Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM)

The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is the lead policy and planning agency on coastal and ocean issues within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). CZM's mission is to balance the impacts of human activity with the protection of coastal and marine resources. As a federally funded coastal program with a strong local and regional role, CZM emphasizes coordination, collaboration, and partnerships to promote sound coastal and ocean management.

The 2008 Oceans Act required EEA to develop a comprehensive ocean management plan, and CZM has led the planning process on behalf of EEA. On December 31, 2009, the Commonwealth’s first-ever Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan was released. The Oceans Act further requires EEA to review and update the plan at least once every five years. On January 6, 2015, the first formal amendment of the original ocean plan was released. See EEA’s Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan website for details and updates.

This national model developed by CZM is designed to help communities and homeowners address coastal erosion, storm damage, flooding, and related issues. The StormSmart Coasts website includes information on available grants, assessing the vulnerability of coastal properties to erosion and flooding, tools for local officials to improve coastal floodplain management, options for coastal property owners to effectively reduce erosion and storm damage while minimizing impacts to shoreline systems, landscaping options for controlling erosion and storm damage, interactive maps of erosion along the Massachusetts coast, and more.

The Massachusetts Ocean Resource Information System, or MORIS, is a web-based coastal mapping tool that provides detailed geographic data on coastal and ocean management issues. Users can interactively view various data layers, create and share maps, and download the data for use in a Geographic Information System (GIS). While designed for coastal management professionals, MORIS can be easily used by anyone interested in these data and maps.

The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management Policy Guide is the official statement of the Massachusetts coastal program policies and legal authorities. Along with the official program policies, it provides information on the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, the history and operation of the Massachusetts coastal program, federal consistency review, and the application of coastal policy in other state regulatory programs.

Landscaping with native plants can help coastal property owners prevent storm damage and erosion, provide wildlife habitat, and reduce coastal water pollution—all while improving a property's visual appeal and natural character. CZM's Coastal Landscaping website presents detailed information on the benefits of these landscaping techniques, step-by-step instructions on landscaping coastal areas, plant lists and photos, sample landscape plans, permitting information, and more.

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Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
251 Causeway Street, Suite 800, Boston, MA 02114
617-626-1200 ♦ 617-626-1240 (fax) ♦ czm@state.ma.us
Charlie Baker, Governor
Karyn E. Polito, Lieutenant Governor
Matthew A. Beaton, Secretary
Bruce K. Carlisle, Director