CT HB05334

Expands Connecticut's inland wetlands and watercourses regulations to include "riparian areas" (land bordering watercourses up to the ordinary high-water mark) as regulated zones, effective October 1, 2026

Adds three new factors that must be considered when evaluating permit applications: impacts on public drinking water, impacts on cold water habitat, and impacts that would decrease resilience to severe storms or increase water temperatures/drought extremes

Prohibits removal of natural vegetative cover within 10 feet of any watercourse as part of residential property maintenance, and defines "natural vegetative cover" to exclude lawns and invasive species

Allows permits to specify riparian buffer gradations for ecological benefits and requires property used as riparian buffers to be assessed at the same tax value as inland wetlands or watercourses

Exempts from regulation activities such as wetland restoration, revegetation of riparian areas with native plants, invasive species removal, and conservation of natural vegetative cover conducted by or under authority of DEEP