Mentioned 7× · first seen 08-jul-2026 · last seen 09-jul-2026

Wetlands Permit Regulation (Sec. 30305)

Current understanding

Section 30305 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (1994 PA 451) governs permit requirements and exemptions for activities in regulated wetlands. HB5502 (103rd Michigan Legislature) proposes to modify this section, altering what activities require permits and potentially the scope of state wetlands oversight for landowners, developers, and agricultural operators.

Evidence log

2026-06-04 — Natural resources: wetlands; definition of wetland; update. Amends secs. 30301, 30307 & 30308 of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.30301 et seq.).: cross-connection with wetland-definition-update-hb5536: The definition update in HB5536 governs the jurisdictional scope of the Sec. 30305 permitting regime, tying definitional changes directly to which activities require a wetlands permit. (novelty: 2)
2026-06-04 — Natural resources: wetlands; replacement or relocation of wetlands within a development project; allow. Amends sec. 30311d of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.30311d).: HB5501 amends a nearby section (sec. 30311d) of the same 1994 PA 451 wetlands statute to allow wetlands to be replaced or relocated within a development project, complementing sec. 30305 permit changes as part of a broader package reshaping Michigan’s wetlands regulatory scheme; passed chamber. (novelty: 2)
2026-06-17 — Environmental protection: permits; deadline for the department to require changes to an application for certain permits; provide. Amends sec. 30306 of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.30306).: HB6038 amends sec. 30306 (adjacent to sec. 30305 in Part 303) to set a deadline by which EGLE must require changes to a wetlands permit application, tightening the agency’s review timeline for applicants; passed chamber. (novelty: 2)
2026-06-30 — Natural resources: Great Lakes; regulations regarding crib docks in the Les Cheneaux Islands; prohibit Amends 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.101 - 324.90106) by adding secs. 32509a & 32509b & provides for a referendum.: Tangentially related: HB6143 amends a different part of the same 1994 PA 451 (adding secs. 32509a & 32509b under Great Lakes submerged lands provisions) to prohibit crib docks in the Les Cheneaux Islands, reflecting continued piecemeal NREPA amendments alongside wetlands sec. 30305 changes. (novelty: 3)
2026-06-25 — Environmental protection: permits; revisions of permit applications; limit. Amends sec. 30307 of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.30307).: cross-connection with permit-application-revision-limits: Sec. 30307 sits within the wetlands permitting statute alongside sec. 30305, so revision limits directly affect how wetlands permit applicants can respond to EGLE feedback. (novelty: 2)
2026-06-25 — Environmental protection: permits; approval process for certain permits; modify. Amends secs. 1301, 1305, 1307, 3112 & 30307 of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.1301 et seq.).: HB5937 amends sec. 30307 (wetlands permit application requirements under Part 303) together with general permitting sections 1301, 1305, 1307, and water-resources sec. 3112, indicating the wetlands permit approval process is being modified in parallel with sec. 30305 changes; passed chamber. (novelty: 2)
2026-06-25 — Environmental protection: permits; refund of permit fees in the case of delayed decisions; provide for. Amends sec. 1307 of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.1307).: HB5936 amends a separate section (sec. 1307) of the same 1994 PA 451 to require refunds of permit fees when regulatory decisions are delayed, a general permitting-administration change that would apply to wetlands permits issued under sec. 30305 alongside other NREPA permits. (novelty: 2)
2026-06-24 — Environmental protection: permits; exemption to permitting requirements for construction of certain residential ponds; provide for. Amends secs. 30103 & 30305 of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.30103 & 324.30305).: 2026 — HB5707 (103rd Legislature) proposes amending secs. 30103 and 30305 to exempt construction of certain residential ponds from wetlands permitting requirements; passed chamber. (novelty: 2)
2026-06-24 — Natural resources: wetlands; regulation of wetlands; modify. Amend sec. 30305 of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.30305).: cross-connection with wetlands-delineation: Both bills (HB5082 amending sec. 30321 and HB5502 amending sec. 30305) modify adjacent sections of the same 1994 PA 451 wetlands statute in the 103rd Legislature, suggesting a coordinated rework of Michigan’s wetlands regulatory scheme. (novelty: 2)