The federal Coastal Zone Management Act and the New York State Waterfront Revitalization of Coastal Areas and Inland Waterways Act established direction for the appropriate use and protection of the nation's and the State's coasts and waterways. The New York State Coastal Policies are the articulation of that direction.

These policies are used to guide the State's efforts to create and maintain clean, accessible, and prosperous coastal areas and inland waterways for present and future generations. They are used to guide local governments in the preparation of Local Waterfront Revitalization Programs, to determine the appropriateness of public agency decisions that affect the use and protection of coastal areas and inland waterways, to help set priorities for public and private investment along our coasts and waterways, and they are used by anyone who seeks to improve the management of the coast and inland waterways.

The New York State Coastal Policies that follow are excerpted from the New York State Coastal Management Program. The policies reflect changes that were made in 1983 and 2001. They are grouped in the following categories:

Development
Fish and Wildlife
Flooding and Erosion
General Safeguards
Public Access
Recreation
Historic and Scenic Resources
Agricultural Lands
Energy and Ice Management
Air and Water Resources
Wetlands

In some parts of the State, the coastal policies have been refined to take into account regional and local considerations. On Long Island Sound, the State Coastal Policies have been refined in the Long Island Sound Regional Coastal Management Program. In New York City, the state coastal policies have been refined in the City’s Waterfront Revitalization Program. Throughout the state, local municipalities have approved Local Waterfront Revitalization Programs to address their specific local issues and concerns. These regional and local programs have been incorporated into the NYS Coastal Management Program with the concurrence of the United States Department of Commerce's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management. The enforceable policies of these programs are used to guide decision-making. Special area management plans, such as watershed plans, harbor management plans, redevelopment plans, and natural area plans, may be incorporated into the State Coastal Management Program or be approved for inland waterway communities, and serve as a guide in applying the coastal policies.

Two of the State Coastal Policies have been given greater specificity by designation of areas of statewide importance. In the Hudson Valley, five areas along the Hudson River have been designated as Scenic Areas of Statewide Significance. This designation and the scenic assessment for each of the designated areas is an integral and enforceable element of Policy 24. Throughout the coastal area, 250 important coastal habitats have been designated as Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats. These designations and a habitat narrative for each of the designated habitats is an integral and enforceable element of Policy 7.