NJDEP Bureau of GISCAFRA critical environmental sites allows the delineation of boundaries for Coastal Planning Areas and CAFRA Centers consistent with the rules and policies of the State Planning Commission, while also recognizing the critical nature of the underlying environmental resource. For example, the State Planning Commission rules definition of "Planning area" includes a size criterion of "An area of greater than one square mile that shares a common set of conditions, such as population density, infrastructure systems, level of development, or environmental sensitivity." The same rules include a size criterion in the definition of critical environmental site as "an area generally greater than two acres and less than a square mile." These criteria allow for planning areas and centers at an appropriate scale for Statewide planning. The CAFRA critical environmental site allows for the appropriate consideration of the underlying natural and environmental resources at a scale appropriate for site specific reviews consistent with the goals of resource protection pursuant to CAFRA. CAFRA critical environmental sites share the same features as the Coastal Environmentally Sensitive Planning Area, but do not meet the size criteria for designation as such. Generally, planning areas are greater than one square mile in size while critical environmental sites are less than one square mile but greater than two acres. Consistent with Table H in N.J.A.C. 7:7-13.17, the impervious cover limits for a CAFRA critical environmental site are 3%. Consistent with Table I in N.J.A.C. 7:7-13.18, the vegetative cover for a CAFRA critical environmental sites are 70% in forested portions of a site and 5% in unforested portions of site.ArcGIS FeatureLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/6c43f5a852484853b3c144ec2a08dc0a_72engNew Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (NJDEP) Bureau of GISPublicCAFRA Critical Environmental Sites in New Jersey [New Jersey]Web servicesNew JerseyLast Modified: 2026-05-20