Mitigation Services
Mission Statement
The N.C. Division of Mitigation Services mission is to provide cost-effective mitigation alternatives that improve the state's water resources.
Mitigation to Recreation: Public Lands and Parks
DMS partners with fellow state agencies, nonprofit conservation organizations, local government and community organizations to restore and protect natural land that result in public parks or lands.
Explore DMS Public Lands and Parks Map
NC Flood Resiliency Blueprint
The Blueprint is the backbone of the state's flood planning process to increase community resilience to flooding throughout NC's River basins. It's a first-of-its-kind program in NC and represents the largest statewide flood mitigation investment in state history.
Learn More
DMS Innovations
DMS is working to advance the use of technology in project monitoring and data management.
DMS Innovations
Work for DEQ
DEQ is looking for top talent to share their knowledge, skills, and commitment to a strong, safe environment for our state and beyond.
See all current job openings!What We Do
The Division of Mitigation Services (DMS) is a state Department of Environmental Quality initiative that restores and protects wetlands and waterways for future generations while offsetting unavoidable environmental impacts from development projects. DMS offers four In-Lieu Fee mitigation programs designed to assist private and public developers in meeting state and federal compensatory mitigation and nutrient offset requirements. DMS maximizes mitigation investments to restore streams, wetlands and riparian buffer areas using a watershed approach by working with state and local partners and willing landowners to concentrate mitigation resources in areas where they will have the greatest watershed benefit. Customers voluntarily use DMS to advance their development projects in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Our Work Counts
Feet of Stream Protected and Improved
Projects Implemented
invested to restore and protect surface waters
Acres of Wetland Improvement
Mitigation to Recreation: Public Lands and Parks
From the mountains to the coast, the Division of Mitigation Services has invested over $1.1 billion to protect and restore more than 758 miles of stream and over 80,000 acres of natural land in the state. Some of those projects result in public lands or parks, which play a vital dual role in landscape stewardship and recreation. Through partnership and perpetual land protection, these areas become valuable community assets, offering trails, open space and nature-based recreation that encourage public engagement and environmental appreciation. This approach maximizes the state's financial investments and delivers long‑term benefits: sustainable ecological function, increased biodiversity and expanded recreational opportunities that support public health, quality of life and bring revenue to local economies.
