CBRA Guidance Following Hurricanes Fiona and Ian

Tools and guidance for CBRA compliance in storm recovery

Oct 4, 2022

In 1982, Congress enacted the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) to save taxpayer dollars, keep people out of harms way, and protect important coastal habitat by restricting most new federal expenditures and financial assistance within the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS). Federal funding for disaster relief may be limited by CBRA with some exceptions (such as certain emergency actions and repair/replacement of some public infrastructure). CBRA does not prohibit the expenditure of private, state, or local funds within the CBRS. Additionally, CBRA does not limit environmental studies or the issuance of federal permits.

CBRA consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is required for most projects or activities within System Units of the CBRS, but not for projects or activities within Otherwise Protected Areas. The Service’s website contains information about the consultation process and disaster assistance as well as other resources that can be used by public officials, property owners, and other stakeholders:  

Fact sheet for federal agencies on the CBRA consultation process
Fact sheet for federal agencies on CBRA and disaster assistance

Flow chart that can help agencies through the consultation process 
Interagency consultation template that can streamline the consultation process 
Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) - federal agencies and other stakeholders may enter their project locations into IPaC IPaC
Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) is a project planning tool that streamlines the USFWS environmental review process

Learn more about IPaC to receive a list of affected resources, including CBRS units, and information that is useful in the environmental review process
CBRS Mapper to view the existing CBRS units and download the official maps 
The CBRS Validation Tool within the CBRS mapper can be used by any user to produce documentation that indicates whether a location is within or outside of the CBRS. Please note that locations within the “CBRS Buffer Zone” (i.e., areas within about 20 feet of a CBRS boundary) require a “CBRS Property Determination”, which can be requested by emailing CBRAdeterminations@fws.gov. 
CBRS GIS Data (shapefile and web map service)