Study scope
The Coastal Barrier Resources Act, enacted in 1982, designated relatively undeveloped coastal barriers along the Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico coasts as part of the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS), and made these
areas ineligible for most new Federal expenditures and financial assistance. The CBRS was expanded
in 1990 to include areas along the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The three
purposes of this law are to minimize the loss of human life, conserve natural resources associated
with coastal barriers, and save taxpayers’ dollars.
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A geographic system, established by the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982, that consists of the undeveloped coastal barriers
and other areas located on the coasts of the U.S. that are identified and generally depicted on the
maps on file with the Secretary of the Interior entitled "John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources
System." The CBRS was renamed the "John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System" by
Pub. L. 106-167 in 1999 to honor the late Senator Chafee.
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The Coastal Barrier Resources System includes two types of units, System Units and Otherwise Protected Areas (OPAs).
System Units are predominantly comprised of privately owned areas, though they may also
contain areas that are held for conservation and/or recreation. Most new Federal expenditures and
financial assistance, including Federal flood insurance, are prohibited within System Units.
OPAs are predominantly comprised of conservation and/or recreation areas, though they may
also contain private areas that are not held for conservation and/or recreation. OPAs are denoted
with a "P" at the end of the unit number. The only Federal spending prohibition within OPAs
is the prohibition related to Federal flood insurance.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service receives numerous requests from property owners and other interested parties who seek to
remove land from the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS). The Service does not recommend removing
lands from the CBRS unless there is clear and compelling evidence that a technical mapping error
led to the inclusion of land in the CBRS. In order to determine whether a technical mapping error
exists, the Service conducts a comprehensive review of the history of the CBRS unit in question,
which includes an assessment of the Service’s records for the unit, the controlling and historical
CBRS maps of the area, historical aerial imagery and development status of the area (including the
number of structures and level of infrastructure on the ground at the time of designation), an assortment
of natural resource data, land ownership information, and any materials submitted by interested parties.
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Section 4(a) of the
2006 Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization Act (CBRRA) (Pub. L. 109-226) directs the Secretary
of the Interior (Secretary) to prepare digital maps for the CBRS. Section 4(c)(3)(D) of the 2006
CBRRA directs the Secretary to make recommendations for the expansion of the CBRS when carrying out
the digital mapping.
The comprehensive map modernization approach makes modifications necessary to account for natural changes, corrects mapping
errors that affect property owners, and also adds areas that are appropriate for inclusion within
the CBRS. This requires a thorough review process and generally follows these steps: (1) research
by the Service into the intent of the original boundaries and the development status on-the-ground
at the time the areas were originally included within the CBRS (the Service generally does not recommend
removal of areas from the CBRS unless there is compelling evidence that a mapping error was made);
(2) preparation of draft revised maps by the Service; (3) public review of the draft maps; (4) preparation
of final recommended maps by the Service that take into consideration information provided during
the public comment period as well as the CBRA criteria and objective mapping protocols; and (5) Congressional
enactment of legislation to make the revised maps effective.
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"Existing" Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) boundaries are the current boundaries of the CBRS that are depicted
on the official set of CBRS maps maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service).
"Revised" CBRS boundaries are draft boundaries that are prepared by the Service through
the comprehensive map modernization process. Revised boundaries that have been prepared for public
review are referred to as "proposed." Following the public review process, the Service considers
all submitted comments and prepares "final recommended boundaries," which are then transmitted
to Congress for consideration. Revised CBRS boundaries that are produced through this process only
become effective if adopted by Congress through legislation.
Revised Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) boundaries that are prepared by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service)
through the comprehensive map modernization process for public review are referred to as "proposed."
Following the public review process, the Service considers all submitted comments and prepares "final
recommended boundaries," which are then transmitted to Congress for consideration. Revised CBRS
boundaries that are produced through this process only become effective if adopted by Congress through
legislation.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) has geospatial Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) polygon data for the existing
and revised units available in a variety of formats. Please visit the
Digital CBRS Boundaries webpage for the existing CBRS boundary data. Please visit the
Comprehensive Map Modernization webpage for the revised CBRS boundary data.
For more information visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Barrier Resources System
webpage or contact us via email at
cbra@fws.gov.
Click the unit that you would like to make comments about in the mapper. If a comment period is currently open, the "Project
Status" section of the pop-up window that appears will contain instructions for submitting comments.
CBRS Projects Mapper