In response to the significant damage caused by Hurricane Irene, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (“NCDENR”) and the Wilmington Division of the Army Corps of Engineers (“ACOE”) have announced emergency cleanup and permitting procedures.

Specifically, coastal property owners who need to replace docks, piers, bulkheads, houses or other structures damaged by Hurricane Irene along sounds, rivers and creeks may be able to do so quickly by using an emergency general permit offered by the state Division of Coastal Management. The emergency general permit may be used in the following counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Herford, Hyde, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Tyrell and Washington. The general permit does not apply to the replacement of oceanfront structures, which require a CAMA minor permit.