Sovereign Submerged Lands Authorizations
 

Authorization is required for any construction or use on, over or under submerged lands owned by the State. Typical construction projects on sovereign submerged lands include docks, piers, seawalls and dredging of access channels. Activities and uses may be authorized by letter of consent, easement or lease, while some may qualify for consent by rule or an exception. The Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund serves as the proprietor of these State-owned lands and determines how the public's interests may best be served. The largest projects or ones of heightened public concern require review and authorization by the Board, while staff of the Department and the water management districts have been delegated the authority to take action on others.

Where these activities or uses are proposed as part of an Environmental Resource Permit, the applications to use these sovereign submerged lands is reviewed at the same time as the regulatory permit through a process referred to as