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Resident told DEP, not township, controls fence permits in wetland buffer areas
Summary
A caller seeking a backyard fence was told by the township engineer and attorney that fences inside wetlands or buffer zones require New Jersey DEP permits and that the township cannot authorize them.
A Manalapan resident who called into the May 27 meeting to ask permission to install a backyard fence was directed to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection after township officials confirmed the property lies in wetlands or wetland buffer areas.
Caller Alexia Sarakhman said she wanted a modest fenced area for her children and had encountered conflicting guidance in prior DEP communications. Township Engineer James Winckowski reviewed the property mapping and told the caller the conservation area coverage and wetland buffers were the controlling factors.
"The answer right now is it's not an issue with the township," Winckowski said. "The entire area that's in covered by the conservation is wetlands and/or wetland buffer areas and the state law is the state regulations for putting a fence within that area." Attorney Roger McLaughlin added that "the township does not have the ability under state law" to grant the requested permission and advised the resident to pursue DEP permitting. Winckowski offered to e-mail maps and follow up by phone.
The exchange closed with the township offering technical assistance in identifying the DEP boundary lines and with the resident saying she would forward her full e-mail thread with DEP to township staff for help in moving the permit process forward.
