{Photo of the front cover of The Municipal Primer}

The Municipal Primer – Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” Community (also called “The Municipal Primer”) provides basic information and guidance to municipal officials on a wide variety of topics related to environmental protection so that local decision-makers are informed about key environmental topics.  From land use decisions, to purchasing practices, to the operation of municipal facilities, and more, The Municipal Primer provides municipal officials with a tool that allows them to quickly determine which DEP programs relate to any given situation and identifies sources of additional information, including web pages and staff contacts. 

The Municipal Primer can be downloaded from this page or you may request a hard copy by sending an e-mail or by calling 860-424-3003.

Connecticut General Statutes Online

The majority of the fact sheets in The Municipal Primer provide Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) citations where relevant.  Because web links to sections of the CGS change frequently, the statutory citations provided in The Municipal Primer are not hyperlinked to the actual statutory text.  If you are interested in viewing the referenced statutory text, we recommend you visit the Connecticut General Assembly's web page for the most up-to-date version of the General Statutes of Connecticut. On this web site you can search or browse the statutes for the section(s) of interest. 

Updates

All updates to The Municipal Primer will be available only online.  To date, The Municipal Primer has not been updated.

Reporting Errors

Please report any errors by e-mailing your observation to Municipal Primer corrections. 

Download The Municipal Primer

There are two ways to download The Municipal Primer: you can download the entire document or you can download it a section at a time.  Please note that each PDF includes blank pages where necessary to allow for double-sided printing. 

Download The Municipal Primer (PDF, 4.24MB).

To download individual sections of The Municipal Primer, select the appropriate section heading below. 

The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” Community

• Introduction to The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” Community
• Content and Organization of The Municipal Primer

Land Use Boards, Commissions, Agencies and Committees

• Introduction to Land Use Boards, Commissions, Agencies and Committees
• Avoiding Jurisdictional Conflicts
• Environmental and Landscape Stewardship
• Watershed Management
• Floodplain Management
• Aquifer Protection Area Program
• Nonpoint Source Pollution Management
• Coastal Management
• Streets and Roads Planning
• Brownfields Remediation
• Environmentally Sensitive Land Use Practices
• Low Impact Development
• Water as a Natural Resource
• Endangered Species

Public Works

• Introduction to Public Works
• CT DEP Permitting Overview for Public Works Officials
• Municipal Solid Waste Management
• Disaster Debris Management Planning
• Recycling
• Composting and Organics Recycling
• Brush, Stump and Untreated Wood Waste Management
• Hazardous and Universal Wastes
• Stormwater Management
• Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) Stormwater Program
• Planning for a Flood & Other Natural Hazards (Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan)
• Dams
• Dredging
• Fleet Selection and Operation
• Mobile Air Emission Sources
• Indoor and Outdoor Lighting and Appliances
• Landscape and Lawn Care
• Renovation, Demolition and Construction
• Street and Road Management
• Underground Storage Tank Systems (Tanks and Piping)

Wastewater Planning and Management

• Introduction to Wastewater Management
• Municipal Wastewater Management Planning
• Wastewater Management Approaches
• Regulating Wastewater at the State Level

Public Health

• Introduction to Public Health
• Mosquito Management and Control
• Potable Water Program

Parks and Recreation

• Introduction to Parks and Recreation
• Greenways
• Outdoor Recreation
• Protected Open Space
• State Parks and Forests

Public Safety and Building Official

• Introduction to Public Safety and Building Official (Includes Open Burning Official)
• Environmental Conservation Police
• Environmental Justice
• Open (Outdoor) Burning
• Outdoor Wood-Burning Furnaces and Wood Stoves
• Wildlife Issues: Animal Possession, Nuisance Animals & Wildlife Rehabilitators

Schools and Education

• Introduction to Schools and Education
• Environmental Education and Outreach
• Green Building Requirements for Schools
• Operations and Maintenance for Schools

Financial Assistance

• Introduction to Financial Assistance
• Grants and Financial Assistance
• Reducing Costs Through Source Reduction and Materials Reuse
• Purchasing Practices (Recycled Products and Environmentally Preferred Purchasing)

Guide to CT DEP Permits, Licenses and Other Authorizations

• Introduction to the Guide to CT DEP Permits, Licenses and Other Authorizations
• Air, Waste, Water and Land Use: Short Permit Processes
• Air, Waste, Water and Land Use: Individual Permit Process
• Air, Waste, Water and Land Use: Typical Individual Permit Process Flow Chart
• Air, Waste, Water and Land Use: Individual Permits List
• Matrix of CT DEP Authorizations Typically Required by Municipal Function / Operation
• Professional and Occupational Licensing
• Recreational and Natural Resources Authorizations

Appendices

• Appendix I - Topical Index
• Appendix II - CT DEP Website Shortcuts
• Appendix III - Key Contacts Brochure

Content last updated May 26, 2009