The comprehensive environmental protection ordinance may also be known as a natural resource protection ordinance. It is a distinct chapter or section in the municipal zoning code that includes provisions for protecting streams, wetlands, steep slopes, floodplains, woodlands, open space, and other environmentally sensitive areas during the land development process. This format serves as a one-stop shop for regulating important natural resources in a municipality and offers developers and residents a clear understanding of the various natural resources on a property that may require protection.

The comprehensive environmental protection ordinance may include procedures for “netting out” natural resource areas, which exempts them from lot area and density calculations. The ordinance also includes procedures for performing site capacity calculations, which are used to determine the development intensity a site’s natural resources can manage.