ET SEQ Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Transplantation Guidelines (PDF) 11/01/2000
4 VAC 20-345-10 ET SEQ. VGP #4 General Wetlands Permit for Emergency Situations (PDF) 03/01/1998
4 VAC 20-360-10 ET SEQ. Criteria for the Siting of Marinas or Community Facilities for Boat Mooring (PDF) 06/07/1988
4 VAC 20-390-10 ET SEQ. Wetlands Mitigation-Compensation Policy (PDF) 02/01/2025
4 VAC 20-391-10 ET SEQ. Guidelines for the Establishment, Use and Operation of Tidal Wetland Mitigation Banks in Virginia 02/01/2025
4 VAC 20-395-10 ET SEQ. GENERAL PERMIT #6 FOR Emergency Situations and Water Quality Improvement Projects in non-tidal waterways. (PDF) 06/30/2009
4 VAC 20-398-10 ET SEQ. Ballast Water Discharge Reporting (PDF) 11/01/2001
4 VAC 20-400-10 ET SEQ. Criteria for the Placement of Sandy Dredged Material along Beaches in the Commonwealth (PDF) 08/02/1989
4 VAC 20-440-10 ET SEQ. Coastal Primary Sand Dune / Beaches Guidelines: Barrier Island Policy (PDF) 10/24/1990
Coastal Primary Sand Dunes Beaches Guidelines (PDF) 09/01/1993
4 VAC 20-1030-10 ET SEQ. Management Plan for the Ungranted State Lands in Accomack and Northampton Counties (PDF) 03/15/1999
4 VAC 20-1300-10 ET SEQ. Pertaining to Living Shoreline Group 1 General Permit for Certain Living Shoreline Treatments Involving Tidal Wetlands (PDF) 09/01/2015
4 VAC 20-1330-10 ET SEQ. Pertaining to Living Shoreline Group 2 General Permit for Certain Living Shoreline Treatments Involving Submerged Lands, Tidal Wetlands, or Coastal Primary Sand Dunes and Beaches (PDF) 11/01/2017
4 VAC 20-1340-10 ET SEQ. Fast-Track Permitting Program For Disposal Of Dredged Material (PDF) 06/01/2019
4 VAC 20-1410-10 ET SEQ. Utility Line Encroachments Beneath or Over State-Owned Subaqueous Beds (PDF) 11/01/2023
Subaqueous Guidelines 10/28/2023
4 VAC 28.2-1206-10 ET SEQ. Rent and Royalty Schedule 12/01/2005
Guidance for Civil Charge Assessments Pursant §28.2-1213 Code of Virginia (PDF) 03/27/2012
Resolution by the VMRC Board interpreting §28.2-1203.A.5(iv) relating to private piers and navigational hazards (PDF) 11/23/2004

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